Whether you’re transitioning from a side hustle to a full-time venture or starting something entirely new, a strong digital brand will help you succeed. A digital brand communicates both visually and verbally who you are and what people can expect from you.
6 areas in which you should concentrate your efforts in order to build a strong digital brand are explained below.
Devise your positioning
Begin by considering your brand and the message it needs to convey. Consider why someone would want what you’re offering by examining the impact it has on the lives of those who use it. Also, consider your target audience, including their demographics and motivations for engaging with you. From there, you can begin compiling a collection of words and images that effectively convey your essence.
Bear in mind that when you’re attempting to differentiate yourself, a compelling aspect of your story may be something other than what you offer, such as the materials you source. Alternatively, it could be the way people perceive your business. In 2020, user experience is predicted to be the primary brand differentiator.
Choose a brand voice
Finding the right brand voice and tone is a process that is unique to each business, depending on the market you serve and your own personality. Determine what is authentic and real for you. The brand voice should be consistent across all digital platforms, as well as any offline channels such as direct mail, print, point of sale, and physical presences at events such as festivals or trade shows.
A consistent tone establishes your brand’s credibility and reliability with users, providing them with a clear sense of your core values. Consider how you wish to be perceived—your tone can assist in conveying honesty, knowledgeability, dependability, and friendliness—all of which are human values. Brand’s voice can evolve over time. Observe how people respond to various channels. Evaluate your audience’s connection points and don’t be afraid to tweak your approach to increase your reach.
Craft a timeless style
Your digital brand’s visual elements are one of the first things a visitor will notice. Your colour, font, and other style elements should feel current, but not excessively so. Once you’ve chosen a colour palette and fonts, create a style guide to provide each steward of your brand with clear direction and a common language for visually communicating your message
Pick the right images
While the abundance of readily available stock art online may tempt you to grab something quickly and add it to your website or social media feed, pause before posting.
Create an overarching strategy for what imagery feels appropriate for your brand so that your visual style is consistent across all digital channels.
Design an eye-catching logo
The logo of a business serves as its calling card, both online and offline. To create yours, research what other brands in the space are doing and speak with individuals who work on various aspects of your brand. Solicit their feedback on what they believe will resonate with your audience and what feels right.
Also, different versions of your logo should be created for use in a variety of formats—for example, horizontal and vertical. However, avoid going overboard when creating alternate versions. Create two or three designs and specify which version should be used where and when.
Think cross-device and cross-platform
Finally, keep in mind that everything you design must be compatible with not only multiple digital platforms, but also multiple devices.
Consider your email design as well when creating your website. Examine all of your details and consider how design elements can be adapted for use in additional channels, keeping in mind that not all platforms have the same requirements.
In addition, when designing, keep in mind desktop versus mobile needs, and keep in mind that many elements of your website will display differently on a PC, tablet, or phone.