Leverage digital marketing for branding

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According to the International Telecommunications Union’s estimates in 2019, more than 50 per cent of the world’s population was online. The figure has increased drastically this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The OpenVault Broadband Insights Report that tracks millions of subscriber data usage points across the USA and Europe has indicated a 47 per cent increase in broadband data usage in the quarter ended May 2020.

The internet’s presence in our lives was steadily increasing, and Covid-19 has accelerated that movement. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns imposed to curb the spread have left people with little option but relying on the internet for information, entertainment and even interaction.

People today are spending more time online than ever before, which makes it one of the best places to amplify your brand voice. The internet has become the place for most consumers to start their buying activity through a search and conclude it by posting ratings. It has become almost mandatory for business entities to leverage the online space to create a successful brand connect with their customers by deploying digital marketing techniques.

How does digital branding work?

According to NASSCOM, digital marketing refers to any marketing activity done through electronic devices and the internet. Using digital marketing, companies can develop a brand’s online presence and improve their awareness, reputation, and image to drive long-term loyalty. While digital marketing is best deployed to drive sales, it can also be leveraged effectively for branding.

So, where do you start?

Fish where the fishes are

With the whole world being on the internet, brands can benefit by putting out useful and informative content to engage their audience and regularly interact with them. Leveraging digital marketing through social media, search optimisation, paid promotions, and other mediums is the best bet to drive brand presence.

Now, if you think that only e-commerce companies can reap the benefits of digital marketing, you are mistaken. While it is true that companies that operate online can generate immediate and quantifiable benefits, organisations with traditional operations can also benefit from online branding. Digital marketing, if used strategically, can benefit every organisation, even the traditional B2B ones. Let us understand this with an example.

A power transmission EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) player implements a turnkey solution at a site through a six sigma intervention. The company can generate immense online respect if it creates a video of the same and uploads it over its social media handles, along with a case study on the initiative. If the video is seeded in the right professional circles, it can give the company an exalted status in the industry.

So, how do you leverage digital marketing?

You can use the following methods to enhance your brand voice online.

A social media strategy

Similar to an advertising and a marketing strategy, you need to have a social media strategy. Social media is no longer restricted to posts, uploads, interactions and engagements. It has become a means of effective broadcast and communication. For an organisation, it offers an effective platform where it can communicate the brand ethos and create a loyal brand following. Creating a handle or a page and populating it with images and posts is passé. It is more important to build the organisation’s persona.

Blogging, not slogging

In the same time that it takes to generate a lead through cold calling, you can make your brand voice reach millions through blogs. Create succinct content pieces which will establish your company as an expert in the field. Allow the brand to build a field identity and an aura based on trust and relevance.

Paid advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be tricky to navigate, but an expert’s help will nullify the disadvantages. Ride the tiger with the help of an ace animal tamer. The best part is that even if you fall, it does not maul you. Online paid advertising can be implemented in small chunks which allows you to do course correction with minimal costs. There are many benefits, including higher visibility on the web and directing of targeted and consistent traffic to the website.

Farm the searches

Ensure to be present online when your customers are searching for your services. An optimised search positioning strategy ensures that your customers see you online when they type in their requirements in the Google search bar. Take the help of an expert in search engine optimisation to help you leverage the power of the internet search engines.

Harvest data

‘Data is the new oil’ may be a cliché, but it is true, nevertheless. Data can help you understand and provide essential insights into customer behaviour. You can leverage various free and paid tools, including Google Analytics, Moz and Webmaster Tools, which are available online to help you harness the power of data. They will help you to understand which type of content needs to be published online to enable effective customisation of your digital branding.

Do you want to harness the internet to elevate your brand? Get in touch!