The Success Center

Branding your business is one of the most important things that you can do to succeed. Your brand, which can essentially be known as your reputation, is the means by which consumers will get to know your business. If your brand is portrayed in a positive light, your business will reap the benefits.

Let’s take a look at some strategies to help you brand your business online!

Online Branding tip #1 – Research your Audience

When it comes to branding your business, one of the most important steps is researching your target audience. Your target audience will affect all of your branding efforts including who you market to, where you market, and how you market.

By doing your research, you can quickly learn what your target audience likes (to create interesting webpage content) and where they surf (to get noticed by them successfully).

Online Branding Tip #2 – Give Yourself A Voice

You have researched your target audience – now you need to put this information to use and find a way to connect with them. Know what it is that your audience wants to hear and find a way to get that message across to them. Once you tell your audience what they want to hear (and uphold your promises), you will attract a much larger interest in your business.

Online Branding Tip #3 – Brand your Business online

In relation to branding, the internet is one of the best ways to get your message across to your audience. In order to do so, however, you have to make yourself available on multiple web channels. There are many different ways that you can advertise your business online including the use of social media, paid advertisements, blogs, forums, email lists, and article directories (to name just a few).

For more tips and advice on building your brand online, check out: How to Use Social Media to Build Your Brand Locally

Online Branding Tip #4 – Integrate Social Media

When it comes to branding your business, social media is the internet hotspot. Determine where your target audience hangs out. Do they use Facebook? Or perhaps they are more likely to use Twitter? A little research should tell you exactly where you can find your target audience and how you can create a marketing campaign that will capture their interests. Once you have attracted a solid base, use social media to generate more personal connections with your audience – this what will keep them committed and loyal to you!

Online Branding Tip #5 – Build Your Reputation

It is not enough to get yourself noticed online, you must also have a good reputation. Once you begin attracting customers, do everything you can to keep them. Conducting follow-ups, providing high quality products, and offering great deals are just a few of the many things that you can do to create a positive reputation for your business.

Your Turn

Now that you know more about how to brand your business online, you can use this information for generating a solid and loyal customer base. What tools do you use in branding your business online? What other ways can you enhance your company’s brand online? Share your thoughts below.

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About the Author

Silvia Pencak, also known as Magnetic Silvia around the social web, is a Brand Strategist specializing in small business online branding. You can connect with her at her blog, Magnetic Look. com.

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This is a guest post by Mike Holmes and will be continued by Rod Kirby in next week’s installment.

Entrepreneur’s can learn a lot from Barack Obama when it comes to marketing their businesses.

Was it because AdAge named him Marketer of the Year?

No…

Was it because he raised $639 million in campaign contributions, nearly doubling McCain’s $335 million?

No…

Was it the way he used Web 2.0 to galvanize and speak to thousands?

No…

What was it then?!

Easy… his follow up strategy.

What??

Nobody can dispute it: he ran a phenomenal campaign!! He literally transformed that six letter word: CHANGE. He had millions of volunteers–and, during his campaign, those volunteers received text messages and emails from him on a regular basis.

But then he won.

Now what?

He could’ve done like most political campaigns: “Thanks for the memories.” “Thanks for your support.” “Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am…you really helped ME a lot!” But he didn’t do that. Instead, he keeps in contact through his website and maintains those forged relationships. He hears his supporters voices, concerns, and ideas. They still have their leader and he his followers. So when it comes time for re-election he won’t have any trouble drumming up support!!

Take Care of Your Supporters

One day Jesus was met by thousands of people–He taught them,  healed them, and welcomed them. After a while He “called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.’” [1]

If Jesus were like most marketers, He would’ve said, “Well thank you everybody for supporting Me; I hope you guys get home safe…ummm…I’m pretty much done here…you guys’ve helped a lot. Thanks!” Instead of that, He fed them with seven loaves and a few fish. And after “they all ate and were satisfied.” [2]

Take care of supporters!

Don’t just use them and throw them away! Keep in contact, hear their opinions, listen to their ideas, receive their feedback, and etc. Don’t send them away hungry lest they “collapse on the way.”

What do you think?

