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In the past few years, there have been a lot of changes in the field of branding and marketing. As the world moves towards digitalization, almost every industry or sector is experiencing a transformation. Businesses are increasingly using new technology and tools to reach out to their target audience and create awareness among consumers. With the rise of social media platforms, it has become easier for companies and customers to interact or get more information about each other. Digitalization provides more opportunities for startups and SMBs to build a recognizable brand and increase their reach.
Now, this can also be slightly tricky as the competition is quite tough. Consumers have a range of choices today so it’s important for you to make a good impression from the beginning. As a startup or SMB owner, you need to convince people to invest in your products or services over the competitors. This is where a great digital branding strategy can make a lasting impact.
To make this easier for you to understand and follow, here is everything that you should know about transforming your startups and SMBs into digital branding.
Table of Contents
What to know about digital branding?
Before we discuss the key elements of creating a digital brand, it’s important for you to know what it actually means. This simply involves building an online presence with the website, social media pages search engine optimization, blogs, and applications. Most companies today are investing a lot of money to establish a digital presence as that can help them expand or grow quickly. If you think about it, there are billions of people actively looking up websites or information online.
According to a report, 63 percent of the global population is using the internet to communicate or browse for products and services. This means that your target audience is most likely located across digital mediums. So it’s essential for you to focus on creating awareness online and building a recognizable brand. With a well-designed web page, email campaigns, and updated social media accounts, you can grab the attention of the audience anywhere.
Digital branding is about increasing visibility and making it easier for consumers to differentiate your business from others within the industry. It’s how you establish credibility and gain trust in a short time. If people are able to identify and recognize your brand, they will be likely to make a purchase online or visit the location in person. The website, social media accounts, or emails can highlight elements of your visual brand identity which you can get if you have an iconic logo designed for your brand.
So you need to pay attention to transforming your startups and SMBs to digital branding from the beginning.
Now, you may already have a good strategy for print marketing or branding. But you might not be able to achieve the desired results without focusing on digital channels. It’s essential to work on the transformation quickly since many businesses or brands are competing for the attention of consumers online. Here are a few ways that you can shift your startups and SMBs to digital branding.
How to convert your startup to a brand in 2023
1. Optimize the website content for search engine
This is one of the first things that you should focus on during the transformation. It is crucial to invest in search engine optimization for the website as that can boost visibility in a short time and help you establish a credible web presence too. When people are searching for a business online, they are likely to trust a digital brand that appears in the top results of Google for instance. Most people tend to stay on the first page and browse for relevant options.
By optimizing the content of the website for search engines, you can increase its ranking in the results and attract higher traffic. This could make it easier to transform your startups and SMBs into digital branding. If you think about it, as more people become aware of the website or e-commerce platform, they may recommend or share it with their followers, family, or friends too. You can spread awareness and build recognition quickly with optimization.
Before launching the web page or e-commerce store, it is a good idea to invest in on-page and off-page SEO (search engine optimization). Look for keyword tools such as Semrush or Ahrefs and do extensive research on trending phrases or terms that are relevant to your business, products, or service. Make sure that you include the popular ones in the landing pages, product descriptions, and blogs as well. It’s also a good idea to get quality backlinks to the website from authoritative platforms or industry experts.
Content marketing is key to building a successful digital brand. It is important to produce and incorporate information that is unique, valuable, and engaging.
2. Invest in pay-per-click (PPC) ads
When it comes to transforming your startups and SM to digital branding, this can make a huge difference. In the beginning, it’s essential to reach out to the audience and create awareness without disrupting the browsing experience. This is where PPCs can help connect you with the target audience. It’s a good idea to consider investing in Google ads when launching your business in the digital world. As people look for specific products or services, your website can appear as a recommendation from the search engine.
Pay-per-click ads are basically those links that can be placed across various digital platforms to grab the attention of the target audience. Marketers or businesses have to pay a small amount of money each time a consumer clicks on the link or ad. You may be surprised to know that it is quite a reasonable investment. If possible, try and budget for PPCs when creating a marketing and branding strategy.
In the end, you could generate higher revenue and establish a strong digital presence as well. Pay-per-click ads on Google can be quite effective in raising awareness and recognition. As more and more people visit the website, they can become familiar with your products, services and brand message, or tone of voice. This can make it easier for you to make a positive impression on the target customer base and build loyalty over time too.
