5 Signs It's Time for A New Branding and Marketing Strategy

If you are considering creating a new branding and marketing strategy for your company, but aren't sure if it is necessary to spend time and money on such a venture, explore these five signs. Your current marketing plan just might be in need of a make over.

1. Your plan lacks integration

A well designed plan should be integrated in every aspect of your business. If your logo, colors, and tagline all change depending on the platform they are in, there needs to be a change to your plan. The brand should be clearly and consistently placed across all platforms. That is the key to growing your bottom line with branding and marketing.

2. Visitors and sales are lagging

If your image has grown dusty, or doesn't come to your customer's mind, then visitors to your storefronts and websites could be lagging. You have lost touch with your target audience. That affects sales. Reinvigorate your brand with a redesign and wow customers into coming back for services and products and remind them why they love to do business with you.

3. Your plan has been in place for over a decade

While many tried and true branding and marketing methods are still good ways to promote business, there are too many new options that are being missed if your plan hasn't been updated in a few years. Customers now shop from mobile devices and the social networks are always changing. Your website and plan should be updated to reflect these changes.

4. Website and collateral is overly promotional

The previous attempt to get the attention of shoppers by plastering ads, websites, and marketing collateral with neon-colored callout boxes featuring a number of sales items and closeouts is a thing of the past. Know what your customer wants, but simply make the site easy for them to find it. Try not to shove it in their face.

5. You plan to grow

If you plan to introduce a new product or service line, or open in new markets, then it is a great time to update your branding and marketing strategy. The right brand redesign can inform customers of the changes to look for and prove that you are ready for the increased business.

If you would like to learn more about branding and marketing in the Dallas, Texas, area, click here!

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Building an E-Commerce Site

There are many pitfalls to look out for when you build an e-commerce website. A site is a tool to make your goods known to customers and to encourage sales. If the site is poorly designed, doesn't work well, or hard to use, customers will go elsewhere with their business, even if you have better service, products, and prices. By avoiding a few mistakes in the design phase, you can be on your way to a harder working, and more profitable, site.

1. Awkward domain name

Some company names convert easily to a domain name. For those that don't, there are options. If your company is named Kalamazoo Outboard Motors, pass on the awkward www.kalamazoooutboardmotors.com option. Try a descriptive word about what business is performed there (www.motors.com) or use an acronym (www.kom.com).

2. Unprofessional appearance

For a company with a focus on Internet sales, the website is not the place to skimp on the budget. Do the research to find a good-fit agency to build an e-commerce website that is professional, attractive, and easy to use. The revenue received when the site is running will prove the worth of the expense.

3. Loading time that drags

For shoppers, Internet use is about ease. The site might be a work of art with rich graphics and video content, but if it takes too long to load, then it is no longer considered easy, and shoppers will go elsewhere. Remember that a growing number of shoppers search online from mobile devices, and your site should open and operate equally well for those formats.

4. Poor promotion

It may be true for baseball fields, but when you build an e-commerce website, just because you build it, doesn't mean they will come. Find where your customers go and create ads to draw them to your site, or better yet, utilize the help of a professional marketing agency that can help you create a solid marketing plan for your site.

5. No focus

Internet shoppers don't want to be bothered to sort through promotional pop-ups, myriads of drop-down lists, and general disorganization. Your site needs to be focused and user-friendly. With a clear plan of what you promote and where, your site can be a go-to tool for shoppers to find what they need.

If you would like to learn more about how to build an e-commerce website in the Dallas, Texas, area, click here!