How to Create a Digital Brand Strategy for Optimal Growth

by ​Raul Harman, Guest Contributor

​It's no secret that many businesses struggle to compete in a highly crowded market today. After all, there are numerous well-developed and better-funded companies to compete against, which might seem next to impossible for new businesses on the market.

However, no one said it would be easy to start a business and ensure its success. In other words, you have to carve your own path and make your business well-known. In most cases, new companies opt to create a digital brand.​

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Branding is more than just a marketing strategy that will elevate your business in a crowded market.

As a matter of fact, branding can make your company famous for years to come and help you ensure not just your positioning on the market but also help you guarantee long-term success for your business. Developing a successful brand doesn't happen overnight though. Your brand will grow alongside your business. With that in mind, here are a few ways to create a digital brand strategy for optimal growth.

Always rely on research
A branding strategy that emphasizes optimal growth is nothing without proper information to back it up. Making strategic decisions regarding your digital brand requires data and that data can be obtained through market research.

If you don't rely on research, you're more likely to make a mistake sooner or later. That said, even a minor mistake can have major negative consequences on your branding strategy. Therefore, here are a few essential factors you can determine by conducting research:

• Identify your target audience
• Determine consumer needs, preferences and expectations
• Conduct a competitive analysis
• Identify the brand's tone of voice
• Determine the right marketing channels for your messaging
• Determine a brand's purpose, promise and mission
• Develop a unique selling proposition for your brand

Without proper research, you're basically roaming in the dark without any clear perspective on how to proceed further or how to approach your consumers.

Brand internally
Internal branding is equally important as external branding. In other words, you have to present your branding strategy to employees and business associates and not just your potential customers. That way, you ensure that everyone is on the same page and that everyone understands what's involved in your company's mission and core values.

That's why you should strive towards matching your company culture with your brand's identity and persona. As an example, you should educate your employees about your brand values and constantly remind them of the brand by automating their payroll process and providing them with a personalized payroll card, for instance. It will help them adopt and adjust to your branding efforts. In addition, onboard new employees into your branded company culture as soon as they arrive so that you can help them adopt a branded mindset as soon as possible.

Leverage digital assets
Digital brands rely on digital assets and marketing, in order to improve and maintain their online visibility, awareness, exposure and credibility. Once you begin with your digital branding strategy, you must always remain consistent so that you can ensure customer engagement. There are various digital marketing strategies you can use but it's important to opt for strategies that will ensure optimal growth. For example, here are a few strategies you can use.

• Website marketing
• Content marketing alongside SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Social media marketing
• PPC (Pay Per Click) advertisement
• Email marketing
• Mobile marketing

In order to enhance your marketing strategies, you have various digital assets at your disposal.

• Websites
• Social media pages
• Blogs
• Databases
• Metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
• Mobile assets

For your strategies to be able to ensure optimal growth, you must determine the right approach that will ensure a steady conversion rate through your digital marketing efforts.

Monitor your branding efforts
It's no secret that your branding strategy may not go so well at first. You cannot expect the best results overnight. As mentioned before, branding takes time and you must be patient with it. Sooner or later, your potential customers will form a brand image of your company. Until then, you must monitor your branding efforts constantly.

By leveraging the right metrics and KPIs, you'll be able to determine if your strategies are, in fact, showing viable results or not. If things aren't going as expected, you can change your strategy and make improvements. Every digital marketing strategy, including branding, is about trial and error. You must try something to determine if it works or not and if it doesn't, you must try a different strategy.

Backing decisions with information certainly helps but even then you can't know for sure unless you pay close attention to how your strategies are progressing. If you leave strategies you've implemented unattended, you may face a publicity disaster and customer outrage, as well as any other inconveniences that might've been avoided if you just monitored your efforts.

Creating a digital brand strategy that will ensure optimal growth isn't easy. Branding is more than slapping a logo on your business and calling it a brand. Branding requires more effort and dedication on your part so that you can develop it in a way that will encourage consumers to relate to it on a more personal level.
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