Tips for Building Brand Personality in 2021

Your company’s brand is its business card to the world. Few things are as important as building brand personality to create awareness of your company. Implementing new business branding ideas also drives consumer perception and increases demand while allowing your business to stand out from the competition. 

Maybe you understand the benefits of big brand ideas but need help coming up with them. Strategic Growth Advisors provides the business branding ideas you need in this blog. After considering them, we invite you to work with us to turn these ideas into reality. 

Define Your Company’s Archetype 

Carl Jung, the well-known and respected psychologist, was the first to develop the concept of a business archetype. Apple and Microsoft are two examples of successful companies that used Jung’s theory to their advantage. He claimed that success in sales goes beyond just selling the product or service. Businesses must also sell a story since this is critical to building brand personality. 

Microsoft has achieved worldwide success by selling the story of its products being like the girl or boy next door. The brand is always close to people wherever they go. Essentially, Microsoft sells the story that their products integrate with everyday life. Apple sells its products based on a visionary archetype. The image people associate with it is one of a trendsetter. 

Your company’s archetype does not need to be anything like Microsoft’s or Apple’s to reach your target audience. However, it does need to be authentic. The first step in creating a compelling story is to develop it around a representative archetype. 

user experience

Start Using Heat-mapping 

Heat-mapping is a strategy that enables you to learn in-depth data about your website visitors. Here are three examples of rich data provided by heat-mapping software: 

  • Each customer’s journey before arriving at your business website 
  • Most common areas people click on your business website 
  • How far down people scroll on each page 

Be sure to act on information obtained from heat-mapping software right away to improve your brand image. For example, condense the information on your home page if you discover that most people do not scroll all the way to the bottom. Your website should match the typical workflow of your customer demographics as closely as possible. 

Consider Redesigning Your Company Logo 

The logo your company presents to the world is a huge part of its brand identity. You cannot afford to release an unprofessional logo created by an amateur if you hope to win customers. We recommend taking a moment to consider your company’s logo against a few of the most well-known logos. Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are just two common examples. People see those logos and immediately think of soft drinks or fast food. 

You also need to think about whether your business has outgrown its current logo. What worked for you in the beginning may be too simplistic now. Having a team of professionals review the existing logo and provide personal brand logo ideas is the best place to start. 

Once you get back a list of suggestions, conduct market research to see which logo customers prefer the most and why. Knowing why people gravitate towards one logo design over another helps your marketing team improve before the final release. 

Personalization is an Important Part of Building Brand Personality 

Customers care about themselves and their problems, not your company. The most successful businesses understand this and build their brand around what they can do for customers. The message should never be the other way around. 

At the same time, people expect the companies they do business with to personalize their products and services. How can you go beyond using a customer’s first time to offer a truly personalized experience? Consider these options: 

  • Email: The best way to personalize email is to track the types of information your customers consume and tailor your message accordingly. Email from your company should align with customer interests and buying habits. They are likely to delete it without reading if they can tell your company made no effort to treat them as an individual. 
  • Retargeting: Studying the pages a person visits on your website gives you insight into what is important to them. Turning that data into personalized display ads increases your chances of getting that person to come back to your website to make a purchase. 
  • Helpful content: Developing and publishing useful content without any hint of a sales pitch is a great way to develop your brand. Be sure to customize the blog posts, videos, infographics, and other content based on previous interactions on your website. 

Facebook Ads 

Be Willing to Become More Authentic on Your Social Media Channels 

Although we stated above that customers care more about their problems than your company, they still value authenticity. No one enjoys looking at posts and video content of a business trying to be something it is not. 

Social media provides a unique opportunity to show authenticity because no barrier exists between your company and its audience. Your audience may enjoy the occasional poll or behind-the-scenes look at operations. You should not expect these things to have a heavy influence on their buying decisions. 

Another advantage of creating accounts is that it allows your business to interact with customers in real-time. They can get immediate responses to their questions. People also appreciate a place to interact with brands where they do not feel someone is constantly marketing to them. These interactions help consumers develop trust when they do feel ready to make a purchase.

Need More Business Branding Ideas? Contact Strategic Growth Advisors Today 

Branding is just one of several services we offer as part of our growth marketing services. We invite you to contact our office in Tucson, Arizona, to request your initial consultation. This meeting gives us a chance to gain insights about your company while answering all your questions. 

We look forward to working with you and helping your company develop new business branding ideas soon. 

Is Your Website ADA Compliant?

ADA Compliance and Your Website: Everything You Need to Know for 2020

In the 2017 court case, Gil v. Winn-Dixie, a federal judge ruled that the supermarket chain’s website violated the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because it wasn’t accessible for people who are visually impaired. Earlier this year, Beyoncé’s own management company was hit with a class-action lawsuit due to her website’s lack of accommodation for visually impaired individuals who tried to purchase concert tickets online.

In fall 2016, a similar lawsuit was filed against Domino’s Pizza after a blind customer tried ordering a customized pizza through their app, but it wasn’t compatible with the screen reading software he used. Dominoes argued that the ADA did not apply to websites, since the law was enacted nearly thirty years ago when such technology did not exist. Then in late 2019, The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, a clear victory for disability advocates. In essence, this trend isn’t disappearing anytime soon.

judge with a gavel

This may come as a surprise to some business owners, since the ADA is widely associated with physical locations and the idea of companies offering the right accommodations to serve individuals with disabilities, such as wheelchair ramps, and braille on ATM machines. However, Title III of the ADA is now bring interpreted to include websites as public places, and Title I businesses – or those with 15 full-time employees and that operate 20 or more hours per week – also must comply with the ADA.

