Whether you’re planning to open up a business or looking for ways to improve your current business situation, differentiating yourself from the rest should always be a priority. Successful online branding, for instance, can be your best defense.
In today’s era where most businesses are more competitive than ever, developing ways to stay ahead of the game is of utmost importance. Thinking about how valuable digital technology is today, it’s only safe to say that the image you’ll make online can greatly impact your reputation and your customer’s buying decisions. Good online branding in Singapore not only affects the way people think and perceive your business but also impacts your brand’s overall sales.
What is Branding and Why is it Important?
By definition, branding is a marketing process of creating a strong, positive and unique perception of your brand through identifiable elements such as name, logo and design. These can help you to differentiate your products and services from the rest, allowing you to establish a loyal customer base. According to Oberlo, consistent presentation of a brand has proven to increase revenue by 33%.
Good branding can give you a great advantage over your competitors by helping you gain and retain customers at a cheaper cost. In this day and age where more and more competitors exist, an established brand can serve as your vital asset.
What is Online Branding?
Online branding refers to a brand management technique that uses the internet as a channel for putting the brand in the marketplace. It is a process that allows you to build consumer’s trust through a strong online presence, helping you establish authority, credibility and professionalism.
A study shows that 81% of consumers research online before they make a purchase. Given the vast majority of people using online searches, it goes to show that online branding is vital for any business regardless of the industry and size.
What Do You Need for a Successful Online Branding in Singapore
Retailers exert their time, effort and resources in online branding due to various reasons. Regardless if you’re looking to promote your business online, to expand your reach or simply to gain followers, here’s a list of the things you will need for successful online branding in Singapore.
Unique Business Name and Logo
A unique business name and logo are the most essential factors you need for successful online branding. When choosing a business name, make sure to spend an ample amount of time on research to ensure that the name you pick hasn’t been used by any brand yet.
Your logo, on the other hand, will serve as the visual identity of your business, thus, you have to choose something that suits your business name and the products you offer. Your logo must catch the attention of your customers. To make it identifiable, choose the color and design that will work smoothly with your business name.
Choosing the right name and logo can surely help you have a strong and consistent brand image, enabling customers to recognise your brand easily.
Tag Line
A business tagline is also essential in online branding. A tagline is typically a phrase that shows your audience who you are and what your brand is all about in just a glimpse. In most cases, a tagline provides your audience with the idea of your brand’s mission and vision, providing them the clarity they need to give your website a visit.
An excellent tagline is simple, unique and remarkable. It can help differentiate your business and set your brand apart from your competitors. There’s no rule in creating your tagline. The only thing you need to make sure of is to stick with something that represents your brand. Think about words and phrases that best describe your business. With the list of statements you have, test each one with the people you trust.
Brand Voice
Providing your audience with a consistent brand voice is the key to successful online branding. Online shoppers tend to buy over and over from the brand they trust. To gain consumers’ trust, sending your message properly and consistently can be of great help.
6 Tips for Successful Online Branding
Online branding goes way beyond choosing a business name and logo. It’s more than just creating a tagline and sticking with your brand voice. Online branding is creating an image of who you are and what you promise to offer.
While achieving successful online branding is not easy, it is always possible. To guide you along this journey, here’s a list of tips you should consider when building your brand online.
Establish strong, unique brand identity.
Conceptualising the aesthetics of the brand is essential in establishing your brand identity. Picking out which logo and colors to use are vital as they will represent your business in the digital world. Choose the colors that will work in sync with the message you want to convey. If you are a startup brand with minimum or no experience in brand identity, it would be best to contact a professional web design company to help you come up with concepts tailored to your needs.
Create an “About Us” Page
How well can you introduce your brand to your audience? The way you speak about your business is essential in online branding. One of the best ways to give your audience a glimpse of who you are is through an “About Us “ page. This page is the best platform to talk a little about your brand’s humble beginning, strengths and accomplishments. Give your audience a reason to stay on your website and the opportunity to appreciate what you can offer.
Choose networks that suit your brand.
Being present on all social media pages can be an effective step towards successful online branding. However, it is best to understand that not all social media networks work the same way, hence, you have to choose the ones that will suit your brand. Take your time and effort to discover which social media channel is best to use as an advertising tool.
While Facebook may seem like the best choice for every business and industry, other mediums such as Instagram is also a powerful tool for online branding.
Produce engaging content.
Engage with your audience by producing fresh and useful content. Blogs, among others, play a significant role in creating and maintaining strong customer engagement. Blogs are beneficial to online branding as they can help brands rank well in search engines. Moreover, informative blogs are considered to be great content for social media. Compared with product postings, blogs shared on social media are likely to get more traffic.
Know your target audience and engage with them.
Knowing your audience, understanding them and engaging with them is essential to online branding. To find your target audience, make use of efficient research tools such as that from Google and Nielsen. These research tools can help you identify your target market’s demographics like their age, gender and location, allowing you to build strategic plans.
- Invest in video content marketing.
Unlike in brick-and-mortar stores, online shoppers do not get the chance to touch or feel the product they are about to purchase, hence, the need for an excellent visual experience. Investing in video content marketing can greatly impact your audience’s digital experience. Video content allows brands to build unique and personal interactions with their audience.
Research shows that video is considered to be consumers’ most favorite type of content. It only goes to show how videos are getting more and more popular, affecting the audience’s decisions.
SMMILE: For Successful Online Branding in Singapore
Build your brand online in the best way possible. With SMMILE, you can guarantee excellent quality services for successful online branding. We help brands to connect with their customers through corporate branding, web design, social media marketing and more.
For inquiries, you may call us at (65) 8687 8143 or email us at hello@smmile.com.
Chris Anne
Smmile is a Digital Marketing Agency in Singapore with over 10 years of experience in the industry.