In today’s internet-reliant commercial world, it’s now more important than ever for companies to promote themselves online effectively and project the right image to win over consumers from their rivals. Also, with the near meteoric rise of e-commerce in recent years, staying ahead in business (and, perhaps more importantly, ahead of your competitors) is now more demanding than ever.
The complex worlds of branding, marketing, and advertising
In truth, if you want to get the best from your company’s branding, you should consider employing the services of an online branding specialist that will look after all aspects of your promotion for you. However, even if you do work with a marketing company, it’s still useful to have an idea of what you can expect from them. Below are a few pointers and things you should consider:
Choose a unique name and get a professional logo: Depending on where you are with the establishment of your company, you may already have chosen your company name and decided on your logo. However, if not, try to choose a unique name – ideally, one you can subsequently use in your choice of company website domain name (URL). It’s also a good idea to check if you can use this name across the social media handles you choose, e.g., on Facebook, where your page will be something like Facebook.com/mycompanyname. Lastly, while you might think yourself quite the graphic designer, you should pay a professional to artwork your logo.
Pay for a professional website: It’s estimated around 77% of all consumer journeys now start with a search, so you should spend time and money getting the best website possible produced. Sure, there is now a huge range of DIY web builder platforms you could use (Wix, WordPress, etc.) but unless you have design, imaging, and programming skills, your site will fall well short of one produced by a professional firm. When you consider your website is likely going to be the first point of contact for your potential and existing customers, you need to make sure it looks great and works as well as possible.
Decide on your advertising strategy: While it’s true social media has made reaching clients much easier, advertising still rules when it comes to generating new business. First, you need a clear idea of the message and style you want to convey, then try to narrow down your ideal demographic. Digital advertising can offer highly targeted advertising based on age, interests, location, etc. – so the clearer idea you have, the better your results will be. PPC management is also vital to keep a hold on expenses and monitor the effectiveness of your campaign.
Consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO): As mentioned above, most consumer purchases these days start with a search so you need to ensure your site is ranked high in the major search engines. As of September 2022, Google now accounts for just short of 93% of all online search activity – so you pretty much only need to concentrate on that platform. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the various tricks and tactics website marketing specialists can use to propel your site to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).