According to an article on Medium, websites “with significant inaccessible components can be seen as discriminatory against persons with disabilities, in violation of Title III of the ADA.” Additionally, the ADA is a strict liability law, which means there is no latitude in terms of excuses or defenses for violating accessibility guidelines. Failure to comply could leave a company at risk for financial liabilities, lawsuits, and damage to brand reputation, according to Business News Daily.

What Makes a Website ADA Compliant?

The downside for business owners is that there are no ADA regulations that clearly define what it means for a website to be ADA compliant. In Gil v. Winn-Dixie, U.S. District Judge Robert Scola Jr. stated in his ruling that the Winn-Dixie website was in violation of the ADA because it didn’t offer screen reader software, making the site difficult for those who are legally blind to navigate and use.

woman holding sign with question mark

“The services offered on Winn-Dixie’s website, such as the online pharmacy management system, the ability to access digital coupons that link automatically to a customer’s rewards card, and the ability to find store locations, are undoubtedly services, privileges, advantages, and accommodations offered by Winn-Dixie’s physical store locations,” Scola wrote in his ruling, according to Courthouse News Service.

In general, web content for ADA Title I and Title III businesses must supply “reasonable accessibility” to users who are visually and hearing impaired or have other disabilities. A good place to start is to look at ADA compliance guidelines used for the websites of public entities, such as local, state, and federal governmental agencies. 

Within Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, there are also levels of acceptability for being ADA website compliant.

  • A = below acceptable
  • AA = standard (and where you want to be)
  • AAA = exceptional

Here are a few common tools business owners can incorporate throughout their website to demonstrate they have made an effort to accommodate all users:

  • Adding alt tags for images, videos and audio files that can be read or heard
  • Using colors that are easy to decipher for those with color blindness
  • Including text transcripts for video and audio content
  • Using refreshable Braille text compatible with touchscreens
  • Providing non-text content
  • Organizing content in a way that is easy to navigate
  • Including videos with both audio and captions
  • Offering screen readers
  • Interactive functions must be operable through keyboard commands

Here’s What To Do In 2020:

Even though there are no codified ADA accessibility guidelines for websites, businesses have no excuse for not making a good-faith effort to accommodate users with disabilities. Taking measures to increase accessibility is not only good for brand image but also to protect companies against costly lawsuits. Additionally, companies risk losing valuable business by not making their digital space accessible to a wide range of individuals. According to a November 2018 article in the Los Angeles Times, lawsuits targeting businesses over ADA regulations are on the rise. In 2018 alone, there were over 2,250 Federal Website Accessibility Lawsuits, triple that from just a year earlier in 2017. In the first half of 2019, these lawsuits increased 51.7% over 2018’s same six-month period. 

Lawsuits Targeting Businesses Over ADA Regulations are Expected to Rise in 2020!

man looking at laptop and desktop computer screens

The internet is a huge part of our daily life, and ADA compliance will gain more attention going forward. For 2020, here are your 5 options:

  1. At the bare minimum be aware of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  2. Assess your company’s website and identify your level of compliance
  3. Develop a plan to correct any existing ADA website compliance issues
  4. Bring your website in compliance
  5. Document and maintain a record of new ADA features and functions that are added

If you are a high-profile company that attracts users to conduct business on your site, then you will want to be as aggressive as possible to ensure you avoid the unnecessary legal expense or negative PR that will surely come from an ADA compliance lawsuit.

As your trusted advisor for all things related to marketing and the growth of your business, StratGrow is here to help. Contact StratGrow today to discuss this or any other business growth topic.

How Often Should You Update Your Website Content?

View your business website as a static, unchanging entity, and your business itself may become just as static and unchanging. You may be stuck in a rut with low levels of traffic or, worse yet, even lower levels of revenue. The savvy digital marketing team here at Strategic Growth Advisors has come to the rescue in such situations time and again.

The key to a successful online presence is to update your website content regularly. This keeps your business fresh and appealing to visitors and search engines alike. While there are no set-in-stone rules for website updates, we’re sharing recommendations we’ve seen lead to success:

Two women work on their website

Website Content: Blogs, White Papers, Downloads

The online crowd is hungry for information, and you can consistently feed them by updating certain website content as frequently as possible. Optimized blog posts can play an integral role in driving targeted traffic to your site. It’s important to post new blog content weekly if possible, monthly at the very least.

White papers, e-books, and other downloadable content can be updated on a regular basis as well. This allows you to add new information to existing downloads or to create new downloads for additional topics or digital marketing campaigns.

Website Content: Pages, Tags, Keywords 

Updating existing website pages, tags and keywords can be done on an ongoing basis for best results. Set aside time daily to review your existing pages to see if you can make any improvements. Chances are, you can. Improvements can include things like updating:

  • Existing information that’s out of date
  • Language that feels stale
  • Title tags and headings to ensure they’re relevant and include keywords
  • Alt text to ensure every image contains descriptive text that points back to your business
  • Meta tags for both keywords and descriptions
  • Keywords to make sure they match the content or to rank for new ones
  • Keyword placement and proximity, both of which can affect results from search engines
  • Anchor text for inbound links to make sure it matches the content

A woman visits a website

Setting aside time each day to tackle a page or two can work. You can also opt to do a thorough review of all existing pages every three to six months.

Website Content: Services and Products

You don’t want to wait three to six months to make sure your services and products are up to date with everything you offer. You can miss out on customers if you don’t provide timely info on the latest products, services, and specials you’re offering. And nothing can annoy a potential customer quicker than trying to order a product or service that you no longer offer.

Keeping your website content regularly updated is one part of the equation. The second part is reviewing your website stats to ensure the updates you’re making are making a difference. For additional help keeping your website and business thriving, contact Strategic Growth Advisors today.