Building a digital brand: Five strategies to achieve online dominance

By: M. Muniru HUSSEINI (PhD)

 The digital world has been growing exponentially over the recent couple of decades. People in nooks all over the world now have access to the internet via an assortment of devices and digital enablers.

These have spawned a hyperconnected world that makes the curation of formidable digital brands a vital imperative for businesses that desire sustained and enduring growth.

The apparent democratization of the digital space and ubiquity of digital entrepreneurs and online creators implies that businesses must seek to cut through the noise and build distinctive online brands that resonates deeply with their target audiences. In this article, I explore how businesses can apply some actionable strategies, tools and insights in building strong and dominant online brands that are uniquely suited to Ghana and Africa’s dynamic digital landscape.

What a digital brand is

A brand has been traditionally defined as a name, sign or symbol that distinguishes one seller’s product of service from that of the competition. A digital brand on the other hand encompasses such things as how your brand is perceived by digital audiences (online reputation), the tone and style of communication used in your online marketing(voice) and the distinguishing features that make your brand unique and valuable to customers overall. A digital brand like all brand types and forms requires consistency across all of its facets to build trust and recognition.

This would imply the use of consistent messaging and identical colours and fonts on all the company’s digital platforms. In essence, a digital brand is much more than a company’s visual elements; it represents the overall online presence and reputation of a business in the eyes of everyone whose primary mode of engagement is via digital platforms.

For businesses that have a limited or no digital presence, the creation of a digital brand would practically take their businesses out of the confines of their familial brick and mortar world to the blossoming and burgeoning community of digitally savvy customers and actors. I shall proceed to discuss the key and essential steps required to make this possible.

Have a clear brand identity. Defining your brand identity involves clearly articulating your brands purpose mission and vision. This ensures your digital efforts are properly aligned and presented consistently across all platforms. Clarify why your brand exists, who your target audience are, what customer pain points the brand aims to solve and the things that set you apart from the competition.

This seeks to present an unambiguous brand persona and a resonation with the key demographics the brand aims to reach. A clearly defined brand identity enhances memorability and brand recognition. It informs the visual elements of your brand such as logos, colour schemes, typography and overall imagery. It would also ultimately influence the tone and the language used in the creation of all online content with the overarching objective of emotionally connecting with all relevant customer groups.

Building a professional online presence. In today’s rapidly expanding digital world, having a professionally curated online presence may be your brand’s unique chance at creating a great first impression to majority of the people who may ever encounter your brand. Having a website or personal blog is foundational to building a digital brand. It is the one digital asset you fully control and it can be built to suit the core essence of your business or personal brand.

A good website should be user friendly, be easily navigable and have verified payment integration to enable customers pay securely for any purchases. Additionally, it should be mobile friendly as the vast majority of users in Ghana and Africa primarily assess the internet via smartphones and other hand-held devices. The additional alternative is the strategic and targeted use of social media to reach a diverse group of customers.

Facebook is effective for reaching millennials while LinkedIn is particularly suited to executives and the promotion of professional and B2B services. Tiktok, Snapchat and Instagram are useful for Gen-Zs and much younger audiences and for the promotion of entertainment and lifestyle products.

The use of specialized tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Buffer are beneficial for the professional and organised management of websites and social media platforms. These tools offer insights and key analytics that enable a business properly track its digital progress. However, having s strong digital presence is beyond just being online but includes being visible, engaging and emerging as prime option to all who are searching online for products or services you can offer.

Optimise for Search Engines (SEO). Search engine optimization (SEO) are a collection of techniques and strategies used for improving a websites visibility in search engine results. While it is possible to cut through the clutter and rise to the top of search engine results using paid searches, SEO is generally considered more credible and offers more consistent and long-lasting results.

Paid searches are often just used in targeting specific audiences for limited time periods. SEO on the other hand requires the strict adherence to various standards set by these search engines (notably Google) which leads the search engine to rank your website as the best possible representation of what online searchers are looking for.

These includes such elements as ensuring mobile friendliness, high site speed and secure connections so users’ private information do not get compromised. It also includes the production and publication of high-quality content and the use of particular key words that are naturally woven into the narrative of the business.

Semrush, one of the best-known tools for SEO helps businesses analyse and optimize their online presence with key features including in-depth competitor analysis and keyword research. For example, a Ghanaian travel agency optimising for keywords like “top tourist destinations in Ghana” can rank higher on Google, attracting tourists searching for travel options. A well-executed SEO strategy offers several long-term marketing benefits without additional ad spending.

Develop a robust content strategy. A robust content strategy is essential in properly telling your brand story and emotionally connecting with your target audience. It involves a plan to create, publish, and manage content across all a company’s owned and managed digital platforms. A good strategy is to use a mix of content types including blog posts, whitepapers, videos and podcasts to engage your audience. Content, whether educational or promotional are vital in highlighting the core values of a brand and projecting what it clearly stands for.

Educational content establishes thought leadership through the publication of high-quality and relevant content your audience find valuable. Promotional content raises awareness and drives sales by leveraging the credibility and trust built through the consistent delivery of educational content. A bank may for example put out content on investing and training materials on small business management. A skin care company may educate the public about skin types and what cream combinations are suitable for each.

Video content allows the presentation of authentic visual and demonstrative stories of impact where the brand is concerned. The delivery of a combination of these in a frequent, consistent and organized manner will overtime create an audience who are enthralled and attached.

Building communities and collaborating with influencers. Support communities play a vital role in building digital brands by bringing together persons who share common interests, goals and offering support to each other.

A thriving support community which has the active collaboration of the company showcases the digital brand’s commitment to its audience and its ability to deliver value. Online communities also have the benefit of fostering customer feedback and making the brand appear more personable. A key part of community building is with the use of persons who have a modicum of influence and exercise varying levels of authority in the product or service area of the brand. Brands must ensure to pick influencers whose public persona, values and expertise align with what the brand represents.

Brands that are relatively small and un-and-coming or engaged in niche or local campaigns may opt for micro-influencers (100,000 followers and below) while established brands seeking large-scale brand awareness may opt for macro-influencers (above 100,000 followers). Influencers must be credible, relatable and have the capacity to directly influence the audience you want to reach.

It is also prudent to use a person whose influence and impact is fairly stable and not susceptible to the vagaries of societal changes and trends. For example, a sports person whose performance is inconsistent or experiences a steep decline in their performance would rub negatively on the brand they are an influencer for. Further, a music star who engages in riotous and publicly repugnant acts could very adversely affect the brand.

Building a digital brand is an absolute non-negotiable for businesses and corporate professionals in this digital age. It requires planning, tact and deliberateness. A strong digital brand yields sustained benefits, ensures measurable growth, and positions a business as a leader in its industry—locally and perhaps globally. By leveraging the right strategies, tools, and collaborations, businesses in Ghana and Africa can achieve online dominance and long-term success.

The writer is a Marketing Strategist and Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

Email: [email protected]             Mobile: 0244355576

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