7 Ways to Grow Your Digital Eco-System with Effective Branding
A cohesive digital eco-system and branding approach essential for artists, makers, creative business owners, and art groups to establish a recognisable presence across multiple platforms.
Here are seven ways to achieve this, including maintaining consistent visual identity, unified branding elements, cross-platform integration, regular content updates, interactive engagement, personalisation, and consistent call-to-actions, along with their benefits.
A Digital Eco-System Is More Than Just Branding
A digital eco-system is more than just a brand presence. While branding is always crucial for any marketing goals and campaigns, nurturing your digital eco-system is where all the different elements come together harmoniously.
Thinking in terms of a digital eco-system makes it easier to see how everything you do online is all inter-related and cross supporting each other.
Your Website As the Centre of Your Digital Eco-System
When you have a website, it becomes the centre of your digital online eco-system with every thing else, your blog, social media, newsletter, ecommerce platforms like Patreon, Etsy, Redbubble, Spoonflower and Bluethumb, all leading back to it.
You can start to build your digital presence before you invest in a website, for instance Art Trails Tasmania’s first digital hub was our Facebook page.
When Meta Owns Your Audience They Have All the Power
As Meta owns Facebook and that audience and they do have a track record of blowing away pages with all of their followers, it is vital to create your own website. Your small creative business is far more secure and able to flourish when you own your own website.
Creating and growing your own email newsletter with engaged subscribers is also very important – Meta certainly can’t blow away that audience!
Having your own newsletter audience is not just about insurance either, it is about building your own strong relationships with those who value what you’re doing.
The Power of Your Own Newsletter
An added bonus is, your newsletter goes to all of your subscribers whereas Facebook and Instagram only show your posts to a very few of your followers.
But for all of this to work, to flourish, it needs to be nurtured along in a healthy and sustainable digital eco-system that embraces thoughtful branding.
The Digital Eco-System and Branding
For artists, makers, creative business owners, and art groups, establishing a cohesive and recognisable digital eco-system, including the brand presence across multiple online platforms is essential.
Here are seven ways to achieve this, along with the benefits of doing so:
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1. Consistent Visual Identity and Branding
Branding with Colours and Logo
Use the same colour palette and logo across all your platforms. This includes social media profiles, e-commerce sites, newsletters, and websites.
So for example, this means having the same image on Facebook and Instagram, Twitter/x and Pinterest that is also on your website, newsletter etc.
This lets your audience know where they are instantly, making it easier for them to feel safe with you but also to tag you on the socials because they readily recognise your images.
Typography and Branding
Stick to a consistent set of fonts for all your written materials, from social media posts to your blog and product descriptions.
Fonts are a really serious element in your digital eco-system, not just for how things look, but vitally for how easy they are to read and recognise. This is crucial for logo design.
Avoid at all costs those difficult to read fonts, sure, they may look pretty but they are failing you big time if your audience can’t read your name! Just imagine how much more money you’re going to have to spend on name recognition if the font you’re using is working against you!
And heads up too about licensing around fonts. Font designers can have some very strict and expensive licensing agreements about how and where their fonts can be used. The simple solution can be in working with the free Google fonts.
Imagery and Design Elements in Branding
Maintain a uniform style in your photos, illustrations, and graphics.
Whether it’s a specific filter on your Instagram photos or a signature style in your artwork, consistency is key.
Again, this is so your audience can readily identify you and feel safe with you, with your business.
Some choose to keep to this rule very strictly and have quite a flat look to their work, making it all look the same. This also makes it difficult to ease into a different look and feel.
On the other hand, having lots of variety can create a chaotic look and feel.
So finding a mindful balance with how you want things to appear will give you much more clarity. And when you are pulling together content it is much easier when you have clarity of style, purpose and content.
2. Unified Branding Elements for Your Digital Eco-System
Branding Voice and Tone
Develop a distinct voice for your brand and use it consistently. Whether your tone is playful, professional, or inspirational, it should be the same across all communications.
This will make writing the content for your blogs, website, social media posts, SEO elements, ecommerce platforms so much easier.
From experience, I’d suggest going with a voice or tone that is natural for you.
It is fine if it requires you to grow professionally for it as that is healthy. It is unhealthy and inauthentic to try to be something that you’re not. So give yourself time to experiment, grow and explore, and remember to be kind to yourself. From experience, your audience will appreciate seeing you grow and be authentic.
Branding with Tagline and Messaging
Use your brand’s tagline and key messages consistently. This reinforces your brand’s core values and mission.
So taglines are important but for many, it won’t be where you start. Coming up with a good tagline can be a combination of good luck and a lightbulb moment. A tagline is often three to five words long.
But, your key messages, that is different. You can have a lot more clarity about your key messages from an early stage as they come out of your purpose for being.
For instance, for Art Trails Tasmania key messages have been from the start about building a supportive and friendly creative community, helping to share and build key business and marketing skills so artists and makers can flourish financially, making it easier for art lovers to discover wonderful artists and get along to more inspiring creative events like workshops and exhibitions.
3. Cross-Platform Integration
Consistent Bios and Descriptions
Ensure your bios and business descriptions are consistent across all platforms. This includes highlighting your mission, values, and what sets you apart.
Again, this is about enabling your followers and supporters to quickly orientate themselves with you, build trust and authenticity.
While the concept of mission statements might sound and feel a bit too corporate for an arts and crafts creative business, authentic ones always feel natural and like a good fit.
A fun way to go about figuring these out is to have a gathering of some of your fellow creative friends to come up with some ideas for each other, whether you are growing your professional artist profile, developing an arts and crafts workshop business, opening a gallery or any other creative income generating endeavour.
