Creating a recognisable brand – both online and offline
Published: December 2017
As a web design agency, it may seem like we’re crazy about the online world. We are, but we know that isn’t the be all and end all. Whilst it’s important to have a strong online presence, it’s equally important that you can communicate with your customers offline too. Take a look at our tips to building a strong multi-channel presence.
Start with strong brand guidelines
If you don’t know what your brand looks like, how is anybody else supposed to? Make sure you stick with the same set of fonts and colours, and that your logo is clear. With brand guidelines you can ensure that your organisation is recognisable no matter what form it takes. That way, you can communicate with your customers online and offline without any confusion.
Make sure your print echoes your website
You can’t make them look exactly the same, and of course a customer will expect the layout to be different, but colours, logos, fonts and general structure should be the same. You should be offering the same set of services, described in a very similar way.
Be clear about who you are
You should be able to describe your business in one sentence. If you can’t – you’re going to struggle to grab attention in print or online. It’s so easy to lose your customer if you’re starting them off on a big chunk of text. There’s no need for fancy words – just explain what you do in as few words as possible in a way that everyone can understand.
Invest in print
Studies show that people spend more time reading printed text than digital – and are more likely to read to the end. It’s also considered the most trustworthy media by consumers, so you could be missing out if you only operate online. It’s tempting to do everything digitally in these times, but consider investing in print – maybe order some brochures, leaflets or posters.
Key messages
You should change your copy for print and digital, to accommodate that short attention span when reading online. But the key messages should stay the same. Pick the most important messages and make sure they are echoed across social, website, print and any other media you choose.
Why invest in both?
By accommodating everyone and the media they prefer to access your information and your product, you’re getting your message out to everyone. By only communicating through select media and not others, you’re potentially losing a chunk of people. Not everyone is on Twitter and (amazingly) 17% of the UK don’t have access to the internet!
What do I do now?
Get in touch with an agency who can help you with your branding across online and offline channels. Marketing agency Newcastle, Urban River are highly experienced in communicating who you are in all forms. Check out our previous work to see how we’ve given a variety of organisations a strong marketing presence, and the success we’ve brought to companies local to you. Get in touch to find out how we can build a recognisable brand and multi-channel campaign for your business.
