When you realize your website is not just a warehouse of goods you have graduated to the next level of web entrepreneurship. Most newbs will obsess over the web building tools and in their fervor to get something up and working; they neglect the core of what they should be doing. And that’s building the core of a brand focus, stopping long enough to actually write some things down and make a website plan.

Branding is not just for cows any more.

Branding, in marketing and not agricultural terms, is simply defining your product and its place in the market. It is recognizing what segment of the market will value what you have to sell and WHEN you need to appeal to a certain audience. And it is recognizing that you need to make your product or service memorable or catch attention so that you are the “go to” supplier for particular items or information or service. It is defining the how-will-you-stand-out approach.

Coca Cola does this. They recognize the point at which they need to appeal to an audience. For instance, your loyalty to the taste of Coke versus Pepsi is an acquired taste. It’s simply something you get used to and therefore you like it and keep going back. To get you to try it, they presented a brand image. You fell for it and now you have a favorite and you are addicted to their brand. They have accomplished their task and they maintain their focus on this mission.

American beer companies advertise to the young, male bracket with “fart joke” mentality commercials.

And it works. Beer manufacturers like Budweiser recognize that brand loyalty for their beer is established at a young age. This kind of entertainment or commercial inspires sales in this bracket and they know that once loyalty is established, the chances of that person going back and getting that brand are very high. All of these companies have separate campaigns to appeal to particular markets. Beer companies have campaigns for the minority U.S. markets, for example.

How do you brand a website?

If you already have an existing business, you carry that over to the web. But if your website is your flagship, you create a marketing strategy based on your product and your target market position. And you want to find that crowd to whom you don’t have to “hard sell” because they are at the point they are ready to listen.

For instance, my market for the WebPrepPro eTutorial is the group who has some experience with trying to build an internet business. It’s too hard a sell to get the newbies on board because they are so overwhelmed and entranced with the sexy web tools, they simply aren’t likely to be ready to look at the foundation. My market is those who’ve noticed their website is not doing what they want—isn’t converting or showing any ROI, has very little traction or loyalty to any group. It’s the group that recognizes they need to do something different to stand out.

It is about DEFINING your product or service and assigning it a personality.

Think of a brand as a definition. You sell such and such to these people. You sell camping gear to hardcore rock and mountain climbing enthusiasts. You sell camping gear to weekend campers by promoting it as a low-cost family bonding time or love of the outdoors. So while niche is the buzz word of the decade, you don’t have to paint yourself into a narrow corner. But you do need to give it a personality so it represents something to a group of people. You want to create enough of a position to stand out and be something to somebody that values what you have to offer.

How do you brand your blog?

Stay tuned for more blogspeak on branding the blog.