5 Step WEB 2.0 Branding Strategy

February 5, 2009

What is your Brand?
Your Brand is the sum total of your clients’ and prospects’ (product, company and competitive) experiences and perceptions. It resides within their hearts (feelings) and minds (intellect). Brand can be designed and marketed with the goal of influencing the user. In the current Social Media environment, the user often defines and creates the Brand.

istock_000005289966smallBenefits of a Branding Strategy

• Define and establish your organization’s identity in the minds of your customers and employees
• Establishes a promise and an expectation of your products and services
• Develops a strategy to engage the online user in augmenting your Brand
• Separates you from your competitors; gives you value; and makes you special and relevant to your customers and prospects
• Enables you to launch new products more quickly and cost effectively
• Provides mechanisms for measuring impact

Creating a WEB2.0 Branding Strategy
Often customers, staff and key stakeholders will define your Brand differently.
Step 1: Competitive Analysis

  • Marketing Audit of the communications of major competitors to

a. Determine the range of “values” that drive the category
b. How competitors “position” themselves
c. What positions are claimed, how strongly, and which are not claimed, hence available.
d. What users are saying about your competitors

Step2: Brand Perception Audit

  • Marketing Research Survey

a. Reveals clients’ perceptions of your company
b. Defines most important “Brand Values”
c. Allows the company to compare its “Brand Image” with the company “Defined Brand”
d. Determines the factors that most influence your clients’ perceptions

Step 3: Brand Definition

  • Focus Group: three hour working session among 5-8 customers, staff and key stakeholders to

a. Clearly define and gain agreement on your Brand
b. Take account of current company’s position in relation to its Brand
c. Determine a social media strategy in developing your Brand

Step 4: Brand Identity

  • Marketing communications define your Brand’s voice and personality

a. Design logo and tagline with consistent look and feel and graphic style
b. Prepare business cards, stationery
c. Two pocket folder
d. Tabbed brochure

Step 5: Integrated Marketing 2.0 Strategy

  • Leverage WEB2.0 Brand Strategy across all marketing communications (e.g., traditional, online, and social media) and extend the strategy into related departments (e.g., customer service, tech support).

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