Brand development has seen many changes over the years and we are seeing many more online influencers.  One of the areas of change in Branding has been Components and Strategy.

Mentor

I have been very fortunate to have a mentor in Dennis Thorgensen of Lisech eMarketing, who has been doing branding in some form for over 35 years now.  When we talk it is often about different companies and the ‘brand’ that they are presenting online.  We discuss what we believe they are doing right and, yes, of course, sometimes we talk about ways they may be able to improve their online brand.  You may ask, ‘How can you tell if a company is doing their branding right?’  There are a few branding rules, you might say, when it comes to presenting your company online.

Online branding rules to consider:

1. Consistency – Be Consistent – above all else be the same today, as you were, yesterday and as you will be tomorrow!
2. Look the Part – Be certain that ANY and ALL content, especially images and videos, that your Company posts online ‘looks the part’.  Does every post/quote/picture/video, etc…, have your logo and show the same brand voice?
3. Be genuine and allow your Brand to tell your story – people want to hear the voice behind the brand and for small business owners –that is YOU!
4. Be sure that all employees also follow and know the branding rules and your Personal Brand – they represent your brand/your company and often you, as well.  This, believe it or not, can play a part in your brand’s success or failure.

[“Every brand begins with you. It is important to show the value of YOU, apart from the brand. You don’t have to be perfect. The world, Though, does need to see the value you personally bring” –Dennis Thorgensen of Lisech eMarketing]

According to my Branding Mentor, “Branding has many components, however, in discussing online branding, there are very specific needs, Dennis says.*

“There are four basic disciplines required for an online brand”

Four Disciplines:

1.  Internet technology (IT)
2. Graphics
3. Content
4. Marketing

Dennis says, “As a brand owner you have to know it takes all four, it does not mean you have to be proficient in all four. In my experience, there is not a single person I have met who works at a professional level in all four disciplines.’  This is yet another reason to surround yourself with people much more knowledgeable to help you build your brand.  Perhaps hiring a couple of professionals is best.  Pick the areas you are most proficient.  It may be you are more proficient in IT and graphics, but certainly, you need quality content and marketing.  It is important to know what you are capable of doing and what your staff may be able to do.  Using all strengths decide when to hire a professional who works in the industry.  This is so important that you should really, at some point, hire a professional to do at least a ‘check-up’ to review your brand.

Next time we will talk about what those checkups entail and why they are important.  Have no fear, we will not make you ‘cough’.  While we are at it, we will also discuss some misconceptions about branding.  Hope to see you there.

For more help on branding reach out to us at tammysoffices.com or reach out to Lisech at lisech.com!

A special thanks for help in the series, goes out to Dennis Thorgesen, I cannot express enough how much you have assisted me in understanding branding more, as well as, become more proficient in branding my own company and others.