According to recent digital marketing trends, PPC advertising continues to grow in popularity, with businesses using it to reach a wider audience more efficiently.
3. Maintain a social media presence
There are billions of people who actively use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok every day. So to transform to digital branding, you need to leverage the networks and increase visibility. It is a good idea to establish a social media presence across different platforms. But in the end, you will need to focus on one where your audience is located. For instance, if you want to target a younger demographic of consumers, who are between the ages of 20 to 35 years old, it’s a good idea to stick to Instagram.
It has been reported that almost 31 percent of users on this social network are young adults. So you should pay attention to reaching out to your audience that is located on Instagram first and then moves to other platforms. You can attract a larger following organically by collaborating with influencers in your industry or announcing giveaways or contests to new followers.
When you are building a social media presence, you should maintain consistency with the branding as well. The visuals or videos should reflect the tone of voice and elements like brand colors or the watermark. This way, you can show that the business or startup is trustworthy and professional. It’s also how you can highlight the core values and create a good perception of the brand in the minds of the target audience.
Effective social media marketing strategies and staying up to date on the latest social media trends can help you to build strong relationships with customers and followers.
Make sure that you update the accounts or pages regularly so that people are aware of the latest developments or offers. On networks such as Twitter and Facebook, you can also announce holiday deals or discounts by updating the headers on the profile. This can grab the attention of visitors immediately and convince them to scroll down for more information and details.
4. Create personalized emails for campaigns
Email marketing can prove to be quite powerful. It’s a good idea to invest in tools for email marketing that can automate the process. You can consider MailChimp to create a successful campaign to generate leads and attract organic traffic to the website. Emails are a great way to transform your startups and SMBs into digital branding. By sending out updates to existing clients in your email list, you can remind them of the business and convince more people to check out the website or eCommerce platform.
It’s a good idea to create personalized emails for both previous and potential customers. You can get an idea of their interest or preferences by tracking the activity on your website or social media interactions. This can help you send personalized newsletters or announcements to people who might be interested in the specific product or service.
If you think about it, emails that communicate with people directly have a higher chance of being opened. So with a catchy subject line and personalized message, you can generate interest among consumers immediately. When you are looking to connect with a wider audience, you need to convince people to interact with the website. Incorporate contact forms or lead magnets such as eBooks and brochures that encourage people to sign up.
This can allow you to grow your email list quickly and establish a recognizable digital brand too. You can easily tell people about the SMB or startup, your products, or services. Personalized emails can bring people to the website, and social media pages and make them think about the brand later on as well.
There are many email marketing software options available to businesses of all sizes. These programs can help businesses create, send, and track emails effectively.
5. Video branding
It is another very important element of building a digital brand. Today, consumers tend to watch a lot of video content on websites, social media networks, or various mediums such as Twitch and Youtube. It’s essential to produce engaging videos to promote your product or service and make a lasting impact on potential customers. You can feature a short video on the website that conveys your brand story or talks about its origins.
This is a good way to keep people interested in what you have to offer and create an emotional connection with them as well. As a startup or SMB owner, it could be your selling point and something that makes the product or service unique. You can include interesting details such as the idea for the business or an experience that inspired the journey.
Other than this, consider adding explainer videos to landing pages or demonstration ones that focuses on the functionality of different products. Some startups and small businesses also choose to include videos from experts or employees to highlight the culture or work environment. It can be useful for boosting brand recognition and engagement as well.
Branded videos can also be created for social media accounts on Tiktok, Instagram, and Youtube. You can draw attention to the brand symbol or watermark or tone of voice in short tutorial videos or reels.
There are many free online video editing software available to create videos.
Why do you need to transform into digital branding?
In this day and age, you may find it difficult to reach out to people without a digital presence. Many consumers might not trust businesses without a website or social media pages. So it’s crucial to transform your startups and SMBs to digital branding. You need to be easily accessible to consumers online and interact with them directly as well. While print mediums can help you raise awareness within the community, digital ones allow you to compete with established corporations and connect with potential customers globally.
By establishing a recognizable brand online, you can generate more sales and increase profits in a given time. It also makes it easier to connect with younger consumers who prefer to shop on their smartphones or via social media networks.
Final Thoughts
These are some ways that you can transform your startups and SMBs into digital branding. Before launching your business, it’s a good idea to create a digital strategy and design a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website as well.
