Hi, everybody! My name's Matt, and I'm the Marketing Communications Manager here at Volusion. Welcome to Two Minute Tuesdays, where we give you two minutes of ecommerce advice to bolster your online success. When it comes to telling the story of your business, branding is the name of the game. And while we could talk about things that you could be doing right, it's sometimes a lot more fun to talk about what you could be doing wrong. So pay close attention, because today I've got five branding mistakes that could ruin your business. Firstly, and most obviously, being insensitive is a huge mistake. Make sure you're always being politically correct whenever you're talking to customers, whether in person, on the phone, through your website or on your social channels. The last thing you need as a small business owner is a PR crisis on your hands. Instead, always be sensitive and always be aware of what you're saying and who you're talking to. Big mistake number two: making brazen changes to your brand or product. Let's never forget about New Coke back in the '80s, when everyone freaked out. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if you do have big changes, make sure that you communicate those ahead of time to your customers. Third mistake on our list: being inconsistent between your channels. Remember, your brand is a story, and that story must be told the same way every time that you tell it. In other words, make sure that your design, your tone, the way you speak and other brand elements are 100% consistent across channels, that way people know exactly who you are, wherever you are. Fourthly, don't ignore the follow-up. In other words, if you're branding, branding, branding from the front end, and then someone makes a purchase and you don't keep in contact by extending your brand wholesale, you're missing out on a big opportunity, and that will definitely hurt your business in the long term. And last, but definitely not least, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is branding without sincerity. People have direct access to your business, especially in this day of social media, so you want to make sure that you're as sincere as possible. That means you should always try to be honest, and never try to hide something. Hiding things will just get you in the end. Keeping these five fails in mind whenever you're developing your branding and you'll definitely minimize the risk of you upsetting some customers and, more importantly, put your business's best foot forward. Have any questions? Leave me a comment in the box below and I'll get right back to you. From me to you, happy selling!Thursday, 3 September 2015
5 Branding Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Business | Two Minute Tuesdays
Hi, everybody! My name's Matt, and I'm the Marketing Communications Manager here at Volusion. Welcome to Two Minute Tuesdays, where we give you two minutes of ecommerce advice to bolster your online success. When it comes to telling the story of your business, branding is the name of the game. And while we could talk about things that you could be doing right, it's sometimes a lot more fun to talk about what you could be doing wrong. So pay close attention, because today I've got five branding mistakes that could ruin your business. Firstly, and most obviously, being insensitive is a huge mistake. Make sure you're always being politically correct whenever you're talking to customers, whether in person, on the phone, through your website or on your social channels. The last thing you need as a small business owner is a PR crisis on your hands. Instead, always be sensitive and always be aware of what you're saying and who you're talking to. Big mistake number two: making brazen changes to your brand or product. Let's never forget about New Coke back in the '80s, when everyone freaked out. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if you do have big changes, make sure that you communicate those ahead of time to your customers. Third mistake on our list: being inconsistent between your channels. Remember, your brand is a story, and that story must be told the same way every time that you tell it. In other words, make sure that your design, your tone, the way you speak and other brand elements are 100% consistent across channels, that way people know exactly who you are, wherever you are. Fourthly, don't ignore the follow-up. In other words, if you're branding, branding, branding from the front end, and then someone makes a purchase and you don't keep in contact by extending your brand wholesale, you're missing out on a big opportunity, and that will definitely hurt your business in the long term. And last, but definitely not least, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is branding without sincerity. People have direct access to your business, especially in this day of social media, so you want to make sure that you're as sincere as possible. That means you should always try to be honest, and never try to hide something. Hiding things will just get you in the end. Keeping these five fails in mind whenever you're developing your branding and you'll definitely minimize the risk of you upsetting some customers and, more importantly, put your business's best foot forward. Have any questions? Leave me a comment in the box below and I'll get right back to you. From me to you, happy selling!