The 9 Most Powerful Digital Branding Strategies!

Recently, the term ‘Digital Branding’ has been popular on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Many people flocked to start doing digital branding to campaign their products or services. However, do you know what are the tips and tricks to succeed in digital branding? Well, here are the 9 most powerful digital branding strategies that can help your business.

Picture 1: Branding

1. What is Digital Branding?

To understand what digital branding is, you need to know what branding means, and what is included in it. So, first, let’s consider the explanation of branding below.

1.1. Understanding Branding

Branding is a creative process of letting your audience know about your company. Branding aims to leave a deep impression of your company on the audience so that it will be remembered.

When doing branding, you can ask some of the questions below to yourself for creating the goals, so that you know what you have to do. The questions are as follows.

• What business do you have?
• What makes your business unique from other businesses?
• What are your business goals and mission?
• What values ​​does your business have?
• Who is your ideal customer market?

So that said, building a brand identity or branding is the first and most important thing when you start a business, or after you have a product.

1.2. Understanding Digital Branding

After you know what branding is, now is the time to understand what digital branding is. Digital branding is how you design and build your brand online. For example through websites, applications, social media, etc.

In the era of online communication, of course, digital branding is the right way to convey the value of your product. As well as building connections with customers. With digital branding, it will be easier for your business to demonstrate its presence in the digital space. Digital branding will also help you carry out various marketing strategies.

1.3. Digital Branding vs Digital Marketing

In contrast to digital marketing which focuses more on increasing sales revenues, digital branding is more focused on building bonds with the audience. Even though they are both digital, their purpose and function are very different. You can see the table below to see the difference between both of them.

Picture 2: The Difference between Digital Branding and Digital Marketing

2. Why is Digital Branding Important?

Digital branding is important because, through digital branding, you can build bonds with customers. How come? Of course, because we live in a digital era, almost everyone uses the internet to communicate and fulfill their needs.

Besides, if many businesses go online, the competition will automatically get tighter. So, if you want your business to look unique and attractive to customers, you have to implement digital branding.

There are so many new business opportunities that have sprung up. So you also need to be aware of the number of competitors that have the potential to increase.

Well, besides that, digital branding is important because there are other benefits for your business. Here are some of the benefits of digital branding.

1. Build interactions with customers. Digital marketing provides you with the opportunity to create interactions with customers. How to? For example, by creating a GIF to showcase your business’s best features. Or, you can also use the storytelling method. Potential customers will naturally prefer products that are closer to their emotions than those that are not.
2. Make brands easy to remember. To make it easy to remember, you can use various social media platforms for marketing. Don’t forget to also adopt the internet trends that are currently being hit so that the audience can easily remember your brand.
3. Make your brand stand out. Take the unique side of your brand and make it stand out. That way, your brand will stand out more among many brands in the same industry.
4. Expand the network. If your digital branding is strong, it will certainly be easier to expand your network. You can take advantage of various popular online platforms to expand your network. Open the widest possible opportunity to collaborate with other businesses that have one vision and mission.
5. Make your business viral. In today’s online world, going ‘viral’ is common. Although it cannot be completely planned, especially when most viral ones are caused by luck. However, your business can go viral. You need to be consistent. Post interesting content as often as possible, as much as possible. Continue to strengthen your marketing. The greater your efforts to popularize your business, the greater the chance for your business to go viral. Do not give up!

3. The 9 Most Powerful Digital Branding Strategies!

You may be confused about where to compare your business digitally. Take it easy, we have summarized what digital branding strategies are effective and you can apply them. So, below are the 9 most powerful digital strategies, complete with examples at each point.

3.1. Logo

The logo should be the only image the customer can associate with the brand. Just look at the logo of the apple bitten, you will know it’s an Apple brand. Look at the logo with the play button image, you know exactly that it is the YouTube logo.

Picture 3: Apple Logo vs Youtube Logo

Logos are very important because they are the visual identity of a brand. With a logo, your product will be easier to recognize and remember. The logo will also become the main identity on all the marketing platforms and channels that you use. That’s why it’s important to create a logo that reflects the personality and soul of a brand.

If there are too many ideas and references that make you confused in choosing a logo, the points below will help to determine your best logo.

