Not the best choice of colors, but an efficient logotype and choice of artwork. This is how Braintree is marketing its brand online. The company sells credit card tokenization (interesting choice of terms) – practically offering a service that will increase the security of credit card transactions via Internet, mail or phone. And they do it all by the book – what a great online PR department they must have.

So this is one of the few online endeavors that might serve as an example of “how to do things right” for many startups.

It’s all there, in their pages:

• focus on the “you” – the customer;
• complete display of benefits;
• a good company presentation;
• transparency in pricing;
• good credentials and an impressing portfolio;
• clear privacy policy;
• obvious contact details;
• good navigability and site usability;
• clear-cut design;
• and a subtle, subliminal “we are different” message on every page.

Different by Design

As I said, there is a subtle “we are different” message all over the site.

Starting from the logotype, to the artwork – there is always something that stands out from the crowd. From a bunch of silver balls, a blue one stands for Braintree. From a row of silver eggs, a golden one stands for Braintree. The site delivers the same clear message thorough all its pages: stability, clarity, simplicity and reliability.

The use of graphics is minimal – here and there stock photography is used to emphasize the message. Of course, it can be done better – with some financial effort the site could even get unique artwork (which will bring even more credibility for a site that deals with money).

Different by Content

To understand this statement you need to visit the site and “scan” it. Not read it. Scan it. You will notice that, after a few seconds on each page, you will know what the site is dealing with and which is its purpose.

It’s all about content structure, dosage and sense. Headlines are headlines, links have meaningful anchor texts, there’s a lot of emphasis on service benefits and we get content in all possible forms: text, audio and video. The company does make good efforts into providing a unique experience for its visitors.

The company blog stands under the same characteristics: simplicity and straightforwardness.

Lessons to Learn

Far from being the perfect website, Braintree is pretty close to perfection. It still can be improved (especially from an SEO perspective) but the users’ perspective is up to 80 % covered – and that’s a lot.

So what do we learn from Braintree? Nothing new. The basics of online marketing are there: keep it simple, keep it minimal, keep it clear.

Business websites need to convey transparency and reliability. By providing substantial “about” information and by presenting the people behind the business, Braintree gains in credibility. We see (on the About pages) serious businessmen – with serious CVs – the kind of people who actually know what they are talking about. We also see a message from the CEO with some forced body language, but the fact that he is actually there, in person, does the job.

All in one: be bold, be different and be genuine. That’s your ticket to success.