Maintain Your Brand Identity When Moving Online
Apart from the rare exceptions, the writing has been on the wall for offline only businesses for years (bye bye Woolworths, BHS and other giants of the high street).
The online world now plays an essential role in everyday life. Some company owners are headstrong in regard to the offline vs online debate and choose to be futile antagonists towards digital.
Prior to early 2020, several company owners were intent on continuing to operate their businesses as they always had. Then along came the pandemic and changed everything. In a fraction of a second, non-essential businesses were forced to operate online or not operate at all.
Moving Your Business Online
Let’s say (for arguments sake) that you are considering moving your business online. Maybe your company has been operating for years and you cannot wait any longer. The company may be new or established, full-time, part-time or seasonal, but going online is the next logical step in your development and growth.
Either way you find yourself in an awkward position. A considerable amount of the businesses identity can be wrapped up in it’s local elements. The nature and location of the store, the storefront, the layout and design of the office, the simple system of communicating with customers and parlaying that into involvement in the community, to name just a few.
However, when you move online, suddenly everything is different. You are now a very small fish in a large pond, deprived of the unique identifiers that assisted you to succeed so far.
To benefit from this move into the digital world, you will need to protect your brand identity. How can you accomplish that? Well, this post will look at some ideas on how this can be achieved.
Retain Offline Elements Through Embracing a Hybrid Model
In spite of common framing, it is not imperative to select between operating offline or online only. It is entirely possible to do both and important that you do.
It has formerly been viewed as somehow conflicting. However, the eCommerce industry was reasonably fast in devising smart technology and techniques to offer the best of both worlds.
Firstly, came the click and collect framework. This meant placing an order online and collecting from a store or pick-up location. This improved convenience, for the customer, meaning they were able to secure their purchase without leaving the house. Not having to wait in for delivery, but instead picking it up at their own preferred time and location at the click of a button.
Secondly, came the arrival of pop-up shops. These are online sellers who take their products and set up a table or a booth in a public area or shopping outlet. This gives them the chance to make sales, communicate in person and boost their brand recognition.
The growth of the hybrid capable point of sale structure has made it possible for online sellers to co-ordinate their in-person sales with their digital online directories.
The outcome is that going online does not require you to desert your identity or your local community. By nurturing an offline presence in a lesser form, you will still be able to continue engaging with the local community, but also keep costly offline expenses to a minimum.
Supporting your local community will always be advantageous and appreciated by your stakeholders, even if you operate internationally.
Invest in Comprehensive and Wide-Ranging Content Marketing
The definition of personality and exclusive brand elements is critical when trying to support and grow an impressive business. So, you will need to examine all possible approaches. By this we mean, you will have to invest in content marketing.
The majority of online activity goes unnoticed because there is an excessive amount to see. If you want to be found, you need to be proactive. That means exploring various and viable content types.
In order to do this, you need to play to your strengths of each chosen type and utilise it to demonstrate features of your identity.
Natural social media conversation is the nearest to face to face interaction for business. Being effective on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn will provide opportunities to showcase your brand and corporate values.
People like buying from people. Video is one of the top shared pieces of content on social media. Video puts a face to a name and allows an audience to see the genuine nature of your business and offering.
When observing people’s body language and watching them speak, we can gauge how much we trust them. Trust is a massive challenge when marketing online.
It may be an idea to pre-record a series of video tutorials about your niche market. This would allow you to appear friendly and display your significant expertise.
Then there are the textbook company blogs. However, without the awkward generic “news updates” that produce no interest. Presenting honest and exclusive insights into off the record business operations, or industry insights. In doing so you will be able to reduce the perception of your business as an untitled and faceless entity.
Providing you follow your brand guidelines; you can be as innovative as you like.
Fight the Temptation to Cater to all Audiences
One of the most frequent mistakes company owners make when they move their company online is to dilute to the point of confusion, in an effort to please everyone.
Admittedly, it is somewhat understandable, as it is easy to focus on a niche appeal when operating in an actual location. However, it is more difficult to stick to that approach when your group of potential customers expands globally. The dilemma is that no company, no matter how amazing, can attract everyone. “You can’t be all things to all people” – Michael Porter.
Surprisingly, even grocery stores have a definite demographic based on product ranges and prices.
If you wish to be found online, it is easier to impress a small group of people than it is to create a strategy that takes on a bigger industry. This means you will have the freedom to be niche.
Instead of being reluctant about your niche activity, intensify your efforts, celebrate what makes your business different and be proud to supply to your audience.
This will enable you to advance with the same attitude and keep the foundation and essence of your business and brand identity.
Try to remember who your actual competitors are, the ones that are competing for your niche audience, not the businesses who are doing everything.
As a matter of urgency, you should be tracking what your competitors are doing, if you are not already doing so. Observing what they are doing will be extremely useful.
If your competitors begin to adopt a new standard, you can either go along with it (if that is the direction the industry is going in), or go in a new direction to demonstrate how your business is different. The constant similarities will help limit your focus and avert your creative path from wandering.
Partner with Similar Companies on Side Projects
Our personalities are highlighted and subsequently influenced by those around us. Envisage being established in a specific place for a long period of time, settled, feeling entirely comfortable within the area – then taking the harrowing step to a much larger city will feel daunting.
Suddenly, you are adrift, alone and unsupported in an unusual environment. How can you re-establish yourself? The key is to resume the role played previously by networking.
Communicating your identity through content is definitely useful, but having your identity widely recognised and published by renowned businesses from complementary fields can make a large difference. This is one of the reasons you should look at partnering with like-minded businesses on side projects.
It may be an idea to conduct a thorough industry audit. This would require conversing with more companies, offering reviews and producing future resources, clarified by your findings such as tutorials, guides, whitepapers and infographics.
It is not exactly easy convincing larger companies to partner with you. However, if you can produce a solid plan and you are professional and enthusiastic, it can be a lot simpler than you may assume.
Ultimately, schemes like this are great for all associates, and proving the results are valuable, your partners will be content to be associated with them. Effectively teaming up with a notable businesses that share your ideals can do three extraordinary things:
- Provide you with superior marketing content, more so than you could have created in isolation.
- Present your brand to a much greater audience.
- Provide you with plenty of opportunities to speak about who you are, what you do and your goals.
Summary
On a final note, there are numerous ways to develop a company’s identity online, and with no need to abandon your existing work. By maintaining offline factors in content marketing, retaining your niche appeal and developing working relationships with related brands, you will be able to adequately manage your offline to online brand transformation.
Still unsure what to do next? Get in touch with us today. We would be happy to help.
Drop us a call at 0203 150 0565 or email info@stefaniegrant.com.