1. Text or pictures. Deciding whether to make a logo in the form of writing or images is your choice. If you choose a logo in the form of an image, avoid overly complicated shapes. Believe that the simpler the logo, the easier the audience will remember it.
2. Design style. Now that you know whether you want an image or a written logo, it’s time to determine the style. Which style fits your brand best. Is it modern minimalism, retro vintage, or energetic fun? Remember to always adapt it to your brand goals.
3. Pay attention to the size. The logo you create should look good in any size and on a variety of materials: t-shirts, posters, billboards, jackets, and so on. It should also be borne in mind that digital platforms require special sizes and imagery. You need to design a logo that looks good for profile pictures, cover photos, email headers, app buttons, and much more.
4. Color schemes. Color schemes can make your logo stand out and create a mood of its own. Determine what colors will become the standard material for branding your product or service. Don’t forget, also match the character of your brand.

An example of a popular brand logo that successfully conveys its message, function, and business mission is IT Paragon.

Picture 4: IT Paragon Logo

Try to pay attention to the new IT Paragon logo above. This logo depicts the spirit of young generation (described by pantone blue color) with wide coverage (wifi icon).

Picture 5: Paragon Corp Logo

This massage is inline with IT Paragon’s goal to become an end-to-end solution partner and data-driven culture of Paragon Technology and Innovation Company.

A logo can match the character and values ​​of your business, as well as your industry and target market. Creating a logo is an important step in creating a successful digital brand. So do your best!

3.2. Website

If the logo is a symbol of your business, then the website is a digital place that serves as a storefront for your business. When customers want to know more about products or services: general information, service hours, who is the person behind the scenes, and so on, they will look for it on the internet. They will type your brand name into Google, and hope to find your website in search engines. There are several things that you must pay attention when creating a website for your business.

1. Domain name. If you want your business to look professional to customers, use the right domain name. Some of the domains that you can choose to accompany your brand name are: .co.id, .com, .net, .org, .net. Or, you can also try a unique domain as an alternative to your business domain name.
2. Hosting. Hosting is a service for storing all data, files, and images on a website. Choose a hosting that suits your needs. If your business needs a lot of resources to load more data but wants to keep it easily accessible, that means you need cloud hosting. However, if you want to host that is easy to manage and cheap, you can go for shared hosting. Make sure you have learned about the various types of hosting before making a choice.
3. Web design. An effective website is one that is simple and easy to navigate. Streamlining your design and maintaining brand consistency with a color scheme that matches your logo can be a surefire way to go. Make the details of the brand name stand out by using bold and easy-to-read letters. Try to keep it concise and to-the-point.
4. Structure. Your website should also have a structure that is easy to navigate. This means that humans and search engines can easily navigate all the information presented on the website. In other words, the content must be easily indexed by search engines so that your content doesn’t get lost on the internet. To meet the criteria of being user-friendly, website content can be organized into the appropriate categories and subcategories. The categories should also be reorganized into groups such as menus. You can limit the structure to just two menus such as menu → submenu.
5. Safe and comfortable. Your website must be safe from hackers for your audience to feel comfortable when visiting. Make sure to provide your extra security by installing SSL on the website, so that data and information on your website are always safe.

You also need to check every link, button, and image on your website regularly. Remember, the slightest error can leave a bad impression on your business.

3.3. Brand Messaging

Brand messaging is what your business wants to get across to potential customers. For example, if you open a coffee shop with local farmer coffee beans, you should mention it in the brand message.

The message or messages that you convey must be following what your business is doing and your business mission. Also, don’t forget to always focus on the wants and needs of the customer.

A successful brand messaging should be able to answer the three questions below.

1. What does your business offer?
2. What is your business striving for?
3. Why is your business important?

It’s no easy feat to create a memorable brand messaging in such a crowded market. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, right? The key is to look for uniqueness so that your product or service is memorable. How to? You can see the points below.

