Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business
Building a strong brand on the Internet isn’t easy. In fact, Internet branding is an area that most online businesses screw up rather badly.
From single freelancer to team business, brand is what gets you ahead. It gets you noticed. It makes you memorable. So why are you missing the opportunities to brand your site properly?
Many people come to us with the request for a new design and some great copy. That’s great; we’re happy to help. But even our magic can’t help business owners who have a poorly chosen domain name, a terrible business name and no interest in proper branding.
So I’m going to say it quite plainly: Build your brand before you even consider building your business. Online, your brand is all you have going for you.
Your site is invisible. There are millions out there. You have a split second to make it or break. You’ve heard this before. Making it takes work. It takes some thought and some analysis of what you want, who you want to come to you and how you’re going to appeal to your audience.
No brand? No business.
People come to us all the time looking for reasons why they aren’t attracting readers, aren’t selling as much as they want and aren’t making a mark. They think a little makeover might help.
Well, if you have a good product or service and your content is solid, then yes, a better look might work.
“What’s your image? What branding do you have?” We ask this question to our clients every time. We’re often answered with, “I don’t know.”
If you don’t have a branded site, you might as well close up shop before even opening your doors.
Sound grim? It is, but it’s the reality of the Internet. Should you give up now? Of course not. Have a little faith in us.
We always try to help others have a better business and overcome the obstacles. Our focus is on giving the wake-up call people need to avoid making mistakes and spending money. So here are some quick tips to help you develop a better business online.
Choose the right name
Your domain and business name need to be short, snappy, catchy and interesting. Avoid generic names like books.com or personal names like jameschartrand.ca. These types of names mean nothing to consumers and they aren’t memorable. If people can’t remember you, they won’t buy from you.
Find a domain name that is representative and relevant to what you offer. Try not to be boring, either. Be distinct. But for the love of Pete, don’t be clever. Be clear.
Choose the right look
That sleek corporate sites look nice and credible, but if your style is casual and friendly, your site isn’t going to work for you. You’ll feel uncomfortable trying to fit your personality to your site design, and your customers will feel the inconsistency.
Get a site design that reflects your personality so that it feels just like home. You’ll be more comfortable and relaxed, you’ll be able to be the person you are, and your customers will appreciate that you and your site have the same personality.
Choose the right content
How many boring sites have you read? There’s no impact, no emotion in the words, just a bunch of blah blah blah. Then there are the sites that sound stiff and overly professional – they come off lofty.
Are you blah blah blah? Are you lofty? If not, then don’t have content that doesn’t represent you.
Your content has style, just like you have style. Flaunt it, show it and use it to your advantage to enhance your brand. Make sure that your content sounds like you or your team. Don’t put on airs. Match the tone of your content to your own tone and personality for a great fit.
Choose the right mindset
You can have everything going for you and your business, but if you have no interest in marketing yourself, spending time on promotion or investing in advertising and improvements, say sayonara to success. On the Internet, your business depends on your interest in seeing it succeed.
So start by putting some effort and thought into the business you’re building. Don’t rush it and work on getting it right. Plan, plot and contemplate every aspect of your brand.
Of course, don’t go the other extreme and never launch because you’re being a perfectionist either. But do be serious and do plan your brand so that your business does better.
Still not sure about how to brand your site? Want some advice, mentoring and tips to get you on the right track?
We can help. Contact us today .
42 Responses to “Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business”
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You know, over the past decade or so I’ve tried different flavors of my brand yet always return to what just plain works – being myself (zany, coffee-adoring, helpful, tall, dignified, awe-inspiring, humble, ego-less and …. did I mention I maintain a complete grasp of reality as well?
).
Sincerity and geniuness (is that a word?) win out all the time.
Enjoy, Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach’s last blog post..81+ Enchanting Power StumbleUpon Destinations Waiting For Your Eyes Only
Sometimes knowing where you want to end up is not the same thing as knowing how to get there. I can totally relate to your article becuase I started my brand online and it wasn’t easy deciding on a name or concept and what made more sense for me. It can also cost a lot of money if you’re indecisive.