Social Media Links
Include links to your other profiles and platforms in your bio sections, making it easy for your audience to find you everywhere.
It is also key to have the same social media handle across different platforms, eg. @arttrailstasmania is setup for both Facebook and Instagram.
While this isn’t always possible because of timing, it is ideal to have the same name across your social media pages, website and ecommerce stores.
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Meet renowned textile artist Aukje Boonstra and her love for the ancient craft of botanical dyeing in her Artist Profile with Art Trails Tasmania
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4. Regular and Synchronised Content Updates
Content Calendars Are Crucial
Create a content calendar to plan and synchronise your posts across all platforms. This helps in maintaining regular engagement.
Life is SO much easier when you know what you’re doing! While it does take a bit of work to pull together a content calendar for your blog, newsletter and socials, once in place all of it becomes easier, simply because you know where you are going.
Integrated Campaigns within a Digital Eco-System
Run integrated marketing campaigns across multiple platforms. For instance, launch a new product on Etsy and promote it simultaneously on Instagram, Facebook, and through your newsletter.
Again, this is about planning but why put in all the work on the individual elements if you’re not going to allow them to all pull together with a simple plan?
So if you’re launching a new product in Etsy, create the graphics for promoting it at the same time. Think through the launch blog story, the newsletter piece and the social media promotions and schedule your content ready to run and flourish.
5. Interactive and Engaging Elements
User-Generated Content
Encourage your audience to create and share content related to your business. Repost their work on your profiles to build community and engagement.
So think of sharing photos of customers displaying your artwork in their homes, or fan art inspired by your work and credit the artist, or short video testimonials from satisfied customers discussing their favourite pieces.
Interactive Posts
Use polls, Q&A sessions, and live streams to engage with your audience. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook can be great for this.
While Facebook seems to only be allowing polls within Groups rather than on Business Pages, you can always subvert this with asking questions in the post and having answers in the comments.
6. Personalisation and Storytelling
Behind-the-Scenes Content
Share behind-the-scenes stories about your creative process. This can be done through Instagram Stories, blog posts, or your newsletter.
While many of us create from our dining table and don’t want to be showing a messy house, you can still take photos that are delightfully engaging. While studio images are always a perennial favourite, so too are art and craft supplies and displays of your work in situ.
Customer Stories and Testimonials
Share testimonials and stories from satisfied customers. This can be particularly effective on your website, blog, Etsy store, and social media profiles.
7. Consistent Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
Aligned CTAs
Use consistent calls-to-action across your platforms. Whether it’s “Shop Now,” “Subscribe,” “Join Us,” or “Learn More,” keep the messaging aligned.
Again, it is about consistency supporting the overall nature of your business and allowing your audience to feel safe in the digital environment you are nurturing.
Seamless Navigation
Ensure your CTAs guide your audience smoothly from one platform to another, enhancing their overall experience.
You don’t want to apply shock treatment to your followers, you want them to experience the well-being that comes from consistency and feeling that they can trust your small creative business.
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Benefits of a Cohesive Digital Eco-System and Branding
1. Branding and Recognition
Consistent visual and textual elements help your audience easily recognise and remember your brand, making it stand out in a crowded market.
2. Trust and Credibility
A cohesive and professional digital eco-system builds trust with your audience. When your branding is consistent, it signals reliability and attention to detail.
3. Enhanced User Experience
A unified approach ensures that your audience knows what to expect, making their interactions with your business smoother and more enjoyable. This will also reduce the support and customer service messages you’ll receive because it makes sense to them.
4. Increased Engagement
Regular and synchronised content keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more. It shows that you are active and invested in your community.
5. Efficient Marketing and Branding
Consistent branding across platforms maximises the impact of your marketing efforts, ensuring that your message is reinforced at every touchpoint.
6. Stronger Community
A cohesive digital eco-system fosters a sense of community among your followers, as they can connect with your business in various ways and on different platforms.
7. Higher Conversion Rates
A professional and consistent appearance can lead to higher conversion rates, as customers are more likely to purchase from business they trust and feel connected to.
Why This Is Important
Building Trust and Connection
Trust is foundational for any relationship, especially in business. A cohesive digital eco-system and branding assures your audience that you are reliable and professional.
It also helps in forming a deeper connection with your followers, as they can relate to your consistent brand story and identity.
Customer Loyalty with Branding
Consistent branding helps in building a loyal customer base. When customers recognise and value your business, they are more likely to return and recommend you to others.
Competitive Advantage
In a competitive market, a strong and cohesive branding presence sets you apart. It makes your business more memorable and attractive to potential customers.
Effective Communication
Consistency in your branding ensures that your message is clear and effective, reducing the risk of confusion or misunderstanding.
By integrating these elements, you create a seamless and engaging experience for your audience, enhancing your business’s reputation and fostering deeper connections with your followers and customers.
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Read What Our Members Say About Belonging
Join the growing, supportive artists community today and have your Artist story told here.
Belinda is doing a great job creating a professional looking artist hub online. Check out the profile I posted recently to see how well she does them. To all my artist friends let’s help make this THE go to place to discover local artists.
You won’t regret joining Art Trails Tasmania . It’s a welcoming community for creatives at any career stage.Becoming an Art Trails Tasmania member wasn’t a hard decision for me to make as it’s such a wealth of knowledge and support.Being member provides a quality way to showcase your creative endeavours and it’s quickly growing in reach.
We operate a home based picture framing business and recently joined Art Trails Tasmania as a means to giving us exposure to the wider artist community. We have almost immediately seen increase in activity thru our online sites, which I am certain will lead to more opportunities to grow our business.