1. Define a signature. By being distinctive, your brand message will be easier to remember. Doing a little research on competitors in the same business industry will certainly help greatly in highlighting the uniqueness of your brand.
2. Make your audience curious. Showing firsthand the benefits of your product is out of date, especially for a young audience. Being mysterious can give your audience room to explore. What do you do if you’re curious? Must be trying to find out, right?
3. Use a jargon. Jargon will help your prospect know more about what your product has to offer. Many brands are starting to use jargon to convey brand messaging.
4. Determine the style. When it comes to brand messaging, it is important for you to see who your target market is. If your target market is a professional, of course it’s best to use a formal style that is the right choice. This style is what you will use every time you deliver brand messaging. Whether it’s on social media, websites, online advertisements, and so on.

Anyway, always remember that brand messaging is conveyed to audiences online. So, you need to follow trends on the internet today. For example through GIFs, animations, or whatever is trending.

3.4. SEO

Search Engine Optimization ensures that your brand and what your brand offers are easily found by search engines. You can use tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or the Keyword Tool to find recommended keywords that can be used in your articles. Also, use meta tags (pieces of text that describe the content of the page) to make them easier for search engines to find.

There are eight main indicators of SEO. Even so, this indicator may change because it depends on Google’s algorithm. What are the eight main SEO indicators for now? You can see the list below.

1. URL structure. A simple URL structure will make it easier for search engines to recognize your website. For example, like https://www.wardahbeauty.com
2. Use of SSL / TLS. Secure Socket Layer / Transport Layer Security functions to encrypt all data transfers that occur on the website so that user data security is guaranteed. Websites that don’t have SSL / TLS will also be marked by Google Chrome as not secure websites.
3. Content Topics. To build a good website structure, you need to have some content on related topics. For example, you write blog content with the main culinary topic. So it’s best if you also write content about travel, or food recipes, or a history of a cuisine menu that is relevant to the topic of your website.
4. Search Intent. Search intent is what the majority of searchers want for a keyword. For example, when you enter the keyword “Wardah” on Google. Then the top search results will appear like this.

Picture 6: Searching ‘Wardah’ on Google

1. Content Structure. In addition to creating content that matches your search intent, you must create content that is easy to understand. How: Use a neat and clear structure, concise sentences, and use headings and subheadings.
2. Meta Tags. Meta tags are a combination of the title tag and meta description. The meta tag function is to help Google understand the overall content on your website. The title tag or title of the article that appears in search results shouldn’t be too long. As for the meta description or content description, the maximum length is 130 characters.
3. Backlink. Backlinks are an important factor in SEO. The more backlinks to your website, the more credible your website is according to Google. However, of course, the backlink must come from a quality website or blog.
4. Website speed. Starting 2018, Google has determined that website loading speed is one of the main indicators of SEO. That means, the faster your website loads, the more likely it is that your website will appear at the top of Google search results.

3.5. Social Media

Almost everyone, maybe including your grandmother at home, has social media. Since its appearance, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on have indeed filled most aspects of human life. So, you can take advantage of the role of social media for digital branding to attract more audiences.

You can adjust every post about your brand with its social media platforms, as below.

1. Instagram post. Always try to create visually appealing content on this platform to get lots of likes and comments.
2. Twitter. This social media stands out for its ease of responding to real-time news or events. So try to always be up-to-date with the trends that are developing on the internet.
3. Facebook. You could say this social media includes all the advantages of social media above. You can use Facebook to highlight what’s behind the scenes of your brand. Either from the production process or the people behind the scenes.

When using social media, act like an influencer: schedule when you will post your content, pay attention to comments from anyone, and respond to direct messages that come in. Don’t forget to continue to monitor developments.

You can use a tool like Hootsuite to monitor all of your social media platforms and track audience engagement. Hootsuite can help you manage all the social media platforms you use.

3.6. Email Marketing

With a variety of cool tools out there that can market your brand digitally, it’s easier than ever to forget email. Even though email is an easy way to reach customers, especially those who don’t use social media.

Also, pay attention to a few things below about email marketing:

1. Build a targeted email list. Creating targeted email lists with strong content can attract more visitors to the web. You can also include a pop-up with newsletter signup on your landing page to increase your website visitors.
2. Decide what you want to achieve. What you need to remember, before sending a large number of emails, first identify what you want to achieve. Do you want to introduce a new product, increase the number of sales, maintain a relationship with an existing audience? Your goal should be to direct everything from the words to the images to be used.
3. Choose a specific customer segment. Address your email to a specific customer segment. Write an email in a good, fun style that fits your business brand. Include photos, videos, and helpful information that will try not only to sell your product but can actively build a bond between your brand and your customers.

