Making Corporate Identity Work For You

Corporate Identity is mainly composed of 3 parts: corporate design, corporate communication and corporate behavior, all must coincide with each other to create a seamless, single identity, according to an article on Answers.com.

When a corporation has a distinct identity, then people can make a connection with it. It gains a personality and becomes like a friend. People then want the brand to succeed.

Corporations need a strong visual identity so they become memorable to consumers. Their image and reputation are linked to this as well. The structure of the organization and its coherence are displayed through the corporate identity.

The identity must be carried over into all aspects of corporate communications, including the internet. If the Web site does not have the same feel as the rest of the communication vehicles, then viewers will be confused and the identity weakened.

New Form of Interactive Media

Technology is constantly changing and with that, so does policy. Companies such as Heineken and Skype, are leading the pack in this new change by incorporating Skypecasting in their marketing efforts.

Skypecasting is a new medium, not to be confused with webcasting, which allows up to 100 users to be in direct contact at any one time. This interactive communication enables listeners to ask questions upon demand and to even applaud during concerts or other live events.

Heineken hosted Skypecastings first live concert on September 8, 2006, earning substantial free PR placements. Use of this new medium will bring increased popularity of corporations’ brand name and will in-turn strengthen brand recognition among Skypecasting's consumers.

Repositioning a Broken Corporate Name

Can you really re-invent a corporation's brand and its identity? GE thinks its possible, while the majority disagree, especially Bob Garfield.

Years ago, GE dumped 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Hudson River. This decision by GE caused much grief for consumers and GE, which to this day has still not dissipated.

In order to rebuild their brand, GE developed a new ad campaign that references the new technology available for desalination, which will benefit the ecosystem in times of drought. Is it possible for GE to surmount the negative stigma attached to it?

A brand's identity and its reputation symbolize the corporation’s culture, its beliefs and practices and also ensures the public of its social responsibility. GE is taking steps in the right direction by promoting these eco-friendly innovations. When a corporation's identity hinders its ability to do business the Internet, which is ubiquitous and convenient, can help rebuild confidence with the proper campaign.

Moms: The New Target Group for Industries?

An article on AdAge today was talking about the increased demand of blogging by moms, which is a demographic that spends more than $2 trillion a year. This segment is constantly seeking information on products for themselves and their children, so this information needs to be readily available. Sites that have developed to host such blogs are SheFind, SheFindMom, BlogHer, and even Technorati has tags from parenting. BlogHer is the only site that receives a low 400 blogs, but the other blogging sites log visitors into the thousands.

Mothers are already active on such sites as AOL, a site that has been its own browser for more than a month now, and are constantly subject to advertisements and corporate names while on AOL. There are even rumors that Google is considering changing into its own browser.

Corporations are already present on these sites so it is an easy domain for them to broaden their brand. This presents a great opportunity for corporations to further their brands' identity in the consumers mind and really reach out to better serve their market.

Got Opinions?

Martin Lindstorm said it right when he stated “consumers are tiring of perfectly polished brands.” Consumers want to understand the brands' corporate identity, its position towards the environment and its' philosophy on social responsibility.

The corporate world has a social responsiblity to report it's stance on enviromental, social and political issues. Employees should also understand and convey the corporate position when they speak with customers and prospects.

As a communicator, it is your job to ensure that the message is consistent with the brand's core values and are truly integrated in the culture of the organizaiton. Exercising truthful disclosure can differentiate your firm from it's competitors in ways that resonate with smart consumers.

Relationships vs. SEO

Next-generation marketing ... an evolution of advertising to say the least. It continues to get more innovative and personal with every new channel introduced to the market. Podcasts, Wikis, and blogs lay the foundation for developing stronger relationships with the consumer market, but is a strong relationship all we want as marketers?

Building solid relationships with consumers is indeed critical to the success of the brand because it leads to trust, support, profitability, and hopefully referrals, but is that all? Forrester Research's, Charlene Li, thinks that strong relationships are more important than search engine optimization (SEO) and quite frankly, I disagree.

How does a marketer develop the relationship to begin with?

Marketers need to begin by establishing a corporate identity and build brand recognition. In the world of Web 2.0, what better way to establish an ongoing relationship than by optimizing the company website so consumers can find it?

Research shows that consumers will not browse past the first page of results when performing an online search. As a marketer, you should do everything possible to achieve first page ranking for your company.

Whether you utilize paid placement or optimize the site for organic search, you must have a comprehensive SEO strategy to ensure your ability to create a strong and lasting relationship with the customer.

Web 2.0 Is about Building Relationships

Corporate blogs, should they be deemed controversial?

