“A brand is a specific combination of logo, words, type font, design, colors, personality, price, service, etc. It’s also a bundle of attributes.”

Those words appeared in a May 2012 article published on the Forbes website, penned by a contributor who works at a marketing agency. So you can imagine she knows a thing or two about brand identities. Today’s professional websites simply aren’t professional unless they’re building a specific brand, and the only way to do that is to adopt the most advanced strategies for cultivating a successful identity.

You want your users to associate your brand name with the physical appearance of your logo in addition to the outstanding track record of your product or service. A lot of entrepreneurs, when they initially start out on the web, don’t opt for achieving both at the same time — and that’s a big problem for gaining customers and clients. So, we’ve put together the top two website marketing tips every small business should know for forging a successful brand identity.

1. Visual branding + web focus = success.

That’s become the formula today in the age of instantaneous digitization. We all know how important branding is and we can probably all name our favorite Geico mascot by now. But television advertising is one thing; building a reliable identity online is something completely different. Think of your new website as a blank slate and a chance at reinvention. You control the colors, the layout, the information — everything. Why wouldn’t you aim for what will produce the biggest effect on your customers?

2. Building a brand means expanding into social networking.

For one thing, 54% of small business owners admit they need a little help when it comes to improving their social media marketing skills. This is true of veterinary clinic websites, online music shops and antique camera and film replacement specialists, too. Because over a billion people use Facebook worldwide, because Twitter messages make up nearly 67% of all the social media information on the web, you really can’t afford to skimp out on these particular services.

So, where do you begin?

Whether you’re running veterinary clinic websites, online sneaker emporiums, web-based vacuum cleaner repair services or even vintage clothing retail establishments, remember the numbers. Studies show that 68% of consumers are more likely to trust content that comes from a brand they already recognize. Follow these two tips to help cultivate your brand from the bottom up. Helpful sites.