By: Kelly Ann Carpentier

You can’t be awake and all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But your online brand is.

Your website doesn’t have an off switch, and neither does your brand. Here are ten different ways you can develop and make your online brand more global!

1. Put some serious thought into your design.

Don’t take your design for granted! Carefully think all this through choose the best brand for you. It’s very important to really think about what you want your brand image to say about you – because it speaks volumes. While larger corporations hire Brand Specialists, this isn’t necessary if you’re an Entrepreneur or Small Business Owner. There are more resources out there than ever before, and most of them cost very little, if anything at all. There are many free themes out there, here are 100, or if you want to take your design to the next level I recommend going with WooThemes since they are very high quality and offer two free themes with the purchase of one.

2. Keep compelling content on your radar.

It is good ideas to subscribe to the blogs you find the most interesting and helpful. One word of caution: it’s very easy to get carried away with the amount of blogs you follow. Keeping the number of blogs you follow to a manageable number will help eliminate information overload.

3. Take advantage of free Google services.

A site that organizes and centralizes all the blogs you follow into one place is called an “aggregator”. One of the best known aggregators is Google Reader. Since new blogs appear daily, it might be a good idea to set up a Google alert for your blog and other blogs in your areas of interest. This is a great way to stay current with information, brainstorm new post ideas, and to learn new things.

4. Get the word out.

One of the easiest things that you can do is to customize your email signature. We see it all the time, but many people forget to do this for themselves. For example, you could add your full name (first and last), your website URL, and any related profiles, such as LinkedIn. Whatever you put in your custom signature, keep it related to your brand. This will also subtly say “I’m a professional”. For more constant and interactive promotion of your brand, it’s highly recommended that you roll up your sleeves and get into Social Media. It’s not as scary as it may seem. Setting up a Twitter profile and engaging with the people out there is as easy as saying hello or asking a question. Staying plugged in and keeping the Twitter conversations going will help you build a community of clients, prospects, and colleagues that will reach further than an ad in the classifieds. To take this a step further, you can build a Facebook business page and fan page. Invite the people from Twitter to these pages. Be sure to leave the Facebook pages and your Twitter page public so that you are easy to find. Facebook and Twitter are instant and endless sources of global connections.

5. Keep your writing style simple.

That is, avoid using complicated sentence structures and over elaborate words. The goal is to attract the most diverse audience as possible. You don’t have to over simplify things, but make sure that your writings are easy to read. For example, if you are writing in English, you’ll want the people just learning the language to understand everything as well as the native speaker.

6. Sometimes you have to meet face-to-face.

With software like Skype, you can talk to someone face-to-face for free, no matter where they are in the world (there are some restrictions, but a general guideline is: as long as both people have Skype accounts the video calls are free. In some countries Skype can be connected to a number and called as if it were a regular phone.) Global travel can’t get any more cost effective than that! You no longer have to reschedule appointments when you are traveling for business. Simply connect with whomever you need to online. Skype is only one example of many. Review your choices and pick the one that suits your needs the best. Another way is to actually get out and about where you work or live and shake some hands. Talk to people in the line at the grocery store. Go to networking events, or other gatherings of people who might be ideal clients and colleagues. Make conversation with other parents before or after your child’s event. There are so many possibilities. The point is not just to get to know the person in front of you. It’s to get to know who they know too. And don’t worry about being nervous. We are all nervous at some point. Once the conversation gets going, you’ll be fine.

7. Be consistent.

Be certain to use the same fonts, colors, writing style and other brand specific characteristics consistent throughout every piece of written material. The reasons are that you want all of your materials to be visually appealing, and maintaining consistency is a definite plus. When you are consistent you are setting a high standard of quality, and that’s a win-win for everyone.

8. Be creative.

People love new, fresh, great ideas. Sometimes the best route is the simplest one. One of the best traits in a businessperson is to find new ways of doing what everyone else is doing. Sure, most businesses have a website now. But what can you do, in a creative way, which makes you different? Is your business card a standard size and shape like everyone else that passed out cards in the room? Does your logo make someone stop in their tracks and take notice?

9. Be memorable.

It’s no secret the endless names of companies that have achieved memorability. The key is to be memorable for the right reasons. Word of mouth can be a blessing or a curse. Once you achieve a positive global image your brand will soar all on its own. This is where all your Social Media connections come in very handy. There comes a point when you will still have to advertise, but the most effective form of marketing is the word of mouth spread by your colleagues, clients, and prospects.

10. Be supportive of others.

This doesn’t necessarily mean for business either. This does not just mean writing a check. It’s far more meaningful that you stopped what you were doing to help someone. Mentor someone who could use sound business advice. Tap into your global connections and see how they are doing. Can you give them feedback on a project they’re working on? Can you retweet their latest post on Twitter? It’s important to remember that we all began at the starting gate. And when you help and support others, we all get to the finish line.

All of the suggestions in this post let you know that it’s ok to think out of the box. Color outside the lines. Zig, zag, twist and shout. Build yourself a great global brand, and you’ll be building yourself one great future.

About the Author: Kelly Ann Carpentier is the author of the Blog: Global thinking, networking, and information all in one place. She is also a Social Media Strategist, an Open Networker and an Entrepreneur. You should follow her on Twitter: @kcarpentier77