Branding
As the ads say, "Image is everything." Well, not quite.
But they make an important point. Your image or brand awareness
does influence, for better or worse, your business or organization.
It is proven that people do business with companies that they trust
and feel comfortable with. In short, they do business with companies
they like. Your image plays a big part in how much consumers like
and trust you. Your goal is to leave consumers with a positive impression
of you and to encourage them to make a purchase, pick up the phone,
or contact you for more information.
Your image and brand awareness are formed by everything
that your organization does: your customer service, physical building,
signage, printed materials and web site. Your brand awareness is
everything that your customer thinks about when they think of your
company. This means there cannot be any lapses or inconsistencies
in any area where your customer comes in contact with you. But,
since we are talking about your web site, I'll concentrate on that.
The internet is all about information. An essential
part of your online image is to have compelling information about
you and your products/services. This is where you can tell consumers
how your products/services are the best possible solution for their
needs. You can give consumers the inside scoop on your company and
what makes it tick. Your personality and corporate culture can shine
on your well designed site and make your organization personable
and trustworthy.
How well your site works is a major component of
your online image. Your site must be easy to use and intuitive to
navigate. A site that works well leaves viewers of your site with
a professional impression of you.
The graphical presentation of your site is the other
aspect of a good online image. Clarity, simplicity, and balance
reign supreme in good site design. All of these work together to
present your organization in the most professional light. See Stevan's
article on Design for all the ins and outs of good design.
Image and brand awareness are the most important thing
your site will communicate. They are intangibles that encompass
the quality of every aspect of your site. Without a site that communicates
quality in these areas, you will never move on to accomplish the
other goals of your site. The reason for that is that these qualities
directly relate to how much your customers trusts you. With skilled
design and information architecture you can compete on equal footing
with the big boys. Can you do that by using FrontPage templates
or other 'canned' sites available? I'm sorry but... no. This is
where a truly multi-discipline team is needed. You will need an
information architecture specialist to design an intuitive site.
You need a web designer to put together that quick and elegant site.
A marketer will keep the whole process focussed on your business
goals. Can one person do all that stuff and do it well? Yes. You
can do it. All it takes is time and the desire to learn about each
of these specialized skills. We are doing our best to provide you
with all the information you will need. The flip side of this issue
is that it does take a great deal of time to acquire all these skills.
Especially with that pesky career always getting in the way! Image
and brand awareness is no place to skimp on quality. A hastily put
together site can drive away customers who could have purchased
from you or used your service. Remember, it's all about trust. Your
online image might be the only image of your organization that people
have. Your web sites quality reflects the quality of everything
you do.
Build a great site and you have met your most
important web site purpose. You have built trust and a relationship
with your viewer. They are impressed by the quality and professionalism
of your web site. They think you are worthy of their business. Without
that, all other site goals will be greatly handicapped. >>
Intro
1) Build Brand Awareness
2) Make Money
3) Save Money
4) Customer Service and Support
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