During the ongoing pandemic, businesses have had to make a lot of adjustments. For many people, social distancing has become the norm. We’ve all become increasingly dependent on the internet.
As a result of this change in consumer behavior, one of the biggest adjustments for businesses has been prioritizing digital marketing. It’s been the best way to counter the effects of a decrease in physical traffic. Now, websites act as the replacement for the storefront.
What shakes things up even more are all the intervening factors. One of these is the Core update that Google rolled out last May. The Core update affects the core algorithm Google uses for the search engine.
The Core update has caused a lot of websites’ ranks to fluctuate. This means that the algorithm has altered how it sees and ranks existing and new web pages. Google states that this is because they have a better understanding of searchers’ intentions.
What does this mean for you? Well, your brand’s website will have to abide by the new rules. Failing that, your site (and by extension your brand) will have less chance of being found over the web.
So, the question is, if everyone is doing it, how will people find your page? To answer that, we’ve compiled 4 tips and will break them down for an in-depth guide.
Tips on How To Make Your Brand Stand Out
Tip #1: Think about your strategy
Doubtless, you came up with different strategies before you even opened for business. Unfortunately, not all of your previous plans will apply to this current situation. The pandemic has caused a big shift in priorities for many.
Take a step back and see what needs to be changed. You can start by developing a better understanding of your audience. Some changes to watch out for are:
- Interest in your product or service
- Budget allotment for your product or service
- Ease of access to your business
- Your business’ relevance to their situation
Surveys
This is indicating that you’ll need to get this information directly from your audience. You’ve probably used surveys in the past, right? Well, it’s time to consider this again for your business. It’s about figuring out how things have changed for your business and finding a path forward.
Google Forms is a great way to approach this. It’s a free tool that Google developed. You can send survey forms all over the internet.
With this information in hand, you’ll gain important insights from the responses right off the page.
Site auditing tools
A more comprehensive approach would be making use of site auditing tools. Take SEMrush as an example. With this tool, site owners will be able to see just how well their page is performing.
There will be some adjustments. Get familiar with the metrics used in the tool. In particular, you’ll be looking at Average Visit Duration and Bounce Rate as signs of whether people are interested in your site’s content.
The tool has a paid version which gives you even more information. Think of it as an investment for your brand. With SEMrush, you’ll be able to delve deeper into the inner workings of your webpage.
An added advantage of this tool is the ability to see how each of your pages is performing. Are people exploring your site in detail? Do they tend to avoid or leave specific pages of yours?
Answering this will help you strategize for both the short and long term. Re-strategizing isn’t a bad thing. The fact of the matter is, brands that can’t adapt will eventually fold up.
Tip #2: Maximize reach by adapting to the audience’s preferences
Your audience is the lifeblood of your business. To succeed, you’re going to have to give them what they need and how they want it.
Does your website behave like this? Take a look around to see for yourself. Remember, if you want your brand to be memorable, your site should be as well. Try to put yourself in your visitors’ shoes.
If you aren’t the technologically-inclined type, it might help to outsource the site development. Web design firms will understand your brand’s message. This way, you can be assured that you’re presenting what you want to present. For example, Arcstone, a WordPress website design firm that specializes in nonprofit web design, understands the branding purposes and goals of nonprofits.
Optimizing for mobile
One thing to prioritize is your website’s responsiveness to consumers’ mobile needs. Statista has reported that in this time of the pandemic, there has been a marked increase in the use of mobile devices.
What this means is that your page will need to be able to adapt well to device screens; whether your customers’ are viewing your site on their PC or smartphones.
Take a look at the home page of ibrandstudio.com. The mobile version of the site adapts in such a way that visitors will have an easy time scrolling through posts.
The goal of a responsive site is to be able to offer the same information, regardless of the mode, without sacrificing convenience – just as a physical store will want its customers to be comfortable. This is a sure way to keep your brand memorable.
Speech patterns and language
Another thing to think about is just how you are communicating with your customers. Are you speaking in highly technical terms? If so, some people might have trouble following your message. It depends on what niche you’re trying to address.
Understand how people in your audience speak. Do they prefer jargon or more general terms? This is a big factor in communicating with your customers and how your message is received.
This is about connecting with your audience. To be memorable, your brand should be easily understood as well.
Multimedia usage has far-reaching capabilities as well. Use this to your brand’s advantage. Your site visitors won’t appreciate being bombarded by walls of text.
Incorporate images, videos, and even presentations. These will have the added effect of giving your visitors something to come back for (if they’re interesting enough).
Utilizing social media and all its tools
If you haven’t jumped on this bandwagon, you’ll be left behind. Social media has become such a popular medium that other brands have been using it to develop their reachk.
Take Facebook Live for example. Since we have fewer people moving around, how are you going to set up audience events? Well, Facebook’s Live option lets you do just that through the internet.
Plan a live Q&A with your customers or even a mini-webinar. Honestly, the opportunities here are only limited to the extent you limit your imagination.
Similar to Facebook, Instagram also features a Live function. It’s hugely popular with the younger generations and its photo-centric nature allows you to take a different approach.
Both can also post stories. With stories, you could use this to develop a more genuine connection to your audience.
To help you out with this, there are a couple of tools to help you track your brand on social media.
Show them the daily ins and outs of your brand. This way, they’ll feel that they’re part of the whole thing.
Tip #3: Consistency is key
Like with a lot of things, developing an impressive brand requires consistency.
What message does your brand want to send to the audience? You’ll have to make sure that you stick to it. This will have a major effect on the impact of your brand.
That’s because people want something they can rely on. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, right? The same thing applies here. Your brand’s actions should tie in with your brand’s message.
Likewise, you should also be consistent with your publishing behavior. For example, don’t publish 10 articles in one day only to keep quiet the rest of the month. Find a pace that suits your brand and stick to it.
It can be as little as 3-5 posts in a week. Just make sure you keep it consistent.
Tip #4: Brand sincerity
Lastly, be sincere and genuine in your actions. People want to feel that they are connecting with your brand. Show them your human side.
Don’t be ashamed of the quirky little actions taken by your team (or yourself). It’s better if people can see this side of the business. It might even work to your advantage – it might be recognizable as well as relatable.
Even better, share your story. Share the brand’s build-up, from the inception of the idea to the present. Share the brand goals. You can incorporate the previous tips here as well.
Develop a storyboard with images and videos that show the person or persons involved. People appreciate seeing what’s gone on behind-the-scenes.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it’s about making connections. It helps if you were involved throughout the whole process of developing your brand. This is how you can be recognizable to your audience. There’s no shortcut to sincerity.
The final piece will be how you package your brand. This is why knowing the guidelines for Google’s search engine is important. Keeping all of this in mind and in action, you can be sure that your website will show up when people search for your brand’s niche.
Knowing your brand is one thing, developing its reach is another.
About the Author!
Dan has hands-on experience in digital marketing since 2007. He has been building teams and coaching others to foster innovation and solve real-time problems. Dan also enjoys photography and traveling.
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