Building a Brand
6 Elements to Building a Brand
The Internet is an impersonal, sterile, faceless, nameless environment and as such presents a unique set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges for an Internet marketer is learning how to connect with a target audience in such an environment.
When consumers are on Online they know that in the beginning all they have to go on when considering your product or service is a domain name, a website, and a product image. You may have only a few seconds to capture their attention. But, if you are willing to take the time and make the effort to build a brand and establish a connection with your customers, you will be taking a giant leap forward toward easy domination of your niche.
This series of articles will explain six elements that can be incorporated into your brand-building strategy. We will explore them one at a time, giving you the opportunity to analyze your efforts in establishing a brand and help you figure out what you are doing right and what you need to change.
#1 – Choose the Right Name
Finding the right name can be tricky. There is a fine line and little margin for error between choosing a name that is recognizable and easy to find through the search engines and creating a catchy name that people will remember.
For clarity, let’s define our terms – recognizable means that potential customers will know instantly what type of business you are in.
Let’s look at some examples – which would you choose and why?
- YelpMaster.com – or – DogBarkingControl.com.
Dog barking is definitely used more often than yelp or yelping and there is no question about the type of business that is being promoted when you see the words “dog barking.” When the type of business is not clear (as in the first example with the word, “yelp”), people are forced to stop and figure out what the site is promoting and you can lose them before they ever get to your site.
- BillowofBad.com – or – SecondhandSmoke.com
The first is not only strange, but vague, which makes it confusing. It is not likely to attract many visitors who are looking for information on secondhand smoke. The second one is clear and straight to the point.
Do not let these examples discourage you. It is possible to choose a clever, non-obvious name. However, if you decide that is the type of name you want, be prepared to develop a strong, long-term branding strategy that will engage people and ensure their association of the name with your product or service.
Your domain name should be the same as your business name – and it should be as short as possible – and as easy to spell as possible. This will minimize the opportunities for error or typos when people are entering your name in the search bar.
One popular option is to use your own personal name as your brand. You have probably noticed that is the choice I made – as have many others. It works quite well.
One Internet Marketer who has been very successful branding her name is Melanie Duncan. She has several online businesses and promotes them all under her name. This is encouraging because it proves that you don’t have to have your own TV show like Oprah or present global-wide seminars like Anthony Robbins to brand your own name.
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