I’m learning as I go and I’m looking forward to reading more from you.
Hi James,
You say to avoid using personally-named domains, such as jameschartrand.ca, but I’ve had success with my own, and when it’s only you working alone, I think this can be a good method to follow.
It helps people remember you, especially where referrals are concerned:
“Ah yes, David Airey, he’s such a glorious chap, and wonderful to do business with. Just type his name in Google.”
That’s not to say I wouldn’t have more success with something like logodesign.com. I probably would, but just can’t afford the $100,000 asking price. Bugger.
David Airey’s last blog post..Logo design and card for Hilcon
@ Barbara – LOL, quite the mix you have going on!
@ Angie – Agreed. Branding takes a lot of thought, and people often skip this step – they figure it out when they have to take everything they have and start over, unfortunately.
@ David – You can be glorious as long as I remain heroically regal
But my question to you – what happens if you want to retire? Vacation? Your business stops and your income with it. No one wants anyone but David. Which is a cool feeling, but it doesn’t hold longevity if you decide you want to step a little away from the nitty gritty. Make sense?
A valid question, James, no doubt, which is one reason behind the launch of logodesignlove.com, and logosdesigners.com. I’ve leveraged my personal domain to help other projects, though you can rightly call this an un-needed cog in the wheel.
I’ve been thinking more and more about passive income, and how I can change my business model. Lately I’ve started outsourcing work, as quite a lot of people come to me with web development enquiries.
(…and you’ll always be heroically regal)
David Airey’s last blog post..Logo design and card for Hilcon
@ David – I think many people who’ve reached your level and ours are realizing that we’ve come to a point where it’s time to make changes and stay thriving or burn out. From what I can see, it’s somewhere around the 1 year mark. Kind of a phenomena, actually.
You’re right, too. Developing those extra cogs to keep the machine rolling ends up adding more workload to the mix. Thankfully, temporarily
(We should open our own Kingdom between our majestic bearings, I think.)
This post is timely – as I’m brainstorming a business name. What you said here echoes my thoughts – so I guess I’m on the right track
James, great article. Every time I see a makeover show on TV (because, you know, I watch them all the time) I am amazed at how changing thins on the outside really gets people to see themselves in a new way–forget about everybody else. When you see yourself (or your business) in a new way, you act accordingly, and that can really jump-start some amazing things.
Michael Martine’s last blog post..What Smurf Are You on Your Blog?
I am getting very excited about unleashing my new look. I think you guys nailed it perfectly.
That being said, branding is much more than slapping on some new wallpaper and opening the front door. It is how much you are able to associate that image in the client’s mind with what type of service, attitude, style… in other words, what does your brand SAY about you. How consistent are you with what you do over and over and over is what will finally burn the image- with the message- into a unified marketing campaign.
The worse thing you want to do is get a great Brand and then send a bad message. So…I would also say…before you go out and show that beautiful image to the world, be sure you have the reputation and business plan in place that you want to go along with it. Nothing like branding yourself as unreliable or no good at what you do.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Weeds
Hi James,
Great post, as usual! The one thing that I would mention is that yes, you need to find a “look” that suits you, but I also think you need a look that your potential clients will relate to.
If you are a freelance writer working from home, then you are probably happy to avoid the suit and tie. You might have the Jimmy Buffet look — shorts, T-Shirt, and Tevas (and perhaps a margarita if it’s past a certain time…)
But if your website looks like a Corona commercial, you aren’t likely to get many bites. (Unless you are selling yourself as a beer writer.)
I agree that your online image is important, but I think you need to reflect your clients’ values just as much as your own.
~Graham
Graham Strong’s last blog post..What the Heck is Blog ROI?
@ Graham – If you have the Jimmy Buffet look, you most likely have the personality to match. Would you truly be interested in working with people who dress in stiff suits and have lofty views? Probably not.
By branding yourself properly and reflecting who you are a little more, you tend to attract people who are like you and who you like to work with, thus increasing your job satisfaction.
