Fact: Today’s top performing websites are not static online brochures. They are living, active marketing machines. Is yours?
Whether big or small, your business can’t continue to operate on the philosophy you established years ago. Nowhere is that more true than for your website. Say goodbye to the days of “launch it and forget it.” Say hello to a vibrant, pulsing website that stays relevant with online, mobile and social platforms.
Your website is an investment. Although the major outlay happens when your fully-customized site is built, there remains the need for ongoing content marketing, website maintenance and updates. After all, everyone loves freshness. This requires setting aside part of your annual marketing budget for content marketing and website upkeep.
Here are some tips to ensure you’re ready to get the most out of a branding, web design and/or content marketing project.
Plan and commit
The most important thing you can do is consider what kind of time you, or your staff, can commit to the process of building your brand. You know your business better than anyone so it’s important that the process be a collaborative one. If you’re going to work with an agency like Original Ginger, they will need your feedback and as much input as possible to craft your brand messaging. If you don’t have the time and resources available, you might want to consider hiring the agency for their business analysis services. Since this requires additional budget, we find that most small business owners prefer to roll up their sleeves and personally participate in the project.
Reflect
Businesses constantly grow and change, and owners need to track this. Take the time, now, to reflect on your business. Does your brand continue to match the business you’ve become? Is there a specific issue that has you reconsidering your marketing collateral? Before you get started on a new website, video, photography or content marketing project, take the time to think beyond just the task at hand. This reflection often triggers branding and marketing issues, ones that may need to be addressed before tackling any design, writing or production work.
During initial consultations with an agency, some ugly truths may be uncovered. It might be that a company doesn’t have a solid brand visual identity in place. Tempted by cheap internet deals, small business owners sometimes present a logo design they paid a few hundred dollars for, created by designers who did zero research, never personally met them, and never experienced their products. They might have a logo that is not unique to their business, or exclusive for their use. Do your clients grasp what your brand stands for? If not, that’s a red flag that a major component of your visual identity, your brand logo, is not serving you well.
Sometimes a company realizes they don’t love their brand’s visual identity or it’s not working for them. Why would you want to build the rest of your marketing machine around it? Often it turns out that a consultation for a website, video or online marketing strategy, ends up re-directing towards brand strategy. It’s okay to change gears, and this is a key intersection to do it. There’s no point in driving traffic to a new website if there’s a dis-connect between your brand and its target audience.
Change the script on marketing
There is an expense associated with quality branded marketing collateral, and in today’s marketplace, a great website – with complimentary online marketing tools such as video, photography and quality writing – can be your biggest sales driver.
Websites promote your business 24/7. No employee will do that. ~Paul Cookson
When it comes to building a website, shortcuts can cost you in the long run. Insufficiently researched content, poorly executed marketing activities, and DIY websites with haphazardly written code might seem cheaper, but often end up being more costly. We know, we’ve seen it…
A tailored website, custom designed and built for your business, with well-researched and well-executed marketing is an investment that pays for itself. Your marketing – like hiring the best talent – is an investment, not an expense; and it deserves an adequate portion of your annual business budget to carry out specific campaigns that will bring you targeted leads.
Understand the difference between marketing and branding
Put simply, branding is strategic and marketing is tactical. Breathing life into your business takes more than updating your company’s colours or revamping a logo. Those are only cosmetic fixes. You need to establish your brand’s positioning, personality and attributes that remain critical to the success of your marketing efforts. Branding and marketing work in tandem to inspire clients, staff and investors to see your business in a radiant new light.
– Imagine your brand foundation: built for growth and future success –
Unlock Access to Our Guide:
The 5 Planks to Brand Strategy: How to Attract the Right Customers and Generate Leads
This guide is full of information on how to create an overall brand strategy that works toward your business goals. It helps you craft an authentic brand story, then helps you uncover when, where and how to communicate it to your target audiences.
Dare to dream
A qualified Branding and Marketing agency like Original Ginger should have the design and development capabilities to deliver a technically and visually impressive website. They should also have experience and expertise in brand strategy, content marketing and lead generation.An integrated branding and marketing approach tailors solutions for your strategic objectives and unique business situation; and any marketing initiatives should be carried out through proper brand strategy discovery, visual identity design, brand implementation and brand management services.
So don’t hold back. Dare to dream and share your vision for where you want to be, today, tomorrow and 10 years from now.
It’s in the details…
Original Ginger is passionate about breathing new life into our clients’ businesses, and elevating their brand to the next level. We identify your must-haves, and we fit tailored branding and marketing services within your means. We’ll put together a comprehensive quote; outlining everything you need to know about your project.
We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about your project or brand. We’re always ready to talk about our process and philosophy too. Give us a call at 778.2981.966 or Toll Free at 1.855.298.8650 to book your complimentary consultation.
