What is Digital Branding and Why is Digital Branding Important?

In this blog, you’re going to learn what digital branding is and why digital branding is important.

Apple!

What’s the first thing that came to your mind when you read the first word?

Did you think about the fruit apple or the brand?

Most of you will only think of the brand and that’s not surprising at all because we all love that brand and own their products. That’s the power of branding. Moreover, in recent times, the power of digital branding has become evident and how.

So, relax and sit tight while reading. This journey is powerful too.

What is Digital Branding?

Digital branding is more like digital communicating with your customers and building your brand online. It aims in utilizing all the digital mediums like your websites, social media channels, etc to connect with the customers and create an impression in the mind of customers and the industry.

Why is Digital Branding Important?

Every organization needs digital branding nowadays and in today’s world, it is not an easy task. Technology is developing and customers also know what they want.

So, they are constantly in search of brands that understand them and have the same values. It is your responsibility to make your brand values reach your customers. Let’s look at a few reasons as to why digital branding is important:

1. Helps Your Audience to Know You Better

People love it when brands communicate with them.

Interact and connect with the customers on all platforms and make their day. Use personalized ads and show your customers that you need them.

Only if you communicate with them they will know what brand you are and what policies you follow which will help in developing better bonds with your customers.

No one likes overcooked things be it food or a brand it works the same way. Ensure that your brand has a way of communicating that is appropriate and to the point.

With digital branding, you can create a brand persona for yourself and that’s the personality that will communicate with the customers. This will help your customers better relate to you and connect to you.

2. Improves Bonding With Your Target Audience

Snowballing from the previous point is this point. When you know your target audience it is easy to cater to them.

Digital branding helps you in knowing your target audience better and you will be able to make your branding strategies that stick to your target preference.

Moreover, when you do this correctly, you will notice that you would be generating new customers who have the same preferences or linking that your brand stands for.

3. Builds a Long-Lasting Relationship

When you do all the above points you are automatically building a relationship of trust every day in fact every minute. Credibility and trusting factors are what customers look for in a brand and are most likely to buy products from that brand.

For example, if we take the same Apple as the brand here. Why do you think it’s famous? Its products, its features, and quality?

They are all true but there is a sense of satisfaction when you buy products from that brand. A report shows that 81% of the customers have said they need a brand that they can trust so that they can connect and purchase from them.

It was not just developed in a day. It takes time to build that kind of trust among customers but Apple has always made sure that they deliver their best to customers in terms of products as well as a brand.

Are Digital Branding and Digital Marketing the Same?

No. It is natural to get confused between the two terms but they are slightly different.

Digital marketing is more about selling the products that the brand owns. Marketing helps in gaining attraction from the customers. It uses various tools to help your customers to find your products.

Digital branding on the other hand paints a deeper picture. It is about the brand and the products with a little importance on brand building. It is not just about what your customers feel, it is also what your employees and you feel.

They all should have the same feeling that your best is the best that they have seen. It not only shapes your brand, but it also shapes the entire team along with the owners of the brand.

Branding always is the first step when anyone starts with a business, only then can you market and sell your products to your customers.

4 Important Elements of Digital Branding

1. Your Website

To identify any brand we use the help of logos. They are like the door to your business and websites are like the interiors of your brand.

When customers visit your website they should feel that professional and smooth working so that they feel like coming back to your website again and again.

Logos are a great way of making your brand stay in the mind of the people. For example, just by looking at the logos of coca-cola, McDonald’s, Nike you will know which brand that is.

At this time you certainly have all the logos of the brand while you were reading the names of the brand. Your logo should talk about your brand, the colors, and the font is also extremely important.

2. Content You Post

How do you get connected to something? When it touches you and you understand what they are conveying? Content in branding does the same thing. Tell your brand story to the people, convey your messages, what your goals and aims are, what you stand for, etc.

This way people are going to understand your brand and your brand values better. An emotional appeal is an easy way to grab and retain the attention of the people.

Your team will also get motivated to work their best hence, more productivity. Word of mouth is a great medium for getting a wider reach of your brand.

