There are over 2 billion websites out there. We are inundated with so many ads and impressions, it is almost impossible to brand or differentiate one product from another. Yankelovich, Inc., the marketing firm, says the average person is exposed to over 5,000 images every day.
So, how the heck can you possibly stand out? These 5 easy steps will help your website stand out from the crowd, and help you “brand” your website while engaging more visitors and maintaining an enthusiastic audience.
Branding is defined as the promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design. On the internet, visual branding is critical. Websites with unique imagery get more views. Content
with images gets 94% more views than content without images. People will recognize and remember your website if it has unique and memorable imagery. So, we’ll start with this.
1) Visual Branding
GoDaddy, one the world’s foremost website builders, sums it up nicely: Design a logo or an icon. Give the images a theme. Use brand colors. Add a design element. Use consistent typography. Add a color overlay and while most websites are in color, you might want to make yours black and white. Click here for details. But visual imagery is only one tool for branding a website. Here are four more:
2) Identify Your Audience
Who is your website for? Identifying your target audience is an important step in brand building, but the reality is that different people respond to different tones, aesthetics, and brand personalities. If you start by considering what that audience is looking for, it will be easier to design a website that engages and connects with them.
Where does your product or service fit in your industry? You should have a single purpose or mission statement that clearly communicates what you want your brand to accomplish.
3) Develop A Brand Personality
According to Adobe, the multinational computer software company, personality is one of the most important aspects for branding. It’s an easy way to demonstrate that your company is unique, and how to attract the type of customers you want.
The voice you choose will depend largely on your audience, mission statement, and industry. Gen Z audiences often use slang, so you might consider integrating that into your brand voice. Baby boomers might want a more formal voice.
4) Create A Slogan
This could be the most difficult step of the process. Adobe says a strong slogan is invaluable. It needs to be brief yet descriptive so that it can easily fit in many spaces like your bio on social media, website header, email signature, and more. Your slogan needs to be both concise and memorable as well as consistent with the rest of your branding efforts. Learn more here.
5) Network Your Brand
After you have established your brand, it’s time to integrate it throughout your company. Make sure your brand is consistent – because consistency is the key. Then network it across every channel, including social media. Outline how you want your brand to sound, look, and feel as a reference.
Your brand’s personality should be evident through every social media post, marketing campaign, and the design of your website. And if email marketing is in your budget, make sure you have a trustworthy, up-to-date email list.
This simple guide will help brand your website so it is unique and stands out from the crowd. Of course, there are many other variables. But if you follow these five steps, your website will be off to a good start.
