Designing your website as a powerful brand is a step-by-step process. First, let's understand the commonly understood meaning of a brand - a brand can refer to a name, slogan/term, design, symbol, or any other feature used to identify one seller's product or service as being distinct from those of other sellers.

The Advantage of Creating a Brand

Creating a brand will distinguish your business, product or service from the competition, and establish a unique identity which can evoke emotional responses when seen or heard. You can work on associating positive features with your brand related to your USP (Unique Selling Position) such as quality, reasonable pricing or whatever it is that sets you apart from the crowd.

Over a period of time, as your brand becomes established, it's even possible to increase your price without losing customers! Once your brand is out there, it improves sales and profits by attracting customers who recognize the brand.

Establish Key Brand Values

To build and manage a brand, you should establish key brand values. These include your business name, domain name and website, names of products or services, tag lines or slogans, logos, packaging, premises (if you have them) your business card and business stationery, staff behavior (if you plan to have staff) and dress code, customer service policy, how and where you advertise - in fact, everything you do concerning your business, and the image you want to portray.

Creating a Brand Identity Online

If you want more and more promising prospects to visit your website, it's essential that you have a strong brand identity. This means that you must define your business clearly, so that your brand values are instantly recognizable.

Let's say you offer specialist books on designs for outdoor living; the name of your business is "Canopy Booksellers"; your domain name is www.canopy.com; and your logo looks like a canopy - then you have a brand consistency you can utilize on your website. Follow this through with your content and a headline like 'Discover Valuable Books on Designs for Outdoor Living' and use your first paragraphs to define exactly why those books are special and how they will meet your visitor's expectations.

Use Visual Elements to Support Your Brand

What kind of products/services do you sell? Are they sporty; serious; luxurious? Whatever industry you are in, design your brand image to meet the aspirations of your target audience. So if you are selling expensive perfumes to women, a dreamy or feminine design would work well. For male perfumes on the other hand, designs that appear more energetic and use bold colors would do the trick.

Cutting Edge Graphics

Graphics can add that extra WOW factor to your website. You can use cutting edge technology to offer a Flash movie; a tour; a product demonstration; or animated presentation to bring your site to life and show your visitors more about your products or services - how they work, what the results look like, how easy it is to achieve their goals, or whatever you are promising them if they buy from you. Such graphics would include your brand image and values, to further convey your message.


Using Colors

Color is a very strong method of brand association. Think about the brands around you and the colors associated with them - the famous red and yellow of McDonalds for instance.

Use one or two colors to define your brand and provide instant recognition. However, you must also take into account the type of business you are in - medical products would do better with colors like blue, green or white that suggest health; while food products need warm colors like reds, oranges and yellows.

You can find information on the web about how color affects emotions; and don't forget to consider the estimated nine to twelve percent of the male population who suffer from some form of color blindness when creating your brand (these could be your customers).

Promoting a Brand

Creating a brand is just the beginning - it must be promoted in the right way to be beneficial. It's important that any kind of communication, visual or verbal, has 'the consistency factor' for instant recognition. Use your brand identity at every opportunity both online and offline. Promote it in banner ads, retaining the design, style and colors used on your website.

While sending out communication material like emails and newsletters, make sure that the brand identity is carefully maintained in your signatory or advertisements.

Spread the word via online forums, phone calls, and at meetings; add it to your packaging, shipping documents, on T-shirts, on your business vehicle, at your premises if you work away from home, and anywhere your brand could be seen by your target market.

Branding For Enduring Business

Branding is the best way to build a business that will withstand market forces and stay competitive. Use the power of branding to make your business stand out from the crowd, create trust, and encourage customer loyalty and confidence; and be sure you can guarantee to fulfill their expectations. Getting this right will improve your sales and achieve a hugely successful e-business.

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