Soniamarie Palmer, Business Development & Leadership CEO of Soniamarie Consulting takes us through the 7 Key Steps to Creating an Online Brand.
Soniamarie Consulting works with entrepreneurs to evaluate their business, pin down a strategy that suits their schedule as well as their goals and harness the invaluable help that surrounds them to drive business growth and personal fulfilment. Empowerment underpins every discovery call and consulting session, whether for high-flying company directors or ambitious solopreneurs.
Backed by over two decades of corporate experience and built on the foundations of her own entrepreneurial success, Soniamarie Consulting paves the way for bold business owners to carve their own path and elevate their business to even greater success.
1. Know who your target market – you need to be clear on who you are speaking to otherwise you will not resonate or capture the attention of anyone. It is about knowing where they are, what they need, what they like and their pain points. When you have a deep knowledge of them, you can then ensure that you tailor your message to suit them and meet them at their place of need.
2. Know your message – the online business world is very different to the usual bricks and mortar type of business. When you put something out there it stays and has a far reach. so it is important for you to not only know your message, but to be clear and consistent in your communication and delivery of that message. People want to relate to you, need to be able to readily identify with you, know who you are, what you do and both hear and see your message and you consistently.
3. Have good branding – a brand is more than just a logo, it included you colours, icons, wording and you overall business voice. It is important to use this to carve out your place in the market and create your own identity. One which captures your personality, your unique style which your customers can relate to. It is always worth investing well in this side of things so that they is cohesion with all of your marketing and branding.
4. Be clear on how you can help people – potential customers should understand who you are , what you offer and the value that you can bring to them and their situation. You need to clearly define your offering, how it meets the needs of your audience, the value that you personally bring them over someone else and given them a reason to what to work with you. You need to make it easy for your customers to work with you so mapping out your customer journey is a must.
5. Prepare to be present – people need to see you many times in order for them to get to know you and before they will even consider buying from you. Don’t just relay on one form of marketing to get your message out and reach your audience. Research the platforms where your audience are and be present there, consistently. Use a number of different angles to reach them such as emails, blog pots, guest speaking in other peoples audiences. You pretty much want to be out there so that people get to know what you stand for and who you are.
6. Get your tech sorted – one of the differences in having a bricks and mortar business versus an online business, is the technology. It doesn’t have to be complicated but you need to have good systems in place to be able to manage key areas like your emails, client on boarding, sales funnels, social media. There are many free opt – ins out there but you need to work out what you need first and then seek out the best options for you. Do not let it hold you back, if you need help, then consider a tech VA to help set you up and explain things so that you can get moving!
7. Get savvy in online marketing – This can be a steep learning curve if you are new to online business. Understanding content marketing and sales funnels for example can feel a bit daunting. The key is to not get overwhelmed and only do what you need to do in the beginning stages. You will not be a overnight digital marketing guru. You will learn as you go along and there are some basic things that you can put in place to get you started. If in doubt, invest in a mentor or coach who can show you how or even a specialist in the area. It will be worth it!
