e-Branding. How to Embrace It. - Issue: 2000 Qtr 1
Today, everybody's talking about marketing on the Web and e.business. But with the trend toward e.business comes the need to manage your e.brand in the context of your overall branding strategy.
When you look at your brand, you should automatically take into consideration how your brand extends to the Web. Think of it as another "brand contact." Just as advertising, packaging, sales promotions, direct mail and all the other traditional brand contacts need to be consistent and coordinated, so must brand contacts on the Internet. So whether you're launching an entire e.based business or simply using the Web to gather customer inquiries, you should take a serious look at how your brand message extends to this vital and exploding medium.
It's important to note that e.branding means more than just creating a functional, attractive user interface. It's a whole new way to engage and interact with customers. It's opening a new channel of communication which changes the relationship with the brand. It means delivering service 24/7. Providing information that is meaningful and useful. Doing business seamlessly.
It also means cutting to the chase and creating an impact. Thus, a company's e.brand is also shaped by how rich or light the site is in terms of content, choices, information, instructions, etc. At every stage of a Website's design, questions should be answered that will ultimately influence how the brand is perceived. A few examples are:
Who are the various audiences for the site? Are they multilingual?
What version of Web browser should be the minimum for viewing the site?
Is the primary function of the site to be a sales catalog? A company/brand/product overview? A place to interact with customers and prospects? A sales channel?
How should the architecture of the website be tailored to meet the needs of the intended audience(s)?
Should the site invite inquiries and how often will responses be returned?
How often should the site be updated?
Should the site link with other related sites and for what purpose?
Are there sections of the site that should be password protected?
And the list goes on. The bottom line is this: if your company is marketing via the Web, your e.branding strategy should complement your brand's overall strategy while allowing flexibility to grow as e.business proliferates. There's no doubt the Web is here to stay, so be sure to start your e.brand approach on the right foot.
See how we've approached e.branding for a variety of customers in various industries. Request a free copy of our Miller Brooks e.branding brochure. Contact us at mb-journal@millerbrooks.com or call 317-873-8100.
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