Website Branding

1. Website Branding

2. “ Ask any cowboy and they’ll let you know that you can’t brand anything until you tie it by the legs, flip it onto it’s side and hold it down. ”

3. Website Branding A brand is the impression the public has of your organization. This means that your brand is what people think about when they think about you.

4. Why Branding Helps • Creates or formulates an accurate brand • Promotes a flattering brand • Identifies your core expertise • Communicate what makes you unique, valuable and important • Strives to make sure that others see you the way you wish to be seen The goal of the branding process is to succinctly present the purpose and function of your organization.

5. Professional Expert Caring Responsive Creating a Web Brand • Statements what you do and why it is important • Information the content provided on your website • Functionality ways to interact with your website • Prioritization organize information on your website • Design aesthetics of user interface of your website A website brand is conveyed in 5 carefully coordinated ways to communicate a desired unified message.

6. Branding Through Statements • Tagline statement anywhere your logo appears. • Make statements simple facts lest you appear to be boastful or insincere. • Pay attention to how tone and voice impact your message (e.g. informal, professional, friendly etc.). Easiest way to communicate a brand message is to simply state what your organization does

7. Branding Through Information • News - Position your organization as a helpful resource in your field. • Whitepapers – Show expertise and willingness to share this knowledge. • Service articles – Connect with articles that explain what you do. • Pictures and Video – Provoke strong emotional responses. Ensure that the information on your website echoes the brand message you wish to convey.

8. Branding Through Functionality • Searchable database that permits users to browse and locate information on your site • Community tools such as blogs, chat forums or message boards provide a lot of value to site users • Smart forms registration, feed back, quick polls or surveys heighten interactivity and help inform and strengthen your brand Take time to brainstorm and implement functions on your website that demonstrate a commitment to making your site accessible and easy to use.

9. Branding Through Prioritization • Carefully feature items on the homepage do not confuse or overwhelm visitors • Menu items ought to reflect your priorities, i.e. the key aspects you wish to communicate. • Use eye catching teasers to guide visitors to key parts of the site. • Balance branding elements and links that call site users to action to make sure that you do not communicate yourself as an overtly demanding organization. Draw attention to key information and emphasize what you would like site visitors to do

10. Branding Through Graphic Design • The design should establish that you are professional and credible. • The design must communicate to whom the site intends to target. • Watch for unintentional messages (e.g. too technical, too informal etc.) that effectively scare away intended audiences. Fonts, colors, shapes, styles and images used strongly influence your messages and elicit emotional responses such as friendly, expert, inclusive or any other desired sentiment.

11. Overall Site Feel • Your website brand sends out cues that should represent your organization in a cohesive and distinct way. • The statements, information, functionality, prioritization and design should feel unique and serve to highlight the uniqueness of your organization. • A branded website communicates the key values and priorities of your organization. A branded website feels like it belongs to, and can only be used by, your organization.

12. Exercises • Website Brand Audit • The website brand audit helps expose redundancies and inconsistencies while documenting current applications of your website brand • Website Branding Brief • The website branding brief is used to collect information that helps formulate your website brand These exercises are designed to prepare you to actively participate in the formulation of your brand.