Bridging the gap between companies and audiences, branding is the reason why customers patronize a brand. According to studies, 90 percent of users expect to see the same branding across all company channels. When you’re exposed to relatable and consistent branding, users start to develop a sense of affinity toward the brand. Forbes also claims that a consistent branding on all brand platforms surges the bottom line by 23 percent. Overall, branding is crucial to a company’s success. But how can digital branding gain brands foothold in their industries?

In this article, we’ll tell you the importance of digital branding, elements to a proper branding, and tips for an effective digital branding strategy this 2020. 

 

What is Digital Branding?

Digital branding is a technique that leverages the internet and online marketing to propel a brand forward. It combines your branding and digital marketing strategies using these methods: 

• Social media 
• Websites
• Apps
• Content marketing
• SEO
• PPC
• Affiliate marketing
• Email marketing
• Influencer marketing

People may have used branding and digital marketing interchangeably. Although both are somehow interconnected, both carry various significance and definitions. Branding is how you want to be perceived as a brand. This is how your customers relate with you through your brand message, values, personality, and overall identity. 

On the other hand, digital marketing pertains to using digital platforms that help relay a company’s branding to its audience. It’s solely focused on promoting a brand, product, or service. Typically, the end goal is to lead customers further down the sales funnel.

Moreover, branding stays even after a product hype or promotion is over. It’s a perennial identity that’s unique to a brand and should be applied to all marketing tactics, offline or online. Companies communicate with their target audience through their branding. Therefore, it’s crucial to create a company branding that stands out. 

 

Who Needs a Digital Branding Strategy

Startups, small businesses, and large corporations would need a digital branding strategy. This is so they can dominate not only their offline audience but, most notably, their online audience, as well.

But why should companies establish their branding in the digital space? Here are five benefits of developing a digital branding approach:

• Online marketing brings enormous revenue opportunities as 78 percent of users research products online
• Gives your brand an advantage over your competitors as 95 percent of companies use automated marketing
• Improves your online presence
• Contributes to higher conversions
• Customers appreciate brands that make efforts online due to authenticity and credibility

 

Digital Branding Strategies and Tips for 2020

Here’s what you should do to convey your branding via the most omnipotent channel the world over — the internet.

 

1. Make your logo and website represent your brand

As you know, consumers remember a brand when they’ve been exposed to it at least five times. That being said, ensure that you design your logo and website appropriately. Your digital design must speak your branding. 

For instance, your brand colors must be consistent across all channels. Another factor should be memorability. Professionals must create your logo, so it’s scalable, versatile, memorable, and eye-catching. 

Lastly, once you’ve perfected your logo, decorate your website, so it matches with all your brand colors, typeface, themes, icons, mascots, and copy. 

 

2. Be clear about your brand message

If you can’t craft your brand message, ask yourself these questions:

• Who is my target audience?
• What products or services do I offer?
• What is my audience’s primary pain point?
• How does my product or service help resolve the customer’s pain point?
• How can I inspire my target audience?

Let’s take the most prominent sports and apparel brand Nike, for example. The brand’s tagline is, “Just do it.” Undoubtedly, Nike caters to athletic customers who have troubles with demotivation or failures. By offering quality and reliable Nike products and inspiring its audience to just go for it, Nike’s branding has become an inspirational channel for athletes worldwide. 

 

3. Share your rags-to-riches story

Storytelling is vital in public speaking. Similarly, spreading brand awareness online is more effective when it starts with a story. Share your rags-to-riches story to the world and inspire others in the same boat. If you’re a startup, tell the world where you want to lead your brand in the future. Make it creative and compelling. 

 

4. Build landing pages that sell 

Landing pages are vital for converting leads to actual paying customers. This is where graphic design, coupled with a strong call to action takes center stage. If your audience is exposed to consistent digital branding on landing pages, this is one step to finally leading them to your website. 

 

5. Focus on SEO and PPC

SEO and PPC are two of the most effective forms of digital marketing today. Why? Here are a few reasons why you should start leveraging these two methods:

• Enhances first-page exposure in famous search engines
• Offers immediate traffic
• Ensures targeted traffic
• Offers traffic consistency 
• Geared for local targeting
• Automates digital ads
• Enables you to monitor, track, and manipulate ads
• Reaches more people 

Here’s are some ultimate guides to SEO and PPC you might want to check out. 

 

6. Take unorthodox online marketing approaches

While SEO and PPC are incredibly effective, we don’t recommend putting all your eggs in one basket. Diversify your digital branding approach to reach those people who aren’t on other channels. More importantly, make your digital tactics stick out like a sore thumb. Here are some tips:

• Optimize your social media marketing strategy by using data-driven methods. Plus, don’t be afraid to go against the grain and cut through the noise. Here’s an eight-step guide.
• Nurture leads through email blasts. Develop business relationships with email leads by using personalization and compelling copy. Follow this guide. 
• Focus on micro-influencers. According to Buffer, micro-influencer marketing campaigns gain more engagement, have better costs, and bring equally good opportunities.

 

Components of a Proper Branding

Building a brand is not as easy as it seems. You have to take care of it because one negative feedback or public backlash could soil your reputation. Creating a strong brand is critical to a company’s growth, according to 77 percent of marketing leaders.

Here are five essential branding elements you must develop ASAP:

 

Brand Values. Ensure that you clearly define your core values as these will hold significant weight in your overall business decisions.

Brand Message. Once you know what values and principles you believe in, craft your brand message. This should be related to what your products can offer customers, think slogans and taglines. 

Examples:

• M&M: “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands.”
• McDonald’s: “I’m lovin’ it.”
• Apple: “Think Different.”

Brand Voice. Your brand’s voice should embody your brand personality. This should entail communicating in a certain way to your target audience. 

Brand Positioning. While brand identities vary, your brand positioning should be what makes you unique. Positioning your brand’s edge could pertain to what your unique value proposition is. 

Brand Image. How do you want people to see your brand? How do people react to your brand? And how do you want people to feel toward your brand? These questions, along with these elements, should help you create a strong branding that’s exclusive to your company.