¨How does your company distinguish itself from competitors? ¨This is a question I have asked countless times to companies as a copywriter. Phew, what a difficult question!" both starters and old timers usually say. Yet this is one of the most important questions you should ask yourself as a company!
Your distinctive strength is in relation to your branding: how do you want to present yourself in the market? If you have this in mind, you can have a website design with a web design & brand identity that suits you and what you want to convey: the first steps towards your own branding!
Do you want a website and web design made entirely to your style and identity? A web agency can do an even better job if you know how you want to stand out.
Find your unique strength and start your branding!
What is all important to know before you get started with your branding? We've listed it for you.
1. Dare!
This first point is not a case of ¨so said, so done¨. Good branding requires a bit of guts: dare to really market yourself as a distinctive company. You will not achieve this if you are too modest. Of course you have to show who you are, and maybe you are modest, but even then there are ways to come out. Think about what you want to stand for and put aside all negative thoughts: you are your brand and you are going to put that down. Assumptions or doomsday thinking will get you nowhere.
2. What makes you unique?
Perhaps one of the doomsday thoughts that keeps surfacing is: ¨I have so much competition, no one is really waiting for me¨. Yet, for example, there are multiple barbershops and pizzerias in your hometown, often even within a few feet of each other. Hairdressers provide the same services and pizzerias make the same product: yet they also have their own patronage and also attract new customers. If they can do it, there is certainly an option for you as well. But how will you stand out from those others? The most important tip: stay close to yourself. Branding is all about authenticity & personality (aka ¨Personal Branding¨). What do you stand for what makes you unique? What are your motivations? Of course, you don't have to describe all your hobbies, but pick something that stands out and you can start emphasizing. When different elements of your online identity recur more often, it creates a cohesive image.
3. Personal vs. business
You may have noticed it yourself: the line between private and business is blurrier than ever these days. We can imagine you thinking ¨I'm not going to get into that,¨ but there can be a nice challenge here. How do you make your brand personal, yet still maintain your business identity? People like to do business with people, not anonymous companies. Therefore, establish a multifaceted image of yourself. Does the you-you and the amicable first name hype (¨Hi Milou! I'm Jeroen, can I help you?¨) not suit your business and do you prefer not to put yourself in the picture? Even then, there are ways to give your brand a personal touch. Why is it important to define your personal brand? Your "favor factor" increases when customers can identify with you. Moreover, your company is better remembered when unique attributes are associated with it. A singing web designer or three-generation fish store captures the imagination more than a company name.
4. Invest in branding
Branding requires your investment. Branding does not always give immediate visible results, but it is very important for the long term. You can't use numbers to measure whether the color of your logo or the style of your photos appeals to your target audience. If you have your website designed by an agency that understands web design, you can measure whether your web design is well set up and leads to conversions.
Wondering how we can do this for you? Get in touch!
5. Promoting: going public
Branding is all about you, so you should not be averse to a little self-promotion. Come out in a fun and authentic way, without being too much. Self-promotion is just as exciting for the down-to-earth Dutchman, so start with small steps: for example, with social media. Find the medium that suits you best and start with that.
Want to know how to promote your website? Read it in the blog: "How do I promote my website?
6. Recognizable and repetitive
You see it a few times in this blog: recognition and repetition are important. How do you create this and where can you apply it? We have listed a number of things you can look out for:
Logo, brand identity, web design.
Your logo, brand identity and web design are a representation of your company and let a visitor and potential customer decide. Therefore, make sure it fits the core of your business, but also look at what might appeal to your potential customers. Your logo and brand identity are used everywhere: on your website (in the web design), in your communications, printed matter, etc. Through the power of repetition and recognition, you make your brand even stronger. Are you having your website designed by a web agency? They can help you think about a suitable web design.
Text
How you express yourself in text is also part of your brand identity. Think about the tone in which you want to address visitors, as well as words you think are important that recur repeatedly. That way you always write in the same style and address your customers in the same way. In the long run, it is useful to develop a script for this. A web agency usually employs one or more copywriters: they can coordinate with you what you want to put down and create a good text for you. Always ask about this when you have a website design done, it's super handy!
Expressions: website, social, blogs and printed matter
Add an About Us page to your website and have professional pictures taken. A good way to show what your company stands for is through blogging. Blogging can be done on your own website or Linkedin. Do you have trouble with this yourself? Ask your web agency if a copywriter can help you with this.
social media
Every social media channel can be used for various purposes and can be an ideal connection to your branding. On Twitter, for example, you show what you stand for by sharing current tweets, information and links that you consider important. On Facebook, you can create a business page. This is useful, for example, to easily share projects you are currently working on. Don't just show the end result, be transparent and show the whole process! Also post occasional photos of colleagues and show the faces at your company. Instagram is the ideal channel for businesses that are good at capturing images, because here it's all about the photos. Nail salon, bakery or printing company: put your best work on Instagram!
Branding is daring and doing!
In short: you have to dare, be able to articulate your motivations and respond to your target audience. How will you stand out with your branding? We like to think along with you! We do more than just make a website design: we listen to your story and see how you can distinguish yourself from the competition. We come up with an appropriate web design and let you shine! Interested? Get in touch!
