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BRANDING

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What is Branding in Marketing?

Branding is the process of creating a strong, positive perception of a company, its
products or services in the customer’s mind by combining such elements as logo,
design, mission statement, and a consistent theme throughout all marketing
communications. E ective branding helps companies di erentiate themselves
from their competitors and build a loyal customer base.

In a Zendesk survey, 87% of consumers said

consistent branding across all online and
traditional platforms was important.

This means that customers expect that your tone of voice is the same over email,
your website, customer service, and every other touchpoint in your business. If you
rebrand, you need to change your logo, and styling everywhere both online and
o ine. Make sure you create a consistent brand so that your customers revel in
your omni-channel presence.

Branding in store can be very di erent to online branding as in store you have to
worry about positioning of products and props that can e ect how a customer
experiences your brand. Branding in store is more experiential as people can walk
around and pick things up, whereas customers online are experiencing a two-
dimensional scene. Of course certain elements of branding are consistent with
both online and in store. These include consistent imagery and logos.

Why is Branding Important?

A unique brand can have a huge impact on your bo om line by giving you a
competitive advantage over your rivals and helping you acquire and retain
customers at a much lower cost. In eCommerce, where new companies (and
therefore, new competitors) are springing up every day, an established brand can
be an invaluable asset in bringing customers and generating profit.

Regardless of whether you’re investing time and e ort into cra ing a compelling
brand or paying no a ention to it whatsoever, your business still has a brand.
However, it may be completely di erent to how you intended to be seen.

By carefully constructing your brand through stories, relationships, marketing

messages and visual assets, you have the opportunity of shaping your customers’
expectations and creating a unique bond that goes beyond the buying-selling
relationship.

Good branding is strategic, while marketing is tactical. When you establish the
higher objectives and clearly define your brand promise, you can start cra ing a
marketing plan that’s geared towards achieving those goals.

The Importance of Branding in eCommerce

Branding is a complex process that requires careful planning and calculated
approach. Ideally, you should have your branding strategy worked out before you
launch your online store to avoid working backwards to try to aligned your store
with customer expectations. A strong brand is easy to relate to and draws on
values that resonate well with the target audience. For an eCommerce shop, a
strong brand can also be a safety net protecting a business from having to
compete on price.

So how do you go about building a brand for an online shop? Here are the key
steps in eCommerce branding:

Understand your customers. To communicate e ectively, you have to identify

the elements that influence your target customers and focus on leveraging
them. What do they like? What motivates and a racts them? What do they like
about your brand?

Define your brand persona. A brand persona is the personality of your

business in which you will deliver customer experiences. It will be strongly
influenced by the insights you manage to gather about your target customers.
What tone of voice will suit this audience? What type of language will have the
greatest e ect? What images will a ract their a ention.

Crystalize your brand promise. What is the ultimate promise you’re making to
your customers? How will your products/services make their life be er? How
are you going to deliver this promise. 66% of consumers think transparency is
one of a brand’s most a ractive qualities.

Perfect your visual assets. Online shoppers don’t have the luxury of touching
and feeling the products they buy, so the visual experience is extremely
important. A brand’s visual assets are all the front facing elements, such as the
website design, fonts and typography, color pale e, logo and ad designs as well
as the packaging and unboxing experience you create. It’s a powerful branding
tool that reaches its peak when all the di erent moving parts are consistent
and work harmoniously. Research shows that having a memorable signature
color will increase the chance of customers recognizing your brand by 80%.

Refine customer experience. Although you have li le control over how your
customers will ultimately feel about your brand, you should do your best to
make sure every interaction and touch point you have with your customers is
aligned with your brand promise and follows your brand guidelines.
69% of consumers say that the most important thing brands can do to improve
their experience is “knowing them”. This will encompass everything from your
return policies to shipping arrangements to email marketing communications
and more.

Remember to give back. Something as simple as saying thank you to your

loyal customers can go a long way in strengthening your brand image. Show
gratitude by running special loyalty programs or promotions, o ering occasional
free gi s or extending discounts. It’s a surefire way to build long-term
relationships with your customers and humanize your brand.

Want to Learn More?

How to Do Instagram Influencer Marketing
8 Best Snapchats to Follow for Marketing Inspiration
The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your First Ecommerce Business
The Complete Guide To Marketing Channels

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this
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