Traditional marketing is slowly approaching its demise and digital marketing is taking its place. However, there are some laws of branding that have proved effective in the traditional marketing sphere that still apply to digital marketing:
Own a word
The first law of branding is
“Never underestimate the power of your brand name”. Owning a word makes it easy for brands to be recognized and gives customers a brand name to always remember. For example, the name Yahoo is very easy to remember because it sounds quirky and catchy. When you are naming your brand, don’t choose generic names that will be easily forgotten. Go for names that are memorable and relate to the value of your brand. Granted, the success or failure of a company may not rely solely on its name. However, names certainly determine the marketability of brands.
Be Unique
This should be very obvious but yet, a lot of Digital Companies don’t comply. Being unique involves putting less emphasis on following trends and concentrating more on creating products that are one of a kind. When you are more interested in the latest trends than your brand identity, your market could get polluted; the quality of your products could decrease and bad reviews will come flooding in leading to the demise of your brand. Trends will come and popular patterns will always come surging in [which you must choose wisely] but nothing gives you more leverage than a unique identity.
Embrace quality
One consideration you should always take into mind when marketing your brand is the kind of reviews you want for it. Negative reactions through word of mouth or reviews can easily tarnish the image of your brand. Hence, top-notch products are necessary for a brand to thrive. According to a survey,
“88 percent of customers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations”. What does this mean for your brand product? It means that your product should be quality enough to attract great reviews and ratings. These ratings and reviews are what will trust in potential customers and attract them to your brand. The secret here is to ask your customers upfront to leave great reviews of your product on LinkedIn and to refer a friend.
Consistency is the key to a successful Brand
In order for a brand to be of value, it must be consistent. Most times, online brands forget their core values and goals, and instead focus on the latest trends, neglecting their target audience. A brand takes a considerable amount of time to be built but it can be destroyed in the twinkle of an eye. This is why it is important to always base your brand on the
core values of your business. You should always have your target audience in mind when marketing your brand and have a consistent and original brand identity. When a brand is inconsistent, it lacks value and conveys mixed messages. You should always ensure your brand identity conveys a central message to your customers so that they are able to relate with it.
Ensure Stability before you expand
The most common mistake that too many brands make is attempting to branch off and extend into new markets without stabilizing in one. This is one of the costliest mistakes for any brand to make because if one product fails, it creates a bad name for others. If extending into new markets and audiences is done in a smart manner, it will generate more revenue. Therefore the secret here is to “ensure stability before you expand” or keep your extensions to a minimal level and create sister brands with their distinct identities under the same head company. In this way, you are maximizing brand productivity not just extending it. One classic example of a big company that transgressed this law is Microsoft. It was once king of the tech companies but at some point, Microsoft started to create tons of new products and services under the name Microsoft. It was at this point that Apple came in and stole the show by releasing stronger brands like ipad, ipod and iphone. Today, Apple ranks as number one among the biggest tech companies in the world while Microsoft follows at number three.
Add some texture
One edge that digital marketing has always had over traditional marketing is the design aspect of it. The advancements in IT and graphics have caused a surge in the demand for animators and graphic designers. Digital marketing companies are always looking to add texture to their logos and colour schemes in order to make them stand out. This emphasis on brand design has made digital marketed brands outshine their traditional counterparts. Therefore, it is highly essential that you
make the design aspect of your company a priority. Remember, attractive content attracts attention.
