Don’t miss your chance at success because of a lackluster digital presence.
I want to share 3 stories to help you understand why digital brands are so important:
Story #1:
I love helping bootstrappers and budding startups launch successfully and connect with the customers who need them.
One entrepreneur I was working with had a game-changing product that could help a lot of people.
Before looking at her online assets, I heard amazing things about her product from a friend, and was completely sold. How could anyone not want what she was offering?
She even put up a website to take sales.
The problem? No one was buying.
She contacted me to look at her website, videos, and social media pages. When I finally clicked over to her website and campaign, I was shocked. Although her idea was great, her website was disorganized and out of date.
Despite a nice design, there was tons of visual clutter. I couldn’t even find the button to buy! No wonder she wasn’t getting sales.
She had a great business, but a major Digital Branding Problem.
Together, we overhauled her website design for conversion, and created a social media presence that told world how life-changing her product was. Within a matter of weeks, the sales started rolling in.
Story #2:
A former co-worker introduced me to a BIG name company who was desperate and needed help. I won’t say who it is, but chances are know of them and have purchased their products.
The company had recently undergone some changes to their brand and product offerings, and their audience was not taking it well. Every day, customers and fans were reaching out online with backlash and angry complaints.
The PR team and brand managers were overwhelmed. I took a glance at their social media pages and immediately knew what was going on.
The company was not creating a dialogue with their customers. Instead of creating an personable story and engaging two-way conversation, the company was treating their digital presence as if it was a billboard advertisement. This old-fashioned approach was accidentally alienating their customers.
They had a HUGE digital brand problem.
With just a few minor tweaks in tone and photo choice, we turned it around in a matter of days to become an interactive presence that was delighting followers, and turning dissatisfied customers into loyal, life long fans.
Story #3:
My old college pal was looking for work. Paul had it all in so many ways. He was organized, clever, fantastic to work with, and a loyal employee with years of valuable experience.
But for some reason, NO ONE was hiring. I couldn’t imagine why, and neither could he. After months of frustration job-hunting, he reached out to me for help.
A quick Google search quickly made it clear what was going on.
My, oh, my. Did my friend have a digital branding problem. Where to begin?
His top search results were social media profiles from college, that primarily displayed a lot of party photos.
These profiles linked to a blog about his personal life that, while being well-written and entertaining, had NOTHING to do with his career aspirations.
His professional presence was barren as the Sahara. No LinkedIn page. No personal website. Nada.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he happened to share the same name as a convicted felon who dominated most of the top search engine results.
No WONDER he was struggling to get hired.
Thankfully, once we figured out the problem, we were able protect the personal life Paul wasn’t meaning to publicize, and create a brand new digital persona to wipe his name clean. Great news: he was hired soon after.
It drives me crazy when talented people and amazing businesses get passed over for something great, because their online presence is working against them.
What do these stories tell us?
There are myths about digital branding:
Myth: My business model speaks for itself. I don’t need to worry about online positioning.
Myth: My customers aren’t on Facebook or SnapChat. I’m not going to reach them there.
Myth: I don’t have anything to blog about in my industry that hasn’t already been said.
Myth: What I say on my profile or website is more important than the design and layout.
Myth: If I don’t own a business, I don’t need to worry about my personal brand. A Facebook page doesn’t count.
FACTS:
- In today’s world, everyone has a digital presence. It is better to find a way to control it, before it controls you.
- Potential customers are everywhere online, and they are talking about you.
- Everything we post online is a reflection of our digital persona. What we post online often makes a first impression, before we get the chance in person.
- Your social media presence, no matter how small, is a valuable asset. Chose to ignore it, and you will be the one who is ignored, potentially missing out on new customers and market share.
- Humans are visual creatures. Capturing attention with nonverbal cues like color, photos, and layout is the only way to truly make your message heard.
Ready to get started?. . .
Send me an email at info@annalisc.com. I look forward to hearing from you!