Of course, I agree that there is such a thing as going too far…
Part of it is simply being unafraid, and being okay with the idea of branding yourself. If you have something to offer, then you must be okay with attaching a price and using the best method possible to get your name and product out there.
Still taking notes!
steph’s last blog post..Taking the Day Off to Work
This is a real thought provoking article. I am giving second thoughts to how I have my blog setup and the message that I am trying to convey. Good stuff guys. Thanks.
Rich
I agree with the thrust of the article. I am trying to achieve both by building my name as a brand as well as my blog. I am plugging away and hope that the strategy will eventually pay off.
Nicole Price’s last blog post..Top 10 Celebrity List
David, James,
Leo Burnett’s doing okay and he’s gloriously, regally dead. Lots of companies do it. Not that I’m recommending it—spending the week doing the opposite, in fact.
James,
Lots of great points here.
Aargh. I boo-booed the blockquote. Should end after “brand.”
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Go Easy on Yourself
StumbleUpon has made me a believer in how quickly people (including me) make snap judgments about blogs and Web sites. Hopefully most sites get more than one chance to engage a reader but it’s definitely a challenge to get all the pieces in place. Internet branding is a lot of work, and as already mentioned, seems to be a never-ending work in progress.
Bill K.’s last blog post..Study shows how readers’ intent affects your blog
Oh, you speak Japanese. Sweet.
I think this post works really well for you guys because most people, as you pointed out, have no idea — so after reading this, they’d have to hire you. I ended up hiring Naomi Dunford after reading her post about writing Unique Selling Description. I worked on it myself for a week and gave up. After a few phone conversations, and some twists in my business plan, she suggested a domain name akashicrecordreading.com for my new Akashic Record Reading service. A bit long, but because it is specific, it’s on the 1st page of Google for that search phrase. And some do convert. Hurray!
I have a question that I’ve been carrying for a long time, and I wonder if you could give some insights. So I work hard writing good contents for my Yes to Me blog, I do quality interviews
, and . . . these great posts get buried in the archive after awhile because it is a BLOG. I think it’s such a shame, so I have Best of Yes to Me list on the sidebar, made a special archive page for interviews (Hall of Fame) but still, not many people read older posts. Are there any ways I can get readers’ attention to older great posts?
You posts often, so surely this is your concern, too, I think.
Akemi – Yes to Me’s last blog post..Review: How Ordinary People Became Millionaires
@ Akemi – There are a few things you could do.
One, the banner ad for your readings (which I hear are pretty kick-ass, by the way) is showing up awkwardly from my laptop. I’d actually move that up and place it next to your photo in your About section to save some real estate space.
The Best Of is below the fold, so it’s not going to get any attention at a first glance. It’s also in the far right sidebar, which isn’t the location that gets the best attention. The eye reads left to right, so the brain thinks the order of importance is also left to right. Placing that segment as far right as possible makes the eye ignore it as it skips over and comes back to read from the left again.
Add a Best Of page to your navigation.
And link to your interviews often from your posts. Each time you mention “handsome debonair kings of the blogosphere” in a post, for example, link to our interview. Or link to Naomi’s interview when you write “small business marketing”, as a second example.
Whatcha think?
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business
Artists are SUPPOSED to use their name. We are the brand. It’s how you want to be listed in exhibition, identified on your cards, in the history books, and kept on the tip of every tongue wagging, pen wielding art writer out there. And when someone sees you hanging on someone’s wall, you want them to ask,” Is that an original Janice Cartier you have there?”
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
@ Janice – I don’t believe that’s necessarily true and I feel that it’s a misconception to say that artists should brand themselves. Why couldn’t you call yourself Cartier Colors, for example, and brand that instead?
“Is that a Cartier on your wall?”
“Why yes, yes it is…”
Replace Cartier with Men with Pens theme on your blog, a Lumina in your driveway and a Rolex on your wrist. No personal names.
I think personal branding is only a perception. Madonna is popular – so is Great Big Sea, and I haven’t got a clue who their names are. In fact, the drummer could be replaced and Great Big Sea would still rock. Rolls Royce isn’t made by Royce and I don’t care who’s on the production line.