3.7. Online Advertising

Online advertising can be used as a very powerful digital branding because it is more scalable and has various formats. Currently, there are so many media for advertising in the digital world, such as:

1. Search engine ads: these ads can make your website at the top of the page like on Google, so customers can see your product or brand first.
2. Display ads: These ads are clickable banners that you find on web pages on the internet.
3. Social media ads: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, all offer “sponsorship” services for content. You can pay-to-play, which means your posts will automatically appear in potential customers’ feeds.
4. Mobile feeds and desktop feed ads: These ads often appear as “suggested content” on users’ mobile and desktop feeds. These ads seem more natural because they are integrated directly into the feed and mix with other free content.
5. Retargeting ads: These ads reach customers who already have an interest in your services, whether they search on Google, visit your website, or like your Facebook page.
6. Google Adwords: is a feature from Google to display paid search or paid advertisements in Google search results. By using Google Adwords, you can display your ad in Google search results for certain keywords.

3.8. Content Marketing

It’s not easy to keep customers loyal to your brand and keep them coming back to buy your product or service. That’s why building bonds are so important. Content marketing is a powerful way to create a bond between your audience and your product. Content marketing also makes digital branding more human. If digital marketing emphasizes selling, content marketing focuses more on engaging your audience with your content. Here are some content marketing strategies that you can take.

1. Set goals. You can use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) method in setting goals. SMART can be defined as a method that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and has a deadline.
2. Buyer persona research. Buyer personas are a representation of your typical target customers for your business. Buyer persona that contains demographic data: gender, age, location, personality, and other information related to prospective buyers.
3. Choose a platform. To publish content, you need a platform. Today, WordPress is still the best platform for publishing blog content.
4. Brainstorm content ideas. You can get content ideas from brainstorming with your team members by considering buyer personas.
5. Determine the type of content to be created. You can create content for each stage of the buyer’s journey. For example, in the awareness stage, when someone is looking for as much information as possible about a product. You can create educational blog post content such as e-books or research reports. In the consideration stage, when someone is considering buying a product. You can create content such as an expert guide, videos, or blog posts about product comparisons. Meanwhile, in the decision stage, when someone has decided to buy a product. You can create content such as case studies, tutorials, product testing reviews, or discount promos.
6. Content audits. To continue delivering the best content, you need to do a content audit. Content audits can be in the form of removing outdated content, fixing content so that it is SEO friendly, updating content so that it can be up to date, and so on. Successful content marketing should make your audience interested and enthusiastic about your brand. What used to be just a product buyer then turned into die-hard fans.

3.9. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that uses people with a large social media following to post about your brand. The process is also less complicated:

1. Choose an influencer that fits your mission and business.
2. Talk about how to compensate. Adjust your budget.
3. Ask him to talk about your brand with his followers.

Marketing feels more organic when it’s in the right hands. Even though influencers are paid to talk about your brand, they will create content according to their style and creativity. In this way, of course, the task of the marketing team will be a little lighter. The question of choosing the right influencer cannot be arbitrary. You have to choose influencers who match your brand. There are various kinds of influencers that you can choose from, here are six types of influencers based on the number of followers.

1. Micro is an influencer with many followers of around 10 thousand people.
2. Macro is an influencer with a follower number of more than 100 thousand.
3. Premium is the Top influencer with the most number of followers.
4. Selebgram or Instagram celebrities are public figures who use Instagram as a product promotion medium.
5. Youtuber works by uploading videos to Youtube about information, including product information.
6. Bloggers provide information about a product through written content on their blog.

4. Are You Ready to Digitize Your Business Brand?

Now it is clear what digital branding is and what are the strategies. That means it’s time for you to put it into practice. There are nine ways that you can use for maximum the results.

However, you can also try some of the strategies that you think are the easiest and most important. For example, you can start by creating a logo, using social media, or creating a website. Keep the spirit and see you on the next article!