There are certainly many new start-ups looking to take advantage of change driven by the internet, yes? And many looking to win the online branding battle also. And if your business is looking to question of Chicago is winning the online branding, where should you turn?
The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.
Peter Drucker
It was over eleven years ago when Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates were checking out the cute girls on campus with a “hot or not” approach on a program called “Facemash.”
Today, millions of people like me can be watching their distant grandchildren, nieces and nephew come of age online through pictures and videos posted on the internet, thus dubbing them cute or adorable. Sometimes it is difficult to remember what life was like before the world wide web gave birth to the many different social media networking sites.
When it came to launching a new social scene online, buddies Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger knocked one out of the ballpark when they created a photo-sharing app called Instagram. Just after midnight on October 6, 2010, Kevin put their creation in Apple’s online app store.
Their picturesque creation exploded on the internet with over 10,000 downloads in the first few hours, having the duo scrambling to keep up with that massive internet traffic. Less than two years later, Facebook acquired Instagram for a cool $1 billion in cash and stock.
Given the hundreds of social media options available, which is better for branding your business online? Although Facebook still has the most global users, what about other sites like Twitter? Is Google+ better than LinkedIn for connecting with other businesses?
A significant portion of a company’s value is intangible, so a strong brand is a significant competitive advantage. As Philip Kotler wrote:
The art of marketing is the art of brand building. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity. Then the price is everything, and the low-cost producer is the only winner.
Brands, marketing, and communication have long been highly related. From TV ads and press releases to events and endorsements, the way consumers view a brand will influence their decision making, so crafting and reinforcing a brand image has long been a top priority for marketers.
Who is winning the branding battle online? Let’s take a look:
With over 300 billion users globally, Instagram is beating out rival Twitter in some surprising ways. Recently, Socialbakers compared 25 of the top brands on social media and found that the photo-sharing platform has engagement rates 50x higher than that of Twitter users. The average interaction rate of these brands is 38x higher on Instagram compared to that of Tweeters.
Instagram is giving businesses a real opportunity for visual storytelling and branding within this tight-knit community of photo-sharers. These photogenic users are embracing their favorite brands on board this popular site.
Communities.
Online branding battle … communities or groups?
While the search engine giant Google and social networking star Facebook continue to battle for online supremacy, business-minded LinkedIn continues to chime in on the scene. But what about Google Plus? Which is better, Facebook and LinkedIn Groups or Google+ Communities?
If you were to compare them side-by-side, Google+ would seem to have better features compared to Facebook, while Hangouts is a popular choice for sharing information on events. LinkedIn wins out when it comes to highlighting influencers in a group, which makes discovering new connections and engagement even easier.
Chicago is winning the branding battle
In the uber-competitive restaurant market, Starbucks is making a killing branding online. With the most likes on Facebook, leading the race of followers on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, they are blowing away big competitors like McDonald’s and Taco Bell. They also hold the number two spot on YouTube and Klout.
Their “Buy One Get One” free beverage campaigns create tremendous social buzz and get shared all over social media. They also encourage community spirit with charitable donations associated with purchasing their products and connect with their customers on a more human level with personalized drinks and customer reward programs.
We can take some valuable branding advice from our caffeine-infused marketing pros over at Starbucks and make a valuable connection with our internet audience.
Takeaway
Whether you’re adding interest on Google+, connecting with colleagues on LinkedIn, telling a visual tale on Instagram, posting or Tweeting, we marketers need to make the best of branding online.
To be effective in this new era, we need to see our jobs differently. No more just focusing on metrics like clicks, video views or social media shares. We must successfully integrate our function with other business functions to create entire brand experiences that serve the customer all the way through their experiences throughout the business.
We can do better. Much better. But first, we need to stop seeing ourselves as crafters of clever brand messages and become creators of positive brand experiences.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your branding design strategies? Such as creative branding ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?
Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
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More reading on brands and branding from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on, and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Quora, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
