Running an online business alone or with a team, could be a highly stressful job! Your business needs to reach the sales, goals, and also you are in the race to maintain a strong presence in the market.
A real asset in your entrepreneurial arsenal is a robust personal brand. As a business owner, it is essential for you to understand the power of branding as a tool. You must be aware of how a reputable personal identity for your company and yourself can help multiply sales multifold.
If you are confused about the effective execution of a successful branding strategy, we have some good news for you here. Our team has taken upon themselves to help you figure out what works best for your company. We are sure that only a few hacks and tweaks will help you ramp up your presence and build a far greater fan base than you thought initially.
Without much ado, we shall jump straight into branding. We suggest that you get your note-taking tools out because this is a lesson you can’t afford to miss out on!
What is meant by branding?
Before we proceed to explain branding techniques, it is necessary for our readers to grasp the concept of branding and how it works thoroughly. Branding, by definition, means a collection of practices that helps a company stand out in the market. It is the amplification of your USP (Unique Selling Point). Regardless of the medium, a brand must create a psychological impact on the viewer and help a potential customer become a regular shopper.
How does branding work?
Do you remember this old country song from driving with your eccentric friends or family member?
My troubled old heart, dear, is beating with pain
You've gone, and I know I'm the one who's to blame
You've gone in the world to make a new start
Moreover, left as a memory your brand on my heart
A company needs to metaphorically leave a brand on the hearts of the consumers to attract them and keep them hooked. For example: What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear of Starbucks? Do you start seeing the mermaid with parted hair? Do you think of a fancy coffee that costs way more than what an average person with student loans could afford? Alternatively, do you think of the Game of Thrones faux pas?
If any of your answers were a yes, then indeed you’ve been entranced by the glory of Starbucks and its splendid vibes of calm and quiet. To take influencer branding in the mix, let's illustrate with another example: When a millennial YouTuber suggests a drink from the Starbucks menu, a vast majority of their followers start buying the same beverage. Moreover, the people from a slightly distant age cohort would also begin to hang out at the same Starbucks to feel young at heart. All the while, Starbucks establishes its brand as the ideal place for handing out with friends, working on your English essay, or even just taking a break.
Branding hacks every business owner needs today
We hope that vibrant Starbucks examples must have established the significance of smart and sensible branding. Here is a list of branding hacks in layperson terms to help everyone achieve their goals.
Reflect professionalism in all aspects
To establish your brand in the market, it is essential for you to have a professional looking profile on all social networks. Your display pictures should look crisp and show a welcoming face. Any photograph with sullen and serious looking faces is less likely to garner as much attention as a smiling face can do. You don’t necessarily have to wear an expensive couture suit to look professional, any image that shows you in presentable attire and shows a headshot of your warm smile is good to go! Have a look at Neil Patel’s profile to understand the significance of a profile better.
The balance between the quality and quantity of the content
As a company trying to find your footing in the flooding markets of abundance and variety, it could be crucial for you to maintain the quality and quantity of your content. We believe that this is one of the primary reason why a lot of new companies fail to establish an influential persona in the online markets.
The average user today is bombarded with information from every stream, but how will they remember to check your products? The answer is, through consistently authentic content that is not blandly repeated, nor is too scattered to be recognized as one. Your social media networks, website, videos, and blog should all have the same story being reflected with modifications to fit the audience.
For example: if you hire a professional logo design service to make a logo for your website, you can ask them to make a similar graphic with a watermark of the medium being used. You can add the YouTube play button and fuse it with your logo to create a unique image for your YouTube channel as well.
Create a compelling story
The human mind has an uncanny ability to relate to personal accounts. Human beings are neurologically designed to connect with stories, and this is a quality marketer have been exploiting for centuries to create brand loyalty. When a brand tries to empower women by financing their startups or helping new moms to get more extended maternity or paid leave, or even tries to fight for equality, these compelling stories emotionally manipulate the viewer to become a part of your brand’s journey and help you reach your goal.
We do not mean that you can create false stories and exploit emotions for your gains; we imply that you can choose a strong narrative and design your brand around it.
Some more branding hacks:
• Intentionally position yourself to be spoken about.
• Arrange meet-ups and gatherings to introduce your brand
• Create a catchy tagline and hashtag
• Speak at local events
• Start your podcast/YouTube channel
Final Thoughts
Branding is a mind game that only requires you to be creative. Smart decision-making and acute attention to detail will take your brand a long way. You must try to create an image that complies with your story and creates harmony in your content. Deceiving your viewers could backfire even before you have a second to blink an eye. So it better to remain authentic and truthful. We hope that this branding guide will help you out. Let us know in the comments about what you liked the most. We would only be too glad to answer you!
Alma Causey is a Freelance writer by day and sports fan by night. She writes about tech education and health related issues. Live simply, give generously, watch football and a technology lover.
