With a staggering 1,463,632,361* Internet users (and growing) worldwide, marketers are scrambling to integrate their brands online with campaigns aimed at connecting with this coveted audience.

 

In doing so, however, many have been making the common mistake of forgoing traditional strategies and diluting their brand in the process.  This short-term pitfall could lead to long-term ramifications, so special care should be taken to preserving the integrity of your brand through all communications — on- or offline.  And with the increasing saturation in the online space, it is even more critical to remain true to your brand position — especially with regard to messaging, distinction and value.
 
Here’s a refresher of the five tenets of branding and how to translate them to the digital world:
 
1. Brand Position: The brand position describes your product or service and usually includes your key points of differentiation [over your competitors]. Through your brand positioning, you convey your unique value and customer benefits.
 
2. Brand Promise: The brand promise is the single most important element of your brand that solidifies your relationship with your customer by delivering on a clearly communicated commitment through each and every experience with your product or service.  It boils down to making a promise and maintaining it through every interaction.
 
3. Brand Personality: The brand personality encompasses the traits that what you want your brand to be known for — the key attributes that define the dynamic components of the brand.  This depends in large part on the key characteristics of your audience so that you can engage them relevantly.
 
4. Brand Story: The brand story illustrates the history of your product or service and adds value and credibility to the brand.
 
5. Brand Associations: The brand associations are the physical elements that make up your brand, such as name, logo, colors, taglines, fonts, imagery, etc. Your brand associations should reflect your brand promise, graphically depict your brand traits, and support your brand positioning statement.
 
From an online perspective, #5 is the most important as this is how you’ll make a visual connection with your users that will stand out amongst a ‘text heavy’ universe.  Be sure that your logo and corresponding imagery is digitized and available in several different pixels and sizes, all of which must be readable. 

#3 is the next most critical factor in the process.  Due to the experiential nature of the web, your brand personality is how you’ll interact substantively — and memorably — with your end users. 

#s 1 and 2 are of equal importance in completing your e-branding effort because a) your position will reinforce to users what you stand for and b) your promise will demonstrate the experience they can expect through each interaction. 

But most importantly, an unwavering commitment to delivering on these value propositions throughout the online engagement will evoke the emotion needed to culivate brand ambassadors who will proliferate your message across the web, and afford you the viral elements of the medium. 
 
The brand story is the only element that you may forgo online as engaging users real-time does not allow for historical walks down memory lane.  And by virtue of your continued interactions with your users, they will write that story for themselves — figuratively and literally (in emails and blogs, on social networks, forums and message boards) so make sure you give them fodder to craft a positive one.
 
In the end, the trick is not to let the lure of quick hits synonymous with the online space short cut the brand process, which is essential for the long-term success of your initiatives, and one that will turn one-off clickers into brand partners capable of sustaining your presence and advancing your share across the cybersphere.  And that’s a true brand story you can write home about.
 
*Source: Internet World Stats, 2008, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm