Creating your online brand

5.5 billion people use the internet around the world. In the UK, 56 million people are now active on social media. How many potential customers could that mean for your business?

An online identity that's clear, engaging and easy to recognise can help customers to find your online channels and connect with you.

It can be quite scary when you see so many large businesses that you're trying to compete with. Boosting your brand can be a low-cost way to stand out.

Your customers can access your online channels 24/7. This could include sales plus customer service. These are available for your audience at a time that works for them.

Being online gives you new ways to talk to your audience. You’ll have lots of ways to share your messages. It also helps you to build a two-way conversation and community. So, whether you're sharing your latest offer or trying to form deeper relationships, you can do all this online.

An effective online channel can help your users to find exactly what they need, quicker. You can also use your channels to support those who are trying to contact you for help.

If you have a diverse digital presence, you can advertise between your channels. For example, you can use your social media channels to point people towards your website. This means each of your online channels has both a consistent brand and a unique purpose.

Logos should be a unique reflection of your business. To create a strong logo, think about what you want it to represent. It may help to think about whose logo stands out to you and why.

When you're looking at logos, check out both the website and mobile app versions. See how sometimes these are different, as people view the app on a smaller screen. This is good to bear in mind as you'll want people to spot your logo instantly, whichever channel or device they use.

Which colours or colour schemes jump out to you? You might already have a feel for the colours you want to use. Maybe you're not sure about the colours but you know what kind of tone you want to strike. Web or graphic designers can help you pick colours to match the tone of your site. So if you're using a designer, speak with them and get their advice.

Colours mean different things to different people. Be aware of cultural differences in terms of the meaning and effect of certain colours, especially if your brand is international. Look at large brands to see the colours they use, and the effect they have on you as a consumer.

Typefaces and fonts can say a lot about your business. If you're a law firm, you'll need text that looks professional. A toy store might want to reflect the fun of their products. Maybe you're a business aimed at helping people to relax through meditation - you'd want your typeface to suggest calm.

Clean-looking typefaces (known as 'sans serif') like Arial and Calibri are easiest to read on a screen. They don't have the little 'flicks' at the start and end of the letters that serif fonts like Times New Roman have. These little 'flicks' are great for reading on paper, but aren't so clear on a screen. Once you've decided on a typeface, consider the font. That's the different ways of showing a typeface. Bold and italic fonts can add emphasis, though italics can be harder to read on a screen.

Showing your brand through images can be really effective. But you need to be careful how you use these - and what you use.

Photography and graphics should always be relevant to your brand, to your customers, and to your products or services. Adding a nice photograph just because you like it could just confuse your audience. Check what your images look like on large PC screens and again on mobile devices. Blurred, squashed or stretched visuals can really put off customers - and give the impression that your organisation doesn't care about quality.

Take care to have a consistent look and feel that your customers recognise straight away. Also, check the rules around image usage. You can't just copy and paste images from Google. Consider using stock images from sources such as Shutterstock, Adobe or Getty Images. If you're working with a design agency, they can do this for you.

When we think of branding, we often think of just colour schemes and logos. But our tone of voice - the words we use and the way we use them - is just as important.

Look at examples of websites that align with your own brand. For example, if your brand is luxury, you could look at a luxury car site. Look at the words on it, the way they present themselves to you. How does it make you feel? Is this what you’re aiming for with your own brand?

Also think about your business's key values. You're aiming to reflect these in your tone of voice. So, you might show you're a caring business through a conversational approach that focuses on your customers' needs.

Once you've got a feel for your tone of voice, make sure it's a consistent one. It's a good idea to check if your website, social channels and any offline content all match. Everything should feel joined up, no matter how your customers are interacting with you.