Build Branding Before Advertising
Introduction.When people justify advertising spending, to promote websites, they try to use established names. Some say Amazon, or Yahoo, or Ebay. However, in every case, the brand was not in any way built due to advertising. It was built through public relations (PR).Branding and Advertising.People forget brand-building and advertising are two separate issues. Advertising and advertising brands are used to reinforce the brand. They do not build the brand. Hence, almost all of those internet companies, with huge advertising campaigns throughout the 90's, are no more. Think about it. They were trying to build a brand through advertising, not PR.Real-world examples.Take Google, for example. How many commercials, and advertisements, do you see for this popular search engine? It is the most media reported internet company in the world. Yet, it has almost no presence in any other medium. This is PR at it's best!The Restaurant business.Consider the restaurant. Someone says, "Put your money into the best food, best ambience, at the best price. Rely on repeat customers, and word of mouth, for new business." How does this build the brand? PR again.Being a waiter.When working as a waiter, you build your own brand. People came back to you, request you, tell friends about you, because of your PR ability. Soon, you have such a huge customer base, there is no need to worry about money. No need to market the products. Make a recommendation and they buy. This includes bad days. They still come back.Internet and off-line brands.Take a look at the most popular internet brands. How many are "real-world brands"? Not many are. Why? Real-world brands have little weight on the internet, period. Their brand has been developed, in the real-world. It remains that way in the customer's mind.A brand is too hard, and costly, to change. This is expecially true for those well-known. The internet is a whole different world, and needs to be treated as such. Focusing the brand.When developing a brand, look at the purpose of the website. Is the website the business (the brand)? Or, is the website just an alternative way to purchase products, from your company? It is a must-answer question for brand-building.Take a look at the market. Realize you have to compete with all those thousands of businesses selling something similar. Unless, you have the advantage of selling something unique, you need to separate yourself in the customer's mind. What seperates you from the competition? Is it price? Is it brand? With a recognized brand, you sell the same products, but develop a seperate category in a person's mind. Here's an example. Your company is noted for trust. The other is noted for selection. This creates a separate brand image and business in the person's mind. Conclusion.Public relations are the key to success on the web. Many websites, with huge advertising budgets, have come and gone. They showed there is no way to spend yourself into customer recognition. With branding, you create an image for the customer. It is something for them to recognize, when you do business on the web.free pics images | LCD vs Plasma | lamp projection TV | good credit score | Lawn Mower Parts Photo Recovery Mac | 32 inch LCD TV | Recover Data | Recover Deleted Files | best web hosting |