Business is business. Art is art. When you combine the two and the lines get fuzzy, that’s not good for sales. Immortal can happen without the personal name.
Look at Ford. Henry Ford started the car company, right? So why isn’t it called Henry Ford Inc. today? Because Ford needed a strategy for long-term potential, even when Henry wasn’t around.
Never brand yourself. Brand your business.
(Your turn.)
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business
Choosing a good domain and business name can be really tough.
Add to it that it needs to be, as you say, “short, snappy, catchy and interesting,” as well as unique and, oh yeah, available.
Often, you’ll hit on just the right name that works for your business and is also short enough and memorable enough for a domain name…and then of course, you realize someone else has already taken it.
Put in the time to get it right the first time–it’s absolutely worth it.
Jesse Hines’s last blog post..Grammar Still Matters: It Can Affect Your Career
There’s this little jewelry firm that sends out their legal team real quick on all things Cartier. That is exactly why I use my whole name most of the time.
I am afraid the list is very long on personal artist’s names. It smacks of credibility and not afraid to step up to the plate and put it out there kind of thing. That’s no small thing. Cartier Colors? That says amateur.
I think we will really butt heads on this one. I see the logic…I am just not convinced. And I know it’s something extremely important we have to deal with. A lot of offline pounding pavement time is spent promoting my name. Several artists have the website in their name and the blog is named something else.
Tons of artists have become small factories. Look at Chihuley. Dale doesn’t actually blow the glass much anymore but it’s all under his name. I have no intentions of becoming a factory, but it was the same with Warhol. Oh wait he did call his studio “The Factory”. But he is know as Warhol.
??
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
@Janice & James: I was pointing out to James a couple of days ago that even the Great Masters branded themselves. DaVinci and Michelangelo had a ton of apprentices to do the grunt work once they reached the big leagues. They’d have the apprentices learn the trade and do a lot, but in the end , a DaVinci was still a DaVinci.
SHHH!! Don’t tell people about that ! SHHHHH!
Your honor, I did *not* have that conversation with Harry. We were discussing… uh… how WE were like DaVinci! That’s it, yeah!
Seriously, though. I’m not saying that a personal brand doesn’t work and isn’t effective. What I am saying is that personally branding yourself cuts off all chances of an exit strategy.
When you go home at the end of the day, your shop closes.
When you’re tired, your business suffers.
When you can’t work, your business closes.
You can be equally successful without branding yourself with your name. It isn’t called Steve Jobs – it’s called Apple. Art? I’m sure he thinks it’s technological art, yes, and considering how people clamor about Macs, there you go.
I think the perception artists have that the PERSONAL name makes the painting is faulty. It’s the name, period. Call it a Fufernut, build the brand properly and everyone will want Fufernuts on their walls.
Names don’t have power. What we make of names does.
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business
Harry and James- I wish I could say it better but it goes back to that Front Room Back Room dichotomy I wrote you about. And it is very real in the art world.
Now there are groups like the Guerilla Girls and others who are promoting a specific kind of art. But that is not me. Although there may be some fun in going for something like that in a name. But at the end of the day, when a museum director or a curator or a collector is looking for me, they are looking for my name.
Of course they want it in a terrific package, with a great story. But they want some kind of access to me.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
Hey I like Fufernut….
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
And hey, Mac is art. Steve is a GOD!!!!
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
Mmhm. And Steve is off living the good life while his Macs keep on rolling out…
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business
Front room/ Back room
I hear you. I am willing to listen…but Coco hasn’t been at Chanel for some time now….and yet we still buy her.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Haruki Murakami, Sumi-e, and the Shells
Cool article. Jesse and I thought you might like my portfolio domain name. And of course Jesse helped me pick it out.
What do you think? Is it better than philhines.com or hinespr.com?
Phillip Hines’s last blog post..Action Photos of Me Promoting 7-Eleven Slurpees in Hampton Roads, Virginia
@ Phillip – Hehehe, yeah, poor Jesse got raked over the coals with his name. Better than Philhines.com, yes. Definitely.
