Today as we are earnestly working to establishing an online brand presence it is becoming harder and harder to separate our personal lives from work. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have been God-sends as far as getting our product out to a massive audience at virtually no cost to us, the producer, but it comes at a price. Consumers are savvy creatures and can spot a fake a mile away. Authenticity
is key to a product or company’s survival in the virtual world.
Take for instance a start-up company ready to embrace their online brand presence and go to the next level. They hire specialists, marketing experts and web designers all to ensure more people see think of them when they need a product they produce. One of the start-up team also has a solo career and is promoting himself and his solo services. If the two clash and even a hint of dishonesty or plurality in message is detected by potential customers, both are dead in the water.
Authenticity means being aware of one’s brand and its values twenty-four-seven in all venues. The goal of online brand presence is for more and more people or broader and broader demographics to recognize a particular company as the expert in their field – the go-to for that service or product.
Of course, with different demographics different marketing strategies will be utilized, but they must remain constant in message and value.
Before customers ever visit your shop, call your number or order online they will be searching your website, blogs, and reviews. Haven’t authentic, consistent content on the web (regardless of its ormat) is the way to reassure customers before they even become customers. In some instances, savvy customers will search actual persons in the company before committing. That is why all employees being aware that online brand presence extends to personal lives is so important. One broken link in the chain of authenticity is all it takes to lose a potential customer.
Many people do not live the invasion of privacy building an online brand presence requires. It quickly begins to feel like Big Brother is always watching. While some may see it that way another view is that the more people are looking, the more they are buying. Online brand presence isn’t just about being noticed, it’s about gaining customers and convincing them that your company is worth their hard-earned money.
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