What is a brand and why put it online?

A brand is simply how your business is perceived by your customers. It is your company’s ethos or personality. It is what makes you different and hopefully better than your competition.

What makes a good brand?

A good brand is thus not simply an attractive logo to put on all your outgoing material, it comes from the very core of what your business is about. It describes the kind of products and services you provide and whether you provide them with a smile or not. Take Apple as an example. Why is the iPhone such a market leader? It is a great product, yes, but more than that, Apple have managed to make people believe that they are more passionate about and dedicated to the iPhone than any other mobile phone producer is about its handsets – so it must be the best phone to buy, right?

In short, people will make a set of assumptions and judgments associated with your business that come from what they see as your brand. So the face of your brand must present your vision, values and personality in a way that will persuade people to use your company and not your rivals.

Getting your brand online

Your brand may be shaping up really well in the real world. On the high street, people know who you are, what you do and why you do it. But what about online? As more people turn on their computers, tablets and phones to find what they want, is your brand presented effectively to them as they do so?

As a brand is the heart of your company, are you putting your heart out there and getting social on Facebook and Twitter? Can you even be found at all using search engines? If they do find you, are your customers getting straight to the information or products they are looking for?

Presenting your brand online in today’s environment is important if you want to tell your next generation of customers about your business. There is now a whole social online world that your brand needs to get involved with. Being active on Twitter alone could drive hundreds of new customers to you doors (or website).

We can help

“But I’m busy enough already,” you say? That’s where we come in! Refined Practice is set up to help you sort out your brand’s online life. Check out ‘What We Do‘ to find out more.