The famous Jeff Bezos quote on branding: “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” is actually a reliable one when we are talking about every kind of brand. No matter whether it’s an online one or a traditional offline brand.
Our brand is what the rest of the world thinks of us; it is a collection of impressions that we accumulate through time. Nowadays, your first impression is frequently created online. This often requires a website that is branded and represents you well.
Obviously, a website has a significant influence on your business. When your clients look for you online, you must be there; yet, you must not be present in an unprofessional or dull manner. You must dress the role, and a branded website will boost your reputation right away. When your website represents your best self, your clients are more inclined to pick and trust you. Now take a look at some steps in creating a branded website.
Who you are
Understand who you are. If you don’t, your customers won’t be able to fully understand what you have to offer.
Begin by writing five words that define you, then reduce it down to one. Keep this phrase in mind as your motto as you create your website. A one word motto for a Nordstrom-type approach, for example, might be “quality.” A Nike-style practice could be considered “leadership.”
Then, figure out how the website may look.
Take a look at some of your favorite brands; what colors and typefaces do they use to communicate? What are the images? Put all of this data on a single page as it will be the starting point of your brand guide. Distribute it to your team and a few clients for feedback.
Building a website can also be challenging, so consider some help from a website development company that can both be your mentor or your developer.
Branded website visual components
Website visuals are a great method to increase brand recognition. Every graphic aspect on your website should relate to how you want your customers to view your brand.
Logo
Your logo is the official face of your company. As a result, it plays a significant part in establishing the overall visual style of your website.
A logo that symbolizes your company’s product, mission, or values is ideal. Select symbols and typography that represent your brand. A pool corporation, for example, may select a wave or sun symbol, whereas a sportswear company may use a basketball.
You should also select colors that reflect the personality of your business. Color psychology is a well-studied topic that can influence a customer’s impression of your business.
Green, for example, is linked with nature or the environment, but red and yellow are connected with youth, energy, and boldness. A black and white color scheme, on the other hand, conveys sophistication and timelessness.
Creating a logo includes selecting the right symbols, typography, and colors to reflect your company’s goods, values, and personality. Once you’ve created a logo, be sure to include it on the homepage of your website. We also propose that you put it in the upper left corner of each website page.
Graphics
Your brand images and visual representations also complement the color palette of your brand. Consider taking your own photos or creating your own images, and make sure your color scheme doesn’t come into conflict with the logo or background of your website.
While branding your site, you should also describe the content and style of your images. If you collaborate with a designer, consider creating illustrations and infographics in a consistent, recognizable style that your brand can claim as its own.
Templates
Unless you’re coding a website from scratch, you’ll almost certainly need to select a website template (or theme, if you’re utilizing a CMS like WordPress).
It’s critical to think about what kind of site you’ll need before selecting a template so that the design complements the purpose of your site. An eCommerce site, for example, will require many more features, pages, and functionalities than a basic “Coming Soon” landing page. UI/UX design essentials is a good starting point to build a standard smooth site.
Other elements of a Branded Website
Based on the purpose of your website, you may want to explore different website add-ons or plugins once you’ve nailed down your core visuals. For instance, if you want to use your website primarily as a lead magnet for email marketing, you’ll require a form builder to gather email addresses from site visitors quickly and simply.
Alternatively, if you want to standardize your site for search engines, you’ll require access to SEO tools that can boost your site’s Google ranks. For more ideas you can also check out the latest trends in branding your website.
Brand story
Your brand story is a short, straightforward narration about your company that describes why it exists (it’s beginnings, ideas, and the issues it seeks to answer) as well as it’s future plans.
Your brand narrative is where you can express your company’s mission, goals, and values in a voice that matches your brand’s personality.
Blog posts
Blog postings are another way to convey the personality of your brand through written language. A blog post may be a reader’s first interaction with your brand because it directly addresses searching inquiries and is indexed by Google.
With this in mind, it’s critical that your blog post not only delivers helpful information but does it in a voice tone that is consistent with the personality and tone of your business. If your company does not already have a blog, it is time to start one. Long-form content is a significant and successful organic marketing technique since it helps you to reach new users through SEO.
It also offers your brand a voice, boosting it’s authority. Make sure to provide a link to your blog post on your site so that readers can easily locate and access it.
Consistency in your style
It’s critical to be consistent and on-message once you’ve defined your goals and the structures of your brand.
Consistency is the product of hard work to develop a consistent voice, aesthetic style, and even content structure.
Create a style guide based on your original branding work, including how your articles are written, how visual material looks on your site, and even the terminology you use. This will increase familiarity and help you establish a style that will make you easily identifiable.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media
Using social media to build your brand is the next stage. You don’t want to offer your customers the cold shoulder, but you also don’t want to suffocate them — instead, go for the middle ground with a tight yet loving hug. The advice here is to not put too much pressure on yourself.
First and foremost, don’t overextend yourself. Choose a few social platforms that would appeal to your target audience and that you can handle. For example, if you’re looking for a younger market, you may select Twitter and Instagram, if your business is feeling playful and creative.
Second, continue to post on a regular basis, but don’t overdo it. Contrary to popular opinion, you are not required to post anything every four hours, or even every day.
It’s important to keep your content relevant – you may have fun as long as it’s related to your business. Now is the moment to link your social media channels with your website – publish original ideas on your social networks.
Conclusion
As one of the most effective strategies to attract and convert leads, branding your company website works in combination with content and SEO. Website branding is aligning all parts of your site with the personality of your brand, from your pictures and layout to your online text and blog posts.
A professionally designed website may help you stand out and create more leads and revenue. It’s one of the first things potential consumers notice about your company.
Create the website with your target market in mind. Begin with a strategy. To encourage visitors to take action and guide them along the customer journey, use a clear, engaging message.
Professionalism, quality, and knowledge should all be reflected in your branded website. It should convey your commitment to customers in a tone that reflects your company’s beliefs.
Author Bio: Ayla Anderson is an avid reader and an enthusiastic blogger who writes articles on home improvement, business, family and beauty. She is also an MBA student who spends much of her time giving advice to new businesses on how to grow their businesses. You can follow her on Twitter.