Hmm. . . I moved up my banner ad. It’s my ad, so I can tolerate it being right next to my photo . . .
Thank you for your tips.
If you are interested in my Reading, let me know — I’d be happy to give your a friendship discount. (Don’t be scared . . . I’m really nice and Spirit gives you only what you can manage.)
Light,
Akemi – Yes to Me’s last blog post..Review: How Ordinary People Became Millionaires
@ Akemi – I’d actually be interested, but I’m still living in my no-phone ruled world. Do Spirits read email really well?
Picking a good domain name can not be overstated. Can not, can not, can not. This is the internet, and the domain name is everything. The domain name can be likened to the location of a restaurant. Anyone who has ever owned a restaurant (I never have) will tell you how huge a deal it is, where you’re located. It can be the difference between a good business, and a going out of business.
I agree that one should not choose their name for a domain. It’s a mistake I see repeated often. The point of a domain name is to represent your business, your feel, and to be easy and attractive – to keep people coming back. Names don’t communicate this.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..The 7 Stages of Procrastination
No phone? Where are you?
That doesn’t affect my Reading at all. All I need is some personal info from you, so email me.
How it works is: I go into the Hall of Akashic Records and find your own Akashic Record with your identifying info > I do research and put the findings together for you > then I will contact you when it is ready. Typically, we’d schedule a phone session so that I can explain the findings to you (there will be a lot of new things in it, so I do recommend a phone session if it’s possible), but I can email you my written summary and you can email me back your questions if you like.
BTW re: the discussion on domain name. I agree with the wisdom of not using one’s name for domain or business name. However, I still took the domain akemigaines.com just in case. It is parked under yes-to-me.com See, you can have the best of two worlds
So it’s not the Spirit but you who get affected with the lack of phone . . .
Akemi – Yes to Me’s last blog post..Use Your Prayer Muscle!
James and Janice,
For artists “don’t name after yourself” simply doesn’t apply. When Dale Chihuly ceases to be, there will be no more Chihulys.
In buying art we are trying to buy something which was touched by that artist’s Vision, if not by his or her hands. Though some are more factory-style, not always touching every part with their hands, the brand doesn’t outlive the artist, because it’s the Vision that dies with them.
In the sense that Janice wants to make money, it’s a business. But unless she wants to become a commodity and move away from fine art, she is not running a “company,” and so does not need a name that can carry on.
Art is intensely connected to artist. She can’t take a hiatus (without work being interrupted) or plan for succession. There is no succession in fine art. It’s a different animal.
My 2¢.
Later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Go Easy on Yourself
Mmm… I am thinking I should have read more articles like this before I stumbled head first into launching my blog a few weeks ago with a rather unusual look and unusual name – Forever Change.
But then again it may not have changed the end outcome much anyhow because at the end of the day I like to be different. In a way I am expressing my square peggedness through my blog if that makes sense.
Leanne Magraith’s last blog post..Take 2 – Storms
Phew, thanks Kelly. You said it so much better that I could. I would love to have a clever name, but speaking as a fine artist you hit the nail square on the head. Why would my online marketing and positioning work differently than my offline? Should it?
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Clean up On Aisle 3
My business name over the years has evolved. The actual company is called FayleSafe Solutions and I used that as my company when I wasn’t sure about my niche. Then when I started to focus on residential organizing, I changed the brand to House Therapy. Finally when I moved online and realized that my passion lay in helping people figure out and pursue their dreams by getting rid of emotional and physical clutter, the brand became Someday Syndrome.
Through all that, however, my content has remained consistent – we can’t realize our dreams if we have clutter (mental, emotional, physical) in our lives.
Over the past two years my business had taken the back-burner so I didn’t focus on the look, but now that I’m recommitting to it, I’ve hired the Men to create me a new image because there are some things that need professional input.
As for the mindset, I live the message I deliver…
Thanks for prompting me to think about all that James!
Cheers,
Alex
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Vacation Notice
Those are great business names, Alex. And you’re welcome!