Although we are well beyond the web’s infancy, developing an effective online business is still not an easy thing to do. A strong brand identity is often what’s missing. Without it, even the best business concepts will struggle and fail. Branding, specifically in an online environment, can be difficult, and there are very few resources out there for businesspeople looking to learn more about the topic.

If you search for books on web business, you’ll find lots that promise eBay riches and many that explain the basics of working from home, but few tackle the serious and challenging topic that is branding. Thankfully, Ian Corcoran does so in his book “The Art of Digital Branding”, and it just might be the only book you need on the subject.

Corcoran’s writing is engaging, even when the topic - IP addresses, domain names, search engine optimization – is unavoidably dry. Some of this content may not be new to the seasoned web designer, but for marketers and business folk, understanding the tech behind website naming is a crucial first step in understanding online branding. And if you’re so confident as to skim, this and all other sections have very handy key point wrap-ups at the end.

As the book delves further into branding, using very current site studies (Ferrari, Puma, and Manchester United to name a few), you’ll learn not only design tips but also a great deal about the psychology of branding. For example, you’ll learn how the brain takes in and makes sense of a company’s brand. This will help you understand how your audience views your brand, as well as how you might sometimes misinterpret your brand. This will help you make better design and marketing decisions. Corcoran’s background in retail business likely plays a big role here, as web businesspeople can learn a lot about effective branding from brick-and-mortar retail.

The book’s overall focus on the lifespan of a web business—from naming to first impressions to later marketing needs to future functionality—makes it a valuable reference at any stage of the branding and marketing process. All types of business sites are covered, everything from nonprofits to luxury retailers. Popular and effective marketing techniques are discussed so as to help you gain and maintain sales, and the confusing technology that drives many of these techniques (XML, Java, and so on) is described clearly for business-focused readers. Attention web designers: Don’t expect code or software tips here. This book is about making the right choices, not how to make them happen on your computer.

Corcoran wraps things up with a discussion of corporate philanthropy and its relationship to branding, as well as some fascinating thoughts on emotional influence and its role in web branding. These closing remarks remind readers that web audiences contain real people with brains and hearts that inform decision-making.

Quite simply, this is a fantastic book in a very unassuming package: no glamorous cover, no color images, no slick paper stock. There’s nothing to distract you from the engaging and incredibly useful content. You’ll find tips you can apply to your web business right now and ways to plan for future success.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 5th, 2007 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.