Branding is the picture you show to the world, the picture that will tell the world what your business is about and what your Unique Selling Proposition is. Branding tools are what you use to help spread that message.
In a certain sense it literally is a picture. This will include your logo and the design of your website and social media channels. It is important that you are able to convey an immediate message about your brand with these pictures. If someone can’t say what your business is selling within the first 10 to 15 seconds after seeing your website for the first time, your ‘picture’ is wrong. Then the branding of your website isn’t done in such a way that it immediately conveys your message.
What Makes Up Your Branding Toolkit?
Your branding tools have to include your logo and the design of your website and promotional material like your social media channels. These all make up your branding; it also has to form part of your packaging in the case of a physical product. Whether you sell a book or perfume, your brand needs to be clear on the packaging.
Depending on your business, your branding toolkit will be made up of various tools. These tools all come together to make a ‘picture’. The following can form part of what is called your branding tools:
- Logo
- Website
- Packaging
- Advertising Material
- Social Media Channels
- Email Signature
- Headers, Footers, etc.
This picture you present to the world and to current and prospective clients, will constitute a promise to your client. It holds the promise to your client that you are who and what your branding says you are. If your brand says that you are excellent at what you do, you had better be excellent!
The Importance of the Instant Message
It is important that you are able to convey an immediate message about your brand with these ‘pictures’. If someone can’t say what your business is selling within the first 10 to 15 seconds after seeing your website for the first time, your ‘picture’ is wrong. Then the branding of your website isn’t done in such a manner that it immediately conveys your message the way it should.
The branding of your logo, website and social media channels all have to contribute to what your goal for your business is: SALES. If making sales isn’t your goal, then you shouldn’t be in business. I have never met a successful businessman (or woman) who didn’t want to make sales.
Branding Tools: The Website
There is little more important than your website when it comes to marketing and therefor the branding of your website is of utmost importance. It has been said that if you are not on the web, you are nowhere.
Even brick-and-mortar businesses need to have an online presence. Gone are the days when everybody knew the Mom-and-Pop store on the corner. The Mom-and-Pop store now has to compete with everyone from the online store, the all-night store and the chain store that sells everything under one roof. No matter how effective your other forms of advertising are, if someone needs to find you and they can’t find at least basic contact information about your business online, you are bound to lose your business to those that have an effective online presence.
It doesn’t have to be expensive to have a website built and hosted. All you need is a trusted website builder and web host to help you convey your brand message online.
If You Do It, Do It Right
We have all seen the advertisements on television, in magazines and online about building your own drag-and-drop website. While you can build a nice little website that will at least give you some online presence, you need to be aware that this website isn’t going to come up in online searches, unless someone types in your exact URL (your web address).
The reason for this is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that’s lacking in these kinds of websites. So before taking the easy way out, consider spending some money towards the setting up of a proper website. There are cheap but very effective options that can see your website climb to the top in search results without having to spend an arm and a leg.
Click here to read more about Branding and the tools you can use.