Here is something you always get from small business owners: “I need a new website”, or “I need to get my business on Instagram” but when do you ever hear: I need to define my digital brand so I create a healthy presence online. Rarely or never. In this post, I will discuss three reasons why having a clear digital brand is so important for your small business.
Reason #1: Digital Branding is Your Identity Online
Digital branding is the core of everything you do online as a business. It’s the DNA of your online strategy.
“DNA
ˌdē ˌen ˈā/ noun
the fundamental and distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone or something, especially when regarded as unchangeable.”
Everything we share online is dropped in this noisy place, so we must have a clear message that is presented in a sexy package. Your digital branding is not just your shtick online. It’s the prism in which you share information about your business. It’s simple before you start sharing anything online you must determine what you want to post and how you want to package it and stick to that.
Your mission as a digital brand is knowing what you want to share with your community and determine how you want to present it, and stay consistent.
Also having a clear brand identity online will help you communicate clearly and effectively. Besides, you gotta give your people something that can be digested quickly and that’s what good brands are able to do. Think of it this way, the brain loves quick rewarding input just like it loves sugar. The brain breaks down sugar and converts it to fuel quickly. In a similar way, that instant gratification is needed too when scrolling through dozens of posts. Although I would advise against posting “sugary” content such as memes, LADbible videos, and internet challenges. However, having a clear digital brand will make your content look sweet and easy to process.
Reason #2: Digital Branding is Your Elevator Pitch
Having a digital brand will help create a marketable presence online. Even if your community doesn’t buy anything from you they need to buy into your business. Engage with your content, and easily refer your business to others. Moreover, in the online world you only have milliseconds of the user’s time, so don’t waste your users time. Branding is synonymous with simplicity.
Also, think of everything you share online like an elevator pitch:
- This is my business mission – Brand mission
- This is what I offer – Product or service
- This is what you can do for me, or this is what my product or service can do for you. – Call to action
Knowing your digital brand will allow you to streamline your communication process.
Reason #3: Digital Branding Will Help You Adapt
The inevitable truth of the matter is that online trends change quickly, however, a strong brand is able to adapt. Social media platforms change too. Instagram from 4 years ago is nothing like the Instagram of today. Instagram had to evolve. My point here is if you have a good brand, even if the platform changes, your business will adapt. A good example of this would be those Vine stars. Remember when Vine shutdown overnight? The influencers just moved on quickly to other platforms.
The Benefits of Digital Branding
There are many benefits to good digital branding:
- Customer recognition
- Competitive edge
- Credibility
- Leads to more customers & referrals
- Easier access to your target market
- Efficient communication. Say more with less.
To sum up, your digital brand is the foundation of your online strategy. Don’t just add to the noise of the internet. Respect people’s attention and time and make your brand message so clear, it’s undeniable.