Online Branding

Internet branding (also referred to as online branding) is a brand management technique that uses the World Wide Web as a medium for positioning a brand in the marketplace. Branding in the digital age is increasingly important with the advancements of the internet. Most businesses are exploring various online channels, which include search engine, social media, online press releases, online marketplace, to establish strong relationships with consumers and to build their brands awareness.

Online branding techniques

Some professionals believe that the goal of online branding is to have consumers continually recognize a brand. Others focus on integrating online branding with the overall brand experience of customers in relation to a company, product, or other branded entity. From this perspective, brand recognition is viewed as one component among many, such as brand differentiation (from competitors) and the “Collaboration Age” brand dialog facilitated by Internet and mobile communications. Website development is a key component of online branding as a website is used by companies and individuals to present products and services of a brand. Focusing on a website’s appearance, functions, and company message to provide a positive experience to visitors is all part of online branding. Website development for online branding also includes utilizing a blog to generate content for readers interested in topics related to the brand. It has been both recommended and advised against to guest blog on other websites for the purpose of online branding. In 2014, Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Spam team, stated that guest blogging has become more and more spammy and recommended against using guest posting for building incoming links to a website.

Internet branding also involves social media interaction and integration. Display and content networks used with repetition are one method of integrating a brand with social media. Behavioral targeting, re-messaging, and site-specific targeting are used as a way to keep a brand in front of a target audience. Branding through social media involves sharing knowledge about the brand and continuously interacting with customers. Using sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to share knowledge about a brand is a popular form of online branding through social media

Advantages of Online Branding

(i) Strengthen the customer relationship

The Internet is a powerful branding tool for many businesses as it offers numerous ways to promote a business. Interactivity as one of the natures of the Internet helps companies communicate the brand messages instantly and talk to consumers directly, generating exclusive and individual interactions with them. Consumers potential purchasing behaviours can be influenced by brand knowledge and familiarity, so that good online branding can establish closer customer connections with brands and strengthen customer loyalty and relationship.

(ii) Develop Brand alliances

Online branding involves different brand positioning and marketing strategies, which can not only differentiate separately branded products but also bring together endorser brands. For example, Library Websites are a prime example of such linking between the university website and other database or publisher websites such as FirstSearch and SpringerLink. In the new economy with the convergence of technology, online branding provides the opportunity for companies to develop brands alliances and networks to maximize the brand influence.

(iii) Diverse the brand meaning

Online branding makes the company have the chance to communicate with customers directly and also provides the opportunity to gather customer information for companies to build a database of customer purchase pattern. The data can be used to segment customers into specific groups with specific needs, even offer customized services. Therefore, the customization and targeting to smaller groups may generate the diversity of experience with the same brand. The same brands have different meanings for different groups of customer.

Challenges in online Branding

Information overload

The Web is a complicated place, it holds a vast number of websites, each of which has numerous information contained within it. It is an open place for every business, and how to differentiate brand image through the same communicate channels is a challenge for many companies, especially for those that customers have little brand knowledge about them before they implement online branding strategy. Failed cases always underestimate either the complexity or the connectivity of the web.

Management of different communication channels

Online branding, in general, will cover most popular social media platforms with different websites or mobile applications. Companies need to make sure the consistency of the branding content across these channels.