Creating an effective brand presence online

Written by Paul Rogers On March 8, 2014

A short introduction on creating an effective brand presence online.

The environment has changed
• Post financial crisis – the world has changed
• The social media revolution is changing the web
• Clarity and transparency are key
• Don’t fall victim to information overload

Define your brand
• Create a great first impression
• Communicate a promise
• Project your personality
• Produce a site that is relevant and engaging
• Become a resource and a forum
• Have text that is friendly and confident
• Create and apply distinctive brand imagery

Provide content that leaves people wanting to come back for more
• Provide topical and regularly updated content
• Use clear, concise understandable language
• Ensure any technical language is simplified, clear and easy to understand

Develop a clear and attractive design
• A website design that amplifies your key messages
• Easy to navigate, clearly signposted with well written text and imagery
• Messages need to be relevant and up-to-date and clear, consistent and compelling
• Ensure that your website is not reliant on generic imagery

Bring debates to life
• Talking heads, to provide a personal view
• Help create an emotional connection to the business
• A suite of channels to communicate in an engaging way:
video, audio, pod casts, interactive web casts, web chats and online seminars

A site that is easy to manage and change
• A CMS based platform is essential to enable your brand presence to develop and evolve:
• You are able to create new pages and upload text and images
• Ensure you have a scalable platform in terms of size and added functionality to match your changing needs
• CMS is practical and easy to update and helps provide a return on investment
• Regular stream of new content to ensure your audience stays dialled in

Final thoughts
• Acknowledge and embrace that the world has changed
• Businesses are assessed not just on website but on how well they use social media
• Explore the webs full capability
• Determine your current and future website requirements and plan for this
• Opportunity to demonstrate a position of leadership

Please contact:
paul@saintjohndesign.com