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Written by Larry Dearing
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 09:09 |
So you've got a new website. What's your next step? Promotion? Maybe, but without integrating your website address into your other overall branding efforts, website promotion by itself will not be nearly as efficient or successful as it could be. Once you've reviewed various opportunities to include your website into your overall public relations and marketing platforms and media, promotion your website through complete brand integration will yield much better results.
Most opportunities for brand integration are obvious, some not so obvious. First, launching a new website is worth reprinting your business cards. At the very least, get a rubber stamp with your website address and you can stamp the back of them for a temporary measure. The stamp you just spent fifteen bucks on can do double or triple duty adding your website address to invoices and brochures. Again, you actually want to get these redone as soon as possible for a more professional and truly integrated appearance. Email signatures should also include your website address. Email is the new business stationery. Your email signature should always be up to date and will subtly draw people to your website.
In addition to the obvious business cards, brochures, and invoices, let's not forget to review other business stationeries around your office. Include your website address on your letter heads, proposal forms, thank you notes, or any other branding media you find during your review. One area of opportunity here that many overlook is the company or personal voice mail message. No one likes to listen to a really long message but perhaps your voice mail message can be reconstructed to include your website address.
How about your written ads and signage? Convenience and cost may dictate when you want to make changes, but you should make a note that brand integration should be considered here as well. Your phone book and news paper ads can easily be modified to include a website address. The signage on your store front or other areas is also a great place to include your address. This includes auto signage as well if you have painted or magnetic signs for your company vehicles.
There area also ample opportunities to integrate your website into your overall branding efforts out where you meet the people. I'll leave it to the social media folks to explain the how-to's, but platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can be a great way to extend your brand and engage customers and prospects in a new and personal way. You don't want to "push" in these areas, but make sure your website address is part of your profile. Likewise, where possible, include a link to your website in other online profiles you may have at various forums, discussion groups, and community sites.
Your website is the best place to put the most information about you and your message in front of customers and prospects at their convenience and on their terms. In addition to making your website truly your "best foot forward", by integrating your website into your overall brand people will be drawn to it from all of your other media. With good brand integration, moving forward with website promotion will yield much better results when reinforced by your total business promotions and PR activities. Just add the magic "www.yourdomain.com." |
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