| Is
your online brand working as hard as it could? |
| Does
your website communicate and live up to the best
parts of your brand? Is it working as hard for you
as it could be? Does it build upon and make the most
of being an interactive medium? |
|
Websites are a key when building and communicating
brand belief, but their very accessibility can be a
double-edged sword: if they don’t work well for you,
they can work directly against you. |
|
The world websites operate in |
| The
world today is complex one, with many competing
business pressures and increasing competition,
sometimes from the most unlikely sources. Websites
are not immune to this, and as a result, can become
ever more complicated. All too often, unstructured
strategic implementations and a dizzying breadth of
audiences results in them giving out the wrong
message, at the wrong time, to the wrong people. |
|
Particularly as the Internet fast becomes one of
the most convenient and simplest ways of getting
to know a company, it is vital to make sure your
website has got it right and projects your brand
accurately and consistently. |
| A
website should be the place where people can go to
get clarity about the brand while offering a real
business advantage to the brand owner. |
|
Why should the brand lead the website? |
| We
firmly believe that every website should help build
a brand people believe in. Our approach to creating
successful websites is to go back to basics and keep
it simple. It is vital that the brand’s story is at
the core of a website - not just in the way it
looks, but also in how it acts, how it makes users
feel, how it navigates, and in the style of images
and tone of voice of the content. |
| If the
website isn’t led by the brand, it can fast become a
separate entity, dislocated from the rest of the
communication mix or it can appear as though it’s
been weaned in several different places. This may
give the wrong impression of the brand - as may
other variables such as technical problems that
leave a negative lasting impression.
|
|
What can the website do? |
| A
website should operate at two levels: firstly to
work with and support the offline communications, by
ensuring its purpose is in line with the brand and
the business. Secondly to stretch the brand further
than other media can, by maximising the
interactivity of the Internet and creating ways for
the user to actually interact with the brand rather
than just observing it. |
- Here is a checklist of what your brand
should do
- Does your website help people to like
your brand more?
- Does your website reinforce what
people see as important about you?
- Does your website help people trust
your brand more?
- Does your website build upon the most
inspiring elements of your brand?
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