Do you want to learn how design, branding, and marketing can make your new website or your blog stand out from the rest? If you do, then read on my friend.
So, you have a brand new website ready to be rolled out for all your new and prosperous visitors to come and see. However, you feel as if you're staring at a blank canvas.
I mean to say, you have a website that looks OK and everything, but it kind of looks plain and ordinary.
There's nothing that really makes it unique, or stands out from all the other websites out there.
Now you're thinking about branding and you really want to create something special and memorable.
Where do you start?
Well, right here is where you start, because, in this post, I'm going to share with you 7 killer website branding, design, and marketing tips that will help you become epic.
Moreover, these are simple things that you can do right now.
OK, so what I want to do is break this post into two sections.
We're first going to look at website branding in design, then we're going to look at branding in marketing. Let's get stuck in.
When it comes to designing a standout online brand, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to stop you from going off the rails.
The last thing you want to do is end up with a website or blog brand design that looks like this:
But hey, don't panic yourself. Even if you're completely new to branding in design, you will be fine.
You don't need to have a degree in website design to successfully create something unique for your brand. Like I said these are simple things you can do yourself.
OK. so first of all, ask yourself this:
What kind of style do you want your website to have?
This is not a technical question, really, because having a style or theme that is personal to your brand is what will help you make your website stand out and become memorable.
For instance, if you take a look at ByRegina.com, her site has a very "personal", clean, modern, and fresh look and feel to it. It's really lovely.
And if you take a look at TheBrandedSolopreneur.com (Dre Beltrami), you'll see that her site also rocks a very "unique and personal" semi-boutique style of design
See screen captures of both these websites below.
The other important ingredient required for creating a memorable online brand for your business is not just creating something that looks great, but also something that is going to reflect your personality and individuality.
Your brand style needs to say a lot about who you are as a blogger, business person, or entrepreneur. And, it has to be something that you absolutely love as well.
When thinking about creating a unique style for your online brand, you have some options. You can either hire a graphic designer to help you bring your visual ideas to life. Or, learn how to use some of the amazing tools available to build a branding package.
The next step is picking out some colors to complement your brand style, in this instance, your website colors.
Now, I only speak from personal experience here, however, I think flooding your website with all the colors of the rainbow is OK if that's your kind of thing. But, more often than not, this can create some unwanted design clutter.
Three tones, or less, work very well in modern website design. For example, Magnet4Blogging's design uses a palette consisting of two primary colors on a neutral background. The colors are red (#ed3330) and dark gray (#494949) throughout.
The accent color is slate gray (bluish grey).
Take the time to select your brand colors. Use psychology to determine which colors would make a positive impact on your brand and type of audience too.
Another critical element of your website branding is choosing the right typography (typeface and color) to match your website design.
Now, if you think about this very carefully, often, regardless of the style or theme you might be using on your site, the moment you change the typography element it instantly transforms the overall design, looks, and feel of your website.
When customizing the typography it's important to think not just from a design perspective (what you think looks great), but also from a user's perspective as well.
Where ever possible try and use "web safe fonts" that your readers will find easy to read, as well as fonts that will complement the design and style of your brand. You'll find some inspiration here.
Now, just as style and color are important, so is the layout of your site.
You have some choices to make whether you want a compact looking site where all of the elements are packed tightly together.
Or, you want to create lots of white space between your elements, content, images, graphics etc. In other words, have a clean, modern looking layout.
Once again, speaking from personal experience and working with many web design clients regarding this issue, the core message or value proposition of a website can sometimes become diluted when there is too much going on, or when a website looks too busy.
Creating a balanced layout is very important, again not just from a branding or design perspective, but also from a user's perspective as well.
OK, so we've looked at some branding design and style tips, but visual design is just one area of creating a memorable online brand, right?
Let's now look at some marketing objectives to help you increase brand awareness for your website or blog.
Here's the thing, it doesn't matter how great or appealing your website looks. Or, how wonderful and eye-catching your logo is - If your UVP, and, your marketing message isn't compelling or clear enough to your website users, folks will simply leave and probably not come back.
When someone new comes to your site, sure it might take them a few seconds to get their bearings, and that's natural, we're not machines. But, you can assist them by ensuring that you have a clear message and a unique value proposition, something irresistible and compelling enough to entice their interest a little bit further.
The moment someone new lands on your website, let's just say your homepage, for argument's sake. The first things they'll be asking themselves is this -
"What is this website about and is it for me?
Most people come to a website or visit a blog because they have a problem that requires a solution. So, make sure that your message is clear about the value your website, content, products, and services has to offer.
David Hartshorne from AzaharMedia knows how to attract his ideal customers through smart and concise messaging.
With the right message and in time, your brand will strengthen, and folks will know exactly what they can come to your site for.
So, you have a great looking, user-friendly website with some beautiful branding. Your message is clear and you have a killer UVP. It's now time to back it all up with some rock-solid content.
Creating great content is the key ingredient to your brand's recipe for success. Content is the core of your marketing efforts, it is what will help get your brand noticed online.
It's also very important to ensure that your content always remains 100% aligned with your message, your UVP, etc.
And, when we talk about creating content for your website, we don't just mean writing a couple of blog posts every now and then. We mean using every available medium and format to create content that will convey our brand's message to your audience.
Here's a useful link to a post sharing 12 amazing tools for creating beautiful online content.
Canva is just one of those wonderful online tools you can use to help you create awesome content.
Finally, if you're incorporating blogging into your content marketing strategy (which, of course, you should be), then developing a unique persona, a writing style or tone of language, will help you create an online brand that your audience comes to love, trust, and keep coming back for more of.
So hopefully I've been able to share some valuable thoughts, tips, and advice for you here when thinking about branding your website or your blog, both in design and in marketing.
None of this is rocket science, folks. Branding doesn't have to be complicated, it should be exciting and rewarding. Sure, it does take some time and a bit of hard work to make it work, but it's worth every bit of your precious time.
The best of luck.
Let's get your business rocking online! I can help you grow your business with smart, conversion focused, growth-driven web design. Let's work together to create a personal brand website that will put you miles ahead of your competitors! To find out how, click here.
