Branding has been a business buzzword for many years. But the term has implications far beyond corporate logos, slick packaging and commercial jingles. Effective branding is all about telling customers who you are, what you do and how you do it in a unified and cohesive manner. Despite a sluggish economy and uncertainty throughout the world, more people are spending time and money online than ever before. That’s why it’s vitally important for businesses and brands of all sizes to use the web to make the biggest impact possible. The two most important tools you will need here are keywords and a unified professional look across all integrated platforms.

All marketing campaigns have keywords as well as catch phrases, jingles and other advertising tools. Your keywords should specifically relate to what people are searching for – your products and/or services. For example if you sell juice, you could use keywords such as “fresh fruit juice” or “health benefits of juice”, etc. But, depending on the competitive market for juice where ever you are, these keywords might not keep you on the top of a Google search for long. This is where developing a brand name and building customer relationships matter most.

Keywords should be specific and reflect your brand. If you need extra help on developing keywords, you can access free programs such as Google AdWords or paid services like WordTracker that suggests relevant keywords and show just how often a term is being searched on. Going back to the juice company, you could pick phrases such as “Just Juice It” or “Juice Your Life Up” and these could be keywords as well as marketing slogans on your web page. By putting specific keywords, slogans and a brand name on your web page, you develop a brand-consumer relationship. This ideally will direct consumers’ minds to your product or service and generate sales.

In addition to your branded keywords, project a highly professional image for your brand by implementing a unified look across all the platforms you are currently utilizing. This simple act gives visitors the requisite visual cues that they are where they need to be as they are directed from one platform to another as part of a greater integration strategy. Each platform has it’s own parameters for customization and savvy brands take full advantage of this fact exploiting it for maximum effect.