There are a number of ways that companies can maintain a positive brand image, but the most important aspect of this is to keep your company’s values in mind. It’s not enough to just have good products and services; you also need to be an ethical company with strong values if you want your customers to feel confident about buying from or investing in your business.
This blog post will outline what you need to do to maintain a positive brand image and ensure customer loyalty.
Invest Well in Customer Service
Things are bound to go wrong from time to time – even for the best-run businesses. Most customers are quite reasonable when things do go awry; they “get it.” What really matters is how you as a company deal with problems that have occurred.
Make sure to invest in your customer service as best you can even if you are a small business. Take advantage of social media to open new channels to make your company easily accessible if things go wrong. Consider investing in the latest technology, like chatbots or video conferencing software, to help provide the best customer service experience you can.
Get it right and mistakes can even work in your favor. If somebody has had a positive experience with your customer service, then they are likely to let other people know about it and word soon gets around. If you don’t provide good service, however, then you can expect your brand image to take quite a beating.
Protect Yourself Against Controversy
If your brand is involved in any sort of controversy, it can put a serious dent in how people perceive you. Try and avoid doing business with businesses or individuals that some people might find controversial. This includes working with businesses with perceived poor-quality goods or services, as the perception can easily rub off on your brand as well.
Also, make sure you are protected from controversy internally. Ensure that your employees and teams are abiding by rules and regulations, and that you are focused