Quick answer, if you wish to stay in business, yes! Web site branding refers to developing a way to insure that customers remember your company, product or service. For example, if you have an Internet business that sells non-prescription weight loss supplements, keep in mind that there are thousands of web-based businesses that sell similar products. Your internet business “brand” refers to how you establish a name and reputation that your customers will remember even if they don’t add your URL to their “favourites” bar. The best way to accomplish this is by putting forth an attractive and consistent business image through your marketing materials.

Branding

Does Brand Matter?

Internet business branding is most effective when used in your written and on-site web copy materials. First, you will need a logo that is eye-catching but not tacky or overwhelming. Try to avoid overly-fancy, stodgy or trendy logos; they turn more customers off rather than attracting them. Next, use your logo consistently on letterhead, brochures, and business cards.

Research in memory retention indicates that people associate content-based memories, i.e. like products that assist weight control, with a visual picture or image. Using this example, you may choose as your logo the picture of physically healthy and fit people under the age of 35 since most buyers of your product are within that age. Buyers will then associate your product with that picture.

When designing your internet business web site, positive branding occurs when you use simple navigation systems through the many layers of the site. Go easy on animation, too! A little is attractive and professional; a lot is merely annoying and time consuming for the (now lost) customer. A conservative font colour and style that doesn’t change every time the customer navigates from one page to the next is best. Avoid run-together and overly small text by using an appropriate amount of white space between topics or sections. For branding to be positive, your site must be readable.

Remember that there is such a thing as negative branding when your lost customer recalls your site as being poorly designed, inconsistent, difficult to navigate and mind-boggling. “Might have been” customers won’t tell you why they didn’t become first-time or regular customers – they will simply click away to a competing internet business sites. Only your lack of sales will speak clearly!

Slow-loading web site pages are certain sales destroyers. These are caused by too many graphics, excessive page lengths, background music that plays while the page is loading, and pop-up screens. If your site’s pages take more than five seconds to load, you may be annoying (and losing) customers rather than attracting and keeping them.

When examining your internet business web site design, think from a customer’s point of view and ask yourself whether you would associate your “brand” positively or negatively. After all you are a customer of many internet businesses yourself; use this experience to your advantage.

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