Use Branding to Increase Your Market Share

By Gauher Chaudhry
http://www.ecomhelp.com/KB/Branding/kb_branding.htm

When you think of branding, the first thing that must come to mind is a farmer taking a hot iron and burning a distinctive mark onto the side of a cow. Farmers do this so that their cows will not be confused with another farmer's cows.

But branding has evolved over the years and has now become a common term used in marketing. Branding is essentially burning your company or web site name or slogan into the minds of potential customers.

Many offline companies have been quite successful in doing this. Kleenex is a brand name for tissue as is Band-Aid for adhesive bandages. These companies have incorporated into the customer's mind to perceive these items by their brand name. Branding is important on the Internet, especially with all the cut-throat competition.

In the real world, it may be just a matter of convenience why some people shop at a closer discount store than going that extra mile to the next discount store. But on the Internet, any web site is just a click away. You need to differentiate yourself from the rest. Branding can create this difference.

One of the most important decisions when it comes to branding is deciding the domain name that you want to use. You want to pick a name that is short and snappy that will "stick" into the minds of visitors and potential customers.

I remember about a year ago, a few Internet marketers were making a huge hoopla about the domain names that allowed you to have 67 characters. This fad has died down because people are not going to remember long names such as:
www.marketing-reports-that-will-make-you-money-fast.com

People find it easy to retain short URL's such as yahoo.com, snap.com or eBay.com. You should pick a name that is short and yet at the same time will give a potential visitor an idea as to what you are all about.

For example, if you pick a name such as www.autolube.com, people will automatically associate your name with automobiles and oil.

Branding can be also used in slogans. I bet you can pick out these companies real quick:

• "Quality is Job 1."
• "Finger-lickin' good."
• "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth - not in your hand."
• "Have it your way."
• "It keeps going, and going, and going..."

If you guessed Ford, KFC, M & M's, Burger King, and Energizer, then you probably understand the importance of branding.

If you decide to use a slogan for your web site, researchers have suggested that rhymes are easy to remember. For example:

"We are number one, because we like to have fun..."

Okay, that was kind of cheesy. But you get the point. ;)

Another method of branding is with your online classified ads. If you use consistent headlines and words in your ads, then customers will be able to identify the ad to your web site or company very quickly when they see it again.

Statistics indicate that customers need to see an online advertisement at least seven times before they will buy. If you are constantly changing your ads for no valid reason, you may be losing your identity with potential customers.

The Internet has created a level playing field for all competitors. Competitors need to differentiate themselves to win the customer. A good brand name translates into a bigger market share on the Internet. A bigger market share means larger sales and bigger profits.