How to Develop a World-Class Online Brand via Branding & Social Media? (Series 2)

Series 1 was about why you should develop your internet brand, right now? Living example of how social media helps you to make you successful in a few years? And why you have to focus on marketing strategy first and social media second?

In Series 1, the real word was “online.” Today, the word is “Internet branding.”

As to become successful, we need a strong strategy along a strong brand name. So let’s begin our discussion from brand name.

1. New medium, new brand name:

The new medium, internet, calls for a new brand name. To dominate in any category. To capture the highest market share.  You need to launch a specialized internet brand, just like you have specialized brands in your real world. (A specialized one.)

What are you into? A business or a medium?

The first thing to decide whether you want to make money through your website (business). Or you just want to have it to inform something to your client, or anyone, about the product and services you offer (medium)?

Of course, I want to make money: (I heard that!)

Seriously? Money? Okay, so let’s get down to business.

Strategy 1: Like in the real world, the best strategy is to be first to the mind of consumers. The new brand name is required to do that.

Any renowned head hunter company in Pakistan did not launch a job site. It was Rozee , first to the mind of consumer. The best store, Barnes and Nobles, in America  didn’t launch first online book store. It was Amazon. After Amazon’s success Barnes and Noble and many others launched their online book stores. Guess what? Who’s the market leader? Amazon, of course!

All others are followers, enjoying little success, facing tough competetion.

Strategy 2: The point is, get your two lovers separated ,  real world brand and internet brand, and don’t confuse your consumer by telling them that your specialized in both. It’s difficult to make your best selling real world brand in to best selling online brand (or your best selling online brand in to best selling real world brand.)

To go online, find the category in which you can be first in, then launch a second brand (with another name) for an online world. And keep your original brand as it (if any). Develop its website as a medium to stay in touch with customers. Now you have two separate brands (or lovers) to focus individually and dedicatedly. Both have its own target market.

Get your two lovers separated

Strategy 3: You might need to get brutal with the passage of time, when the horse gone out of its mind. It has to get shot!

That’s what exactly you have to do when you see your any brand is left with no market, and its category is dying.  You can milk it to get return on investment (ROI)(provided that it’s not at the cost of your valuable time and resources)

Look to your right, look to your left and  when you’re sure the category is dead and next thing coming is nothing but a loss….. Have a head shot!

Kamil’s BONUS: When the category dies, neither “Beleving in yourself”  works then, nor “Can-do attitude” . Those who are successful marketers have a marvelous ability of Can NOT do attitude: How to become successful in a shorter time.

So, got ideas of your own for what’s working well on internet branding? Would you like to read Series 3 of this article? Let me know in the comments below!

 

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Related Posts:

How to Develop a Word-Class Online Brand via Branding & Social Media (Series 1)

Social Media: Killer Features

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How to Develop a Word-Class Online Brand via Branding & Social Media (Series 1)

“Online” is an important word here.

Brands have been getting developed in the real world. Companies and people have been building world-class brand out of them. Some take years. Some take decades.

Now, things are little change, and they’re fast, here in the online world.

Where companies and people are developing their online brand in a few years. (Not in decades as in real world). Social media plays an important role as an add-on  and an amplifier to the promotion of an online brands, as well as, the real world brands (by taking real brands to the online world).

The competition is still not that brutal, as people are still recognizing the value of social media. Still with little investment of time and money (as compare to the real world), you can be rich in a few years. Jim Chao is a Chinese guy. These days he’s earning 5 figures a month. In his first eight weeks, he made $17,408 in his network marketing business. Thousands of people around the world contact him every month in quest for his amazing marketing prowess.

But let’s not get carried away by the beauty of online social media idea. The branding, the strategy, the marketing is the first thing to do. Neglect it, and you loose your internet brand.

1. Internet branding first. Social media second:

We’ll take a start from internet branding, and see how can we utilize social media along the way.

So, in the real world, we have many physical evidence to develop brand’s credibility. Stores, ambiance, people, and host of others.

On the other hand, in the online world, we have a very few options: Until user enter your brand name or click any shared link, you’re invisible.

 That’s make brand name more important. That’s makes you to be more careful while developing an internet brand name. You need a good and strong brand name to make your self successful in social media.

So, would you like to read the Series 2 if this article? Got ideas of your own for what’s working well on social media? Let me know in the comments below!

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Related Posts:

Social Media: Killer Features

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Online Social Media: Killer Features

I’ve been telling people but they don’t listen. Online Social Media is growing, this is the right time to get into the mind of your audience. And they just ignored me again…..Their competitors will run away with their customers and they’ll keep on serving their conventional wisdom.



