Brand New: Working Brand Management into a Marketing Scheme

Every ecommerce vendor has a fantasy of standing out among the competition. And why not? Name recognition gains new customers and retains current customers, if you play your cards right. The way to rise above the crowd comes down to the ability to provide excellent products and service or services. It also comes down to a concept known by entities for a very long time: branding.

Brand Management involves personalizing your business with an aspect of familiarity that makes you recognizable, attractive, approachable. Marketing experts call it a way to translate emotions into behavior on the part of consumers. To get there, you have to do the heavy lifting first.
​
Consider large companies we all know well. Apple Computer. REI. Microsoft. Nike. IBM. Uber. All of these mega-corporations have packaged customized imaging, slogans, philosophies, and outreach through advertising that requires little attention to know whom it’s coming from.
Branding occurs with a consistent presence through all of your correspondence, advertisements, web page design, and everything connected with your business. When you have it down right, your path is practically obstacle-free. When you don’t, you’re left vying with countless others.

How to brand

Fledgling ecommerce entities watching pennies can scarcely afford the slick branding strategies of a Fortune 500 company. But there are steps you can take to build a presence that reflects the style and substance that is you.

Obvious among branding methods are the visual elements that customers associate with you. This basic branding is best undertaken early on, but it’s never too late to change. Just make sure you avoid constant re-dos, so you aren’t confusing customers. Pay attention to these basics when considering your brand:
​

• Brand Identity
  Have a logo designed to reflect your taste, sector, and style. (These can be inexpensive if you snoop around, or you can take advantage of freebies found online.) Choose a color palette, typography, and an overall theme that will appear in marketing materials, on your website, and in social media.
  
  
• Brand Story
  Formulate a mission statement that includes your business sector, mission, goals, values, and vision. Work in a personal element with reference to a story that led you to start a business. While paying attention to your product, remember you are also selling yourself in the process.
  
  
• Social Graces
  The free or nearly free nature of social media platforms make it a necessity to maintain a presence on as many of them as possible. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or any other site, you need to be there with a consistent branding voice and look. This will spread awareness and avoid confusion for those who see you on a different site with a different image.
  
  
• Making it Personal
  Ecommerce giant Shopify suggests personalizing virtually every aspect of your connection with customers, going far beyond communication and heading into packaging and other pursuits that reminds each customer where they shopped.
  
  
• Content, content, content
  The need to create a consistent stream of updated messaging is critical. Customers like to know you have their best interests at heart; that you strive to stay on top of trends, practices, and industry changes. Consider a YouTube channel or other video-enabled platform to educate on your products, including styles, upcoming events, and tips.
  
  

The concept of branding should not be unfamiliar to anyone who shops. Think about your own experiences with online (and off-line) merchants. Drill down to what makes you return. Remember what attracted you in the first place. Then funnel these discoveries into a freshly branded business of your own. You won’t be sorry.