Trends in 2016: Branding and Domain Name Importance

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It’s no surprise how important branding is and will be in 2016. According to Forbes, in 2016 alone, we expect to see branding gone mobile. Not only that, but the hottest content will be user generated. Social becomes the new Internet. Great ever green content, as well as in-depth articles, tutorials and how-to’s are expected to answer real questions and solve real problems. People perform now, more than ever semantic web search queries, so any content (be it text, audio, video, images) should be optimized based on user behaviour. Transparency will be the foundation of any CRM system, therefore brands need to invest more in all the above.
Which brings us to the hot topic of branding and domain name and the reasons why they play a key role in the growth of a company.

3 Trends for Branding in 2016

The following are the most important highlights for 2016’s industry trends.

#1. Brands Owning Readership

Yes, that’s right: your brand has to own its readership in order to make it in the new world. This means paying extra attention and extra care to what your customers and potential customers need. The good old saying of “underpromise and overdeliver” is as much applicable today as it was 5 or 10 years ago. Happy customers means business growth, since the customers will embrace the brand’s vision and spread the message if they feel align to it.

#2. Brands Shifting to a More Diverse Audience

With all the Gen Y fuss and Millennials, some brands have already lost traction. The “brand of tomorrow” needs to shift its focus to a more diverse audience: young and old, we are 7billion people on the Planet. If you want to step up, broaden your audience perspective.

#3. Brands Focusing on Product Development, Not Just Services

According to FM Digital Group, the business model based on service providing will never disappear, however product development definitely gets more exposure in 2016. Developing a product can help answer more needs than just providing a service. However, combined, these two become a real unstoppable force in the business world.

Branding and Domain Name

While there is an endless debate to whether the corporate website is dead or not, the domain name surely isn’t. A website is all about design, usability, content and users. Make it mobile-only or mobile friendly and you are already one step ahead of the game. The domain name however is part of the branding. We saw how the first shift in domain names affected the web: from keyword domain names to branded domain names. That isn’t going to die soon. People still look for information on brands and most of the times, end up on their websites.
The website is still that “go-to” place to gather more info, while social media is the “go-to” for CRM purposes. When asked about more information, community managers will point out to documents, FAQs, articles found on the brand’s website. Which brings us to one conclusion: branding and domain names go hand in hand in building a name online. The next step should be building a community around it.

Image via TheMarketingBit