When you come out with such content and are successful in impacting people, worth of mouth will automatically work for your brand. Your story is your identity.

3. Your Social Media Channels

Social media is not anymore the place where only the younger generation exists. Everyone uses some kind of social media channel to be connected. This is the easiest way of spreading your brand story.

Through the world of social media, you can reach people directly and interact with them. Use digital advertising and increase your visibility. Social media channels are the eyes, ears, and voice of your brand.

For example, You can use Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc to talk about what your brand stands for, why customers should choose your brand. Instagram is your spot to visually attract your customers.

Post a lot of pictures of your brand, your achievements, your team, and how to motivate your employees. Do good research about the kind of content and patterns people like on social media and try to incorporate all of them in your social media channels.

4. Social Responsibility

A company must operate ethically and sustainably that keep in mind the environmental, cultural, and societal aspects.

The implementation of socially responsible policies goes a long way towards not only attracting but also maintaining consumers, which helps in building long-term relationships among brands and their customers.

Nowadays, customers also want to buy from socially responsible brands. Giving something back to society will only help in bringing trust among the customers and they also bring in loyal customers. This will also set you apart from your competitors.

3 Brands Teaching Us Why Digital Branding is Important

Amazon

Amazon is a global brand and we trust amazon to make deliveries sooner than any other. Their free deliveries and their simple and sustainable packaging are the reasons why customers are loyal to this brand.

This is the first brand that everyone thinks about when it comes to e-commerce. Their logo talks just about what their brand is. They constantly respond to all the brand queries and build a rapport with the customers through one-on-one engagements.

Fun Fact: The arrow mark that goes from A to Z on the logo of amazon shows that all things from A to Z are available on Amazon.

Airbnb

They came up with a whole new concept of lodging and instantly became famous. You can see their mission in their tagline “Belong anywhere”.

They have developed an essence of humanity through their digital and social media platforms that have created a powerful and emotional bond between the customers and Airbnb, placing the business and its product at the forefront of the minds of customers always when it comes to lodging.

Starbucks

Coffee means Starbucks! Their creative idea of using the names of the customers on their coffee glasses showed an immense love more just for that. People posted on social media with their Starbucks coffee and the vibe that they share.

Their brand persona is such that it instantly becomes interactive. It is the actual customer experience that is the reason for the success of this brand. They have managed to create a cult through their strategies.

Their Instagram is filled with amazing pictures of their coffees and you would always end up craving for one. They are also known for promoting being socially responsible.

For example, their video campaign Upstanders showed stories of various people who made a difference in the community. All these build trust in the brand and that’s why Starbucks has a loyal fanbase.

Why is Digital Branding Important in Pandemic Times?

During such times of crisis is when brands need to develop the courage to take risks and show their customers that they care for their customers and they in real life put them before anything.

Encourage people and give them hope through your brand that crisis happens but we should move on, there is nothing that we cannot achieve if we stand together. These motivations will not only encourage people to get hope and also build trust in your brand.

For example, Nike grabbed this opportunity of crisis and focused on emotional branding. They encouraged people to stay home and play for the world.

Later they also came up with a campaign, You can’t stop us. Give them a better online experience, share their thoughts and feelings, and constantly remind them that your brand stands with them always.

It is going to be a lot of competition as now everyone is shifting towards online business. Therefore, you need to make sure that you come up with innovations and creative ideas for your brand.

Podcasts are the new thing people love listening to gather information. Customers want brands that give them fast solutions. So you can adopt podcasting to tell your brand stories, facts about your brands, customer success stories, other information, etc.

Key Takeaway: Why is Digital Branding Important?

Don’t think about what you can’t do, think about the things that you can do to make your brand reach the highest level. They can be the smallest thing such as a motivating social media post.

Your ultimate goal should be to have an authentic and reliable brand image and a rich lasting experience for the customers.

In a world full of competition, be that brand that has the power to be unique which is admired by everyone, and is respected by customers with the power of digital branding.