Researching current CEO blogs, it finally hit me why some CEOs are reluctant to incorporate blogging into their corporate communications strategy. To date, much has been attributed to the fact that most CEOs are not in touch with the technology which leads to discomfort. However, if a CEO takes the next step to understanding the technology, what they find in a simple Google search most likely will turn them off to the medium because edgy, haphazard posts. These litter the blogosphere while providing commentary that is outlandish to a CEO reader. This approach might work for some CEOs and companies, but for the CEO managing a global organization, it will not-- particularly for employee communications.

Blogging is here to stay and CEOs not only need to understand the ramifications of the medium, but make an attempt to utilize it for employee communications. Using this technique will broaded their internal communication and aid in developing a stronger corporate brand. Here are some tips for "conservative" CEO blogging initiatives for intranets:

1) Keep the blog a professional, positive medium.
2) Use this as an attempt to engage employees in what your company is up to. Remember your audience. What does this mean for a supervisor all the way down to a factory worker?
3) Consider if you need to delete the "comment" functionally. The wrong comment can send your message in the wrong direction. Again, this depends on the company.
4) Include specific happenings from conferences, meetings, or presentations when applicable.
5) Highlight financial good news.
6) Use as a directional commentary on the company. Where has your company been and where is it going?
7) Use as a place to highlight new products/services. Fit into the scope of suggestion 6.
8) Comment on industry and legal news. Fit into the scope of suggestion 6.
9) Highlight key accomplishments of employees or your product/service.

The effective use of multi-channel marketing

Setting up a multi-channel marketing practice in an organization is critical to success in today's business world. All departments within the organization work together to develop an understanding of their corporations identity, its practices, and its brand. The foundation for this type of marketing is composed of online services, in-store sales, contacts by phone, and its delivery options.

In establishing which segment to target, the firm can use multi-channel marketing to better promote the brand by use of cross-marketing. This practice maximizes team efforts in the organization and strengthens the culture of the corporation.

Every corporation should practice this form of communication to better itself as well as its reputation in the minds of its consumers. Multi-channel marketing increases internal communication and will promote growth within the organization.

Resources:
Multi-Channel Marketing, Making Bricks and Clicks Stick
http://www.mckinsey.com/practices/retail/knowledge/articles/Multichannelmarketing.pdf

Is Online the Best Way to Promote a Company?

With all the spam one finds on the Internet, is online advertising the way to go? I agree with the survey findings Double Click Inc. posted about targeting your audience through emerging media; however, what about all of the other companies that do not fit into any of those genres?

If you are trying to influence someone to buy your product or frequent your store, you need to gain their attention and develop your corporate brand into a recognized icon. 57% of people surveyed stated they watch online videos, 44% read blogs and 39% spend 5 or more hours a day online.

This information clearly identifies how corporations should integrate their brand into these markets. Restructuring your corporate identity to include these techniques will guarantee your corporation's place in this evolving market. Practices and policies need to evolve as well. Without change the company will not go anywhere, thus, it will not survive.

Keyword Relevance: Key to Successful Searches

How frustrating is it when you "google" something and cannot find any relevant information for your search?

Even worse, what if you are the company the consumer is looking for and can't find? Do you wonder why your website isn't showing up on the first page results?

To increase traffic (and conversions) your site needs to be optimized with keywords relevant to your business, have consistent page titles and should have strong calls to action, according to a MarketingVox article.

Whether the visitor is just browsing, signing up for communication or making a purchase (if you offer e-commerce), the customer needs to find your website to engage with your brand. Driving traffic to your company's website, creating awareness of your corporate identity and further increasing profits, is absolutely pertinent in today’s global economy.

Your website is one of the most powerful tools available to measure conversions and flux. By utilizing an analytics tool, you can track the metrics associated with every action the consumer takes on your site. The level of detail that can be measured is unheard of in traditional marketing, but standard for online initiatives.

Using Multi-Channel Marketing to Build Your Corporate Identity

Using multiple channel marketing is the key to reaching out to your market, keeping them informed, and ensuring their long-lasting relationship with your company. Tricia Robinson of Integrated Marketing, explained in great detail how using these channels will create loyalty and promote profitability.

Customers will find benefit in frequenting your company website due to all of the extra efforts the company puts forth in reaching each individual. Have your company construct an internal communications plan to ensure all of the channels are consistent with the others and keep a close watch on consumers’ habits to better serve them in the future.

Through corporate training, companies can excel in this form of marketing while building the corporations' identiy in the public's mind. Making the customer feel as though they are the only customer is the key point in maintaining customer loyalty.

Grow your company, keep your customers, expand your options for reaching those customers, a guaranteed success!