WHY YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS BRANDING & POSITIONING

Not long ago, just having a “pretty” website was all that you needed to generate online sales. These days, however, website users are much more sophisticated - and if your website doesn’t relate to them, it’ll be difficult to generate anything but bad buzz.

Creating a strong brand online means communicating the attributes and values that are important to your target market - at each point of interaction with your company. If the connection with your brand is strong, then consumers’ interest will be high in exploring your site, and ultimately converting to customers.

Over the years, we’ve seen many sites launch and fail (and have seen customers spend hundreds of thousands on costly redesigns) because their sites failed to resonate with their audiences. By spending the time positioning your website before it’s taken to a designer, you’ll be giving your site its best opportunity for success.

To properly reposition your site, consider the following steps:

+ Evaluate your position in the marketplace—image, awareness, and competition
+ Uncover your points of differentiation (Unique selling propositions)
+ Develop creative strategies that resonate with your external and internal audiences
+ Use market research to define and validate your positioning
+ Develop plans to implement strategies and measure your results

Building customer relationships begins with all aspects of your brand. Your brand forms the image and concept of your company in the mind of potential and current customers. Once you’ve decided on your new path, everything from logo design to messaging needs to be in concert.

+ Logo and company slogan: As a valuable part of building a strong brand, your company’s logo, colors, “look and feel”, and primary messaging can help to build and strengthen customer relationships.
+ Web site redesign: In order to connect effectively with your target market, a website redesign may be needed to implement the branding strategy.
+ Copy and Content Optimizing: In order for your online business to achieve its objectives, the visitors to your site must be persuaded to give you the response you desire; and feel comfortable and confident with your site and how it represents your company.

In a world where designers like to design and programmers like to program, it is critical that either you directly or your web company work with a marketing team to help guide your site the proper way. Doing so, will help ensure that you site is positioned for results from that beginning.

Ron Weber is the President of SD Interactive, a San Diego Interactive Agency. He can be reached at ron@sdinteractive.com. Come visit his site at www.sdinteractive.com.