If you’re going to spend the money to brand your business – and yes, you should spend the money to brand your business – it seems logical that you could then use that branding across different media platforms, right?
Right! However there are some caveats to consider. When done well, cross-platform branding can make your business look and perform well. Done inappropriately, it can cripple your business potential.
Let’s start at the beginning. Your business brand, according to Entrepreneur, is your promise to your customer. It conveys what can be expected and how your business is different than others. It isn’t just a logo or a color scheme. It is your business “voice,” from the tone of written communication to visual images.
Here are five tips to successfully translating your print brand to an online brand.
The internet is a relatively new contraption in technology terms. It has really only been popular with the masses for around 20 years. As any teenager will tell you, being cool 10-20 years ago, or even 3-4 years ago, does not translate to today’s sense of cool.
Right now you’re probably thinking one of two things: “Who cares? I don’t need to be trendy.” Or “I want to be trendy but I don’t want to reinvent my website every 2 years!”
If you aren’t ready for a full overhaul of your website, perhaps consider updating some telltale signs of age:
New website? Check! Great marketing plan? Check! Random stock images or images pulled from other sites without permission? Mayday!
You know you need a website. Now the question is: Do you do it yourself or do you pay someone else to do it for you?
First, let’s get one thing straight: your website is potentially the first impression you are leaving on prospective customers. Sure, you can Groupon your way through a web design course or you can build a website using one of the many DIY solutions out there (like Wix.com). You could even hire the kid next door to slap together a site for you in exchange for some pizza.
In the end, what you invest in your website is going to show to your customers, either in user experience, design or in reliability. Here are some things to consider when deciding between hiring a professional or doing it yourself: