Tips on Online Branding
In offline market a brand is realized by impressions. However, the Point of Impressions are limited to TV, Newspaper, Hoardings etc .. But on web there are innumerable point of impressions … There are hundreds of websites in a single niche where a visitor can get in touch with your brand (under construction).
Finding a niche is nice but the “niche” poses many problems for online branding too. For example, having an account at Flickr is both good and bad for a photographer’s brand identity development. Because Flickr is like an aquarium and there are millions of other fishes in it. It is really tough to grab unique attention in such a crowded place. It is like having thousands of tee shirt brands in one store (good for buyers) and no advertisement allowed.
At the same time when you live in isolation (personal website / blog) you are missing the brand value and user volume of Flickr. And if you do not have a website, people will not take you seriously.
So how to go about developing an online brand (example – a photographer)?
You need to find out less crowded places and verticals to promote your brand apart from staying at Flickr. For example, a photographer may create a cool slideshow (storyboard + photographs) / videos etc and publish them at places, where there are everyone else but photographers – e.g. slideshare.net. You need to find out nodes, who will connect you to hundreds of other people. For example: do something that smashingmagazine.com will publish.
Now, here are more niches. For example, if you want to catch the online business community and get freelance photography projects from them, try to get yourself covered by powerful people in that community e.g. Seth Godin / Guy Kawasaki.
One must develop as many point of impressions as possible… Doing more partnerships and highlighting your achievements by “others” may help 
Or do something crazy / funny / stupid (must go along your brand identity) that people will share via social networks.
Once people start seeing you at different places – you know what you earn – brand value…
Debleena 10:03 am on 02/12/2010 Permalink |
The term “brand management” arouses a lot of inhibitions to many. I come across many PDFs and Google books on “online branding strategy”….but I do never find interesting solutions because there are none….being in the spotlight needs guts! I read one very interesting quote “Throw away all your business strategies, join in the chaos!”…..in fact Seth Godin talk about making a lot of meaningful noise…..So it is all about being different….and that you have already said! Loved your thought! Let me try out something crazzzy!
suranjana 10:07 am on 02/12/2010 Permalink |
is it possible to create a brand name for other things? for example, a very cliche thing but not popular? like bengali poetry?
Priyanka 10:12 am on 02/12/2010 Permalink |
Very nice write-up. Agree with your idea of spreading knowledge about your brand.
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