Branding and Long Term Benefits

Few webmasters understand what branding really is, and fail to capitalize on it when they are purchasing advertising. Branding is the act of putting your name in front of as many people as possible, and trying to get them to remember YOU when they are looking to buy your product. The effect of branding is not instant, it occurs months and years down the road. There is a reason why auto makers and mattress companies constantly advertise on TV, and its because when you finally decide to buy a new car or mattress, they want you to go to them. Most folks aren’t going to instantly go out and buy a brand new car because Ford or GM is having a sale, they will go out and buy when they decide they want a new car. Many webmasters get wound up in the idea that ads they pay for NOW should have instant results. If you believe that, then you may be grossly underestimating the value of long-term investment in advertising your website or business. New companies are often the ones who are most hesitant to embrace branding because it costs money and there are no instant results and its hard to quantify against the money spent. Its easier to spent $1000 on ads and see if you make $1000 or more in return. If it makes you your investment back (and more) then most folks would call it a good investment and buy again, but stop buying the instant the ad stops paying for itself. However, even when sales have dropped off slightly, you are still branding those surfers even if they are not buying. Some people are harder to sell to than others (Lets call those the people who are smart with their money). They will wait until they have seen a particular website promoted to them a dozen times before even considering opening their wallet to buy something. That is where branding becomes very valuable. Everytime your ad is displayed there is a chance to generate traffic to your link, and hopefully a sale, but remember that those surfers may just as easily type in your domain and come to your site 6 months later. Creating a budget and strategy for your advertising and branding campaign requires you to look at the realistic returns from the campaign, based on your margins and product itself. If you are selling a script for $200, you can afford to spend more on advertising than a small paysite owner who only makes $30 per sale (assuming sales levels are the same). It is easy to get carried away spending lots of money and get results right away, but then when the money is gone your promotion disappears and your company will fade into the background. Choose a budget that you can maintain for 3 or 6 months, sustainability is key. Advertising is more than just making the instant sale. Branding requires the belief that your product is good and that after repeated exposure customers will buy. The results of branding add up over time.