What is digital branding and how to do it right: the ultimate guide

A brand without a digital presence is like a car without tires. It’s not going to get anywhere fast. Though old-fashioned, “analog” branding hasn’t quite gone the way of horse and buggy, businesses today need a diversified array of digital branding tools to cement their real-world presence.

Kick off your own brand strategy with our essential guide to digital branding. We’ll explore everything from social media to SEO and influencers to emails so you can make sure your digital brand campaign checks all the right boxes.

What is digital branding? —

Digital branding is how you design and build your brand online through websites, apps, social media, video and more. Digital branding consists of a combination of digital marketing and internet branding to develop a brand online.

Why does a digital brand presence matter? Well, look up from that phone you’re probably on… We’re all using our devices constantly. Most of us engage with the larger world through the lens of the internet, which makes it essential for brands to reach target customers and convert one-time users into long-term loyalists.

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Digital branding enables any company to make its presence known anywhere—even in the palm of your hand. After all, if my mom has an Instagram, why shouldn’t my favorite shoe brand?

Digital branding vs. digital marketing

What’s the difference between digital branding and digital marketing? While digital branding focuses on providing value and inspiring loyalty and brand recognition, digital marketing is all about finding new customers and generating sales.

Advertisements are lobbed at you constantly online, even if you don’t notice it. That’s digital marketing at its best. Ads might come in the form of an Instagram celeb touting their favorite makeup or a pop-up coupon on a website.

Unlike traditional ads, digital branding doesn’t talk at you; it seeks to engage with you. It’s more about establishing an online identity and positive feelings, rather than inspiring people to make a one-time purchase. Learn all about the different types of digital marketing here.

The benefits of digital branding

A robust digital presence makes customers feel personally involved with a company or product. Well-crafted branding fosters relationships with users and allows you to speak directly with consumers through day-to-day interactions on the platforms they’re already using.

Target your audience

Your company’s online presence is the premiere mode by which most potential customers will learn about and interact with your brand. Digital branding let’s you zero-in on your audience by targeting specific customer groups through the online platforms they use most frequently: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.

Take a company like Outdoor Voices, a workout clothing brand. In a matter of years, it’s developed its own social media hashtag, #DoingThings, which customers tag when they’re wearing its clothing and embodying its lifestyle. Currently, more than 155,000 posts are tagged with #DoingThings on Instagram alone.