Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)

9 C's for ensuring your brand's success

December 4, 2008 Also, at the Furniture Marketing Group's conference in Las Vegas a couple years back, I gave a speech on my 8 C's of Internet branding. These are still applicable today and I've added one more; bringing the total to 9 C's.  They are:

1. Convenience - How easy is it to find your company's web site?  Is your URL your company's name, or is it something nobody would connect with you?
2. Content - Does your content engage the audience and move them through the sales funnel? Is it engaging and compelling? 
3. Consistency - Does your company's brand look the same across every single page and Web site?
4. Customization - Are your visitors able to create their own experience by navigating the pages in multiple ways?
5. Community -Is there dialogue happening between you and the visitors?  Are they emotionally connected to you?
6. Connectivity - How many links are there to other sites and how many links exist back to your site?  All of this has to do with Google's algorithms deeming the site relevant to others. Plus it helps your traffic.
7. Customer Care - Do people feel they're taken care of and, that if something goes wrong, they understand how to get the problem solved?
8. Communications - Is there a way to capture their email and information to engage in multiple email conversations?
9. Conviction - When you perform a search on yourself on Google (or Yahoo, etc.), have others adopted your brand and are they discussing you without your involvement?

As an example, I'll look at Natura Beds / Euro Beds because I already own one:

1. Convenience - I typed in www.naturabeds.com and the company popped up. Check.
2. Content - The content leaves me wanting.  It gives me details about the mattress and helps me through the sales funnel, but it's not engaging.  No check.
3. Consistency - Their company's brand looks the same across every single page. Check.
4. Customization - Although this Web site is not driven by a database, and therefore customizable, it does have multiple navigation options to give the customer the information they want, and doesn't necessarily force them down a specified sales tunnel. Check.
5. Community -I don't feel there is a dialogue happening between me and them, and although the colors are soothing and the site makes me feel relaxed, this site doesn't have a community component.
6. Connectivity - According to Marketleap, they have a very low average of people linking to their site.  Plus I noted that Natura only has a few outside links, from their site to others outside their company.  PriceGrabber is the only one I saw.
7. Customer Care - I found their warranty information, and on their Contact Us page, they have phone, snail mail and an email form.  That was comforting.  As with all mattress manufacturers I'm discovering, I cannot click-to-chat with someone, and their warranty information makes me feel confused. It speaks in legalese, not consumer-ese (images, diagrams, etc.)
8. Communications - On their homepage, they ask for consumer's email and information to engage in multiple email conversations. Check.
9. Conviction - Although I love my bed, and I found a couple testimonials, I wasn't sold on their brand from my search. I didn't see a presence on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. either.

In summary, Natura Beds has 4 out of 9 elements that would make them a successful online brand. These 9 elements help create a subconscious emotional attachment and they don't have all of them.  Maybe that's a reason why I'm not feeling compelled to buy another one for my guest room?  I'm not sure...

Posted by Suze Bragg on December 4, 2008 | Comments (0)