Some powerful brands cost more than the whole companies themselves. In 2005 Coca-Cola’s brand cost $67,000 million and was the most expensive brand in the world. In this article I want to discuss the brands’ phenomenon in detail, especially creating successful web hosting brands.
As the name may define the child’s destiny so the brand may determine the future of any web hosting business. Making a good brand should be a primary marketing task for every business. Whereas well thought-out brand may persuade customers to purchase your products or services, bad brand may cause uncertainty while choosing your goods or deciding having business with your company.
Let’s see how we can create a good brand for our businesses. Brand itself is a compound concept, made of a lot of elements. I’d mark out 2 main parts of brand, which have their own internal subdivision, so
Brand consists of:
- Company’s representation
- Company’s reputation
Company’s representation includes:
- brand name
- graphical issues, such as banners, logo, print ads etc.
- slogan
- corporative style
- value proposition
In its turn’s company’s reputation is formed due to:
- quality of products and services the company provides
- all written documentation, such as official letters, e-mails, forum posts (it should be grammatically correct and sensible)
- how the company provides its customers with all necessary information and support (tutorials, phone support, live chat, own web hosting forum, rich web hosting articles base)
- software, control panels (it may be paid or free, depending on it, it’s possible to determine the level of service and company’s “gravity”)
- making backups, uptime and money back guarantee (the company which announces good service but doesn’t provide listed issues can’t be considered a good web hosting company)
- reliability – your customers should be confident that even if your company is not-long-ago-created it’s reliable and value its reputation very much, so all issues that may appear will be solved.
Company’s reputation is a not-one-day task; it may have been creating for a long time and requires a lot of efforts.
As regards the company’s representation in general and brand name in particular, I’d like to pay your attention to some well-known web hosting brands and do a little investigation. I think almost everyone, who had ever dealt with choosing web host and searching info about appropriate hosting companies heard about such web hosting services providers as:
What strikes our eyes? All of these brand names are short (or just not too long), well-sound and easy remembered. We see that in some of them the name of business is mentioned, in others the conception is described. The brand may have some sense, for example, represent the issue of the business or be just a surname of the creator, but anyway it must have its own legend.
I’m an adherent of the idea, that all graphics for the earnest web hosting company should be created by professional web designer. The banners, logos and website design at last, should be different from the army of other web hosting providers and hitch up but not annoy the visitors. The process of logo creation seems to be the most crucial - it’s your differential sign and it can’t be changed easily. The texts, you provide, should be interesting, engaging and useful.
Corporative Style.
Maybe this point is not of vital importance, but I’d advise every company to develop its own corporative style, as it helps the colleagues to feel as one team and to work for the welfare of company and represent the company’s values and goals. When the workers see the common goal and are interested in working for your company, they do their best to bring the company to prosperity and to satisfy the customers.
Satisfied customers in their turns will be glad to have business with you and the reputation of your company will grow naturally. And this kind of reputation means a lot.
By Olga Elizarova (c), ©Copyright B10WH.com 2007