What they say? Read my comments in brackets:
“How many customers are using internet, still many people don’t have computer?” (Better come out of cave now)

“What if you write articles online or you’re a blogger, you’re still not writing for any (prestigious) magazine or publication?”  (And people are continuously making their online brands)

“So what, if customers read and post reviews online for brand, we’re selling well?”  (Let’s see, for how long)

The Myth:
Online social media is an important marketing tool. But don’t confuse it with marketing strategy. In simple words, social media is one of the essential tool you use to promote your brand. That’s it. Marketing still plays 90% strategy part. Social media can’t do all the work alone. If I just create a Facebook fan page for a brand, say, casual wear category, I’ll still be needing to promote brand’s fan page on brochure, magazine ads, TV commercial, stores, press releases.

Kamil’s BONUS: Your magazine ad and flyers, should end with your brand’s Facebook fan page URL.

See how my fan page looks like?


Killer Feature 1: Interactivity
Will the Traditional Ad be Effective on the Internet? (Ad man’s first question, huh)

Nope! Why? Because internet is an an interactive medium. Social Media best works because of it’s interactivity. If your audience is interested in you, they will subscribe to your RSS feed, read your status, join your group, Retweet your quote. Consumers have full right to ignore you, hide you on their news feed.( Ad man’s spamming won’t work here.)

Question: Why do people love TV remote control?

Answer: It allows them to flip through channels as soon as ad appears.

In online world, your audience have full control what they want to see, read and hear. Advertising best works for credible brands. Those who have consumer’s permission to talk to them. New brands are not supposed to launch through advertising.

For new brands, PR , Word-of-Mouth and Online Social Media will do the best. Those new brands, who have played with these three mediums right, have a chance to offer an advertising message with consumer’s permission.

 
Facebook has a killer feature of showing you your favorite live feed and posts of your friends/fan pages above all others. So it doesn’t matter to have 500+ friends on your personal profile or 500,000 + fans on your fan page. If users don’t care, Facebook doesn't care either. Marketing through this medium has become more important to get to the exact target market.

Why fan page? For example: Stone Age updates its status “50% discount, limited time offer, rush now!” via fan page and It will appear on your news feed (If you’re a fan).  And these days, where young generation is being caught red handed? They don’t read news papers or magazine or go to library. All the time they’re Facebooking, Facebooking and Facebooking.

Kamil’s BONUS 2:  As still many people don’t know how to do business through social media, you have the chance to develop a leader brand.

This is the right time for you. Right now!

Killer Feature 2: Viral Marketing
Viral Marketing is the idea where promotion is built-in the product. When product is being utilized, at the same time, the product’s value has been conveyed to everyone. The more you use the product, the more people see it. And the more people see it, the more people want to own it. And the brand and its value will spread and make the company rich along the way.

Unfortunately, every product can not utilize viral marketing. To go viral, the product has to be communications focused or very public.

For example: You might be thinking to put your (credit line) name while designing a brochure for your client. But that can’t go viral because it’s not very public.  Only you or your client knows that you designed this brochure (or your potential client whom you just given an introductory presentation of your company). Not every one, it’s not very public.



“Sent from my BlackBerry”,  this sweet note tells you how cool owning a BlackBerry could possibly be.

The car, when it moves on the road, shows its beauty along a brand name, carries a message with it self.

You “Like” or “Recommend” something on any website and your friends at Facebook know what you did “ 1 second ago”

Try for this article now:

One way to use Viral Marketing in online media is to use your brand’s fan page with your email signature. (Making it standard for every employee of the company is not a big deal, anyway.) I’m using WiseStamp signature add-on for it.

There are still some brands having exceptional target market and social media is not suitable for them. Yes, it’s possible. These brands have right to ignore me for the time being, until their consumers get sophisticated. As I said, marketing still plays 90% strategy part, social media is just a new tool to strengthen the promotional plan. 

I hope these two Killer Features of Online Social Media,  are enough to understand the importance of it and to get started .

So what else would you like to see covered here? Got ideas of your own for what’s working well on social media? Let me know in the comments below!

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Color and Form (by Triiibesters)

Today I would like to share an e-book, Color and Form, by Bronwyn Mcconville. This book is jam-packed with knowledge, wisdom and ideas worth spreading, contributed by 26 authors across the world.

A gift to you from the passionate member of world's best idea sharing online (private) community "Triiibes" (by Seth Godin) and the diversified approach of people having different backgrounds.

BONUS: Hope you’ll love to read my article in that too!

P.S.: (You may email and share, post or print this book as a gift, but please don’t sell it or change it!) HAPPY READING!!! : )


Color and Form