1. Matthew 15:32 (New International Version)
2. Matthew 15:37 (New International Version)

Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on business and leadership development from a Biblical perspective. When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here. Mike is also working on his second book: “Biblical Stratgies for Marketing Success.”

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Update: 10/22/09 @ 9:30 am – I added a bonus tip from the comments section of the original post that I think is absolutely brilliant. Check it out below!

I remember a web development client I had who would always call me whenever she had a “computer issue.” Her questions ranged from “How do I free up space in my email account?” to “What’s the big deal over Facebook?” Even though my only job was to make sure her website was updated on a regular basis I often answered her questions anytime either in person, over the phone, or via email. I even showed her some basic things when it came to updating the website herself in-case I wasn’t available, and yet, she stuck with my services for a couple of years. Why? I looked at her less as a couple-hundred-dollar-a-month-customer and more as a million dollar client. That was my perspective of her and as a result of the way I viewed her I developed a great relationship with her.

Last week we explored 4 Secrets to Small Business Success. It’s so important that no matter what you do professionally, you maximize the 4 walls of success mentioned in that article. One of those walls is relationship building which is mission critical to your success!

When you look beyond making sales and start making an impact in your customer’s life then you being to build a relationship with that customer. It’s important not only for immediate dividends, but long-term success as well.

Here are a few tips on building relationships with your customers;

1. Listen – Being able to move your ego out of the way and let your client do all the talking is paramount to getting to the root issue that they need you to fix. You can’t help them if you continually tout your services and products without hearing what they really need.
2. Share – Don’t be afraid to let a little bit of your tips, tricks, or ninjary (is a that even a word?) seep out of your mouth and into your client’s imagination. You don’t have to give away the kitchen sink, but if there’s information that would be valuable for them, share it!
3. Teach – One of the greatest marketing tools is to actually teach prospects what they want to know and sell to them tools on the back end. It works well in building relationships because you’ll already be positioned as an authority on your subject.
4. Give – When you’ve got a client who sticks with you through thick and thin, reward their loyalty! Remember, they could give their business to anyone, but they chose you. That’s their gift to you . . . now, give them one back! (IE, Future purchase discounts, coupons from other vendors, gifts, etc.)
5. Promote – If you’re a service provider, then you should have a couple of cool testimonials on your website from your clients right? Why not feature them throughout your website, blog, or in your physical location? You never know . . . they might do the same for you.
6. Network – If you’re providing your client with a service or product, that’s only one out of a bajillion other services or products that they need. Give them access to hand selected and reliable vendors in your network. They’ll already trust you, will value your opinion, and might even hook you up with a major player in theirs.
7. Be Quick! – Believe it or not, but how you perform develops your client relationships as well. If you’re always taking your time on client projects, running late for meetings, or slow to respond, do you think they’ll stay your client forever?
8. Go the Extra Mile – It’s a no brainer right? The best weapon you have against keeping a client from turning into an angry customer is by delivering on more than their expectations. I guarantee you’ll win a client for life by simply doing more for them with excellence.
9. Be Accessible – As I mentioned earlier, I made my self available to my client in person, over the phone, and via email. It doesn’t matter how technologically advanced we become, people want to interact with people. Now that social media is in the mix, make your clients comfortable by being available in Facebook chat or show awesome customer service by responding quickly on Twitter.
10. Be Yourself! – Sometimes we have a tendency to want to “portray the big boys” in business instead of being small business owners. You don’t have to have your mom record your voice mail for you, your sister answer your phone and pass it to you, or rent a fancy car for client meetings. Just be yourself. Small business owners have the advantage over their big corporate brothers by being more personal and the ability to pay attention to details.

Bonus: My buddy, jtrigsby added,

“Follow Through – Its so simple it seems silly to mention, but how many times have you called a service provider, left a message and they never called you back. If you’re clients are attempting to connect with you, they’ve already done the hardest thing they’ll have to do… go beyond your barrier to entry and reached out. DO NOT let that go to waste!”

What else can you do to build relationships with your clients? What do you do now that delivers the “wow factor” to their service experience? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company, Kirby Enterprises. Follow Rod on Twitter here.

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