As more sites and services emerge, retaining your brand identity in the Web 2.0 space is bound to get more complex. Get some helpful tips for sites and strategies that will make you stand out in the clutter.
One of the struggles inherent to marketing is maintaining control of one's brand. We spend much more time policing our brand image than we do actually developing the logo, design scheme, style guide and tone of voice that will forever embody it (at least until it's time for a brand redesign).
This is particularly true online, where CGM, mash-ups, social news sites, forums and blogs make it easy for consumers to manipulate the way in which our brands are both perceived and received. Our concerns are no longer limited to our brand and corporate websites, where final say over messaging falls upon us. We now have to monitor a whole new battery of online properties, many of which are as potentially hazardous as they are helpful.
Building an identity with Web 2.0
On the helpful side, these social media-enabled sites allow marketers to enhance their messaging and extend their brand's reach. Consumers aren't limited to a single source for company information anymore, or a single environment for viewing your brand. They can stick with their favorite service or tool and still get to know what your company is all about.
The negative is that these tools were built to favor the consumer, not the marketer. And while there are ways for us to employ them to our advantage, they often become a conduit for "brand bashing" as frustrated and dissatisfied customers seek ways to transmit their annoyance to their peers.
This makes it all the more essential for marketers to get to know popular Web 2.0 tools. What follows is a list of the top three you should be considering from a branding perspective, and how to go about creating a presence there.
Facebook Pages
Marketing talk surrounding Facebook is usually in reference to its innovative (and sometimes controversial) advertising options, but for marketers interested in extending their brands to the social media space the focus should be on Facebook Pages. These free mini-sites, which live within Facebook, can be styled to mirror your existing brand site. They can be used to interact with current and potential customers through "wall" postings and a discussion board, both of which let marketers respond to inquiries and concerns the same way they would through a forum or blog. They can also house surplus content and exclusive information that can't be found on your stand-alone site, like photos, videos and Facebook applications.
Most marketers use Facebook Pages to increase brand and product awareness, or as a CRM tool. If your objective is the former, be sure to link back to your brand site in order to give consumers a way to pursue a transaction. You could also consider incorporating the first step in the purchase process directly into your Page; for example, through a widget that allows consumers to search for store locations, vendors or movie times.
Wikipedia entries
You know that Wikipedia is a top 10 web property that routinely garners high search engine rankings and can add credibility to a brand. But if you're thinking of creating a Wikipedia entry as a form of advertising, think again. The site has strict rules about corporate PR, and an army of contributors ready to delete your submission at the first sign of biased promotion.
If your brand and products are well established and you have something of value to highlight -- like a well-known dedication to developing environmentally friendly products -- you may have a case for creating a page. Someone might even have already done it for you. Either way, it's important to ensure that your brand isn't being misrepresented there. Control over Wikipedia content lies in the hands of its users, and your entry will typically undergo numerous changes over time. So check back often, correct any inaccurate information and update text and images as necessary to reflect changes with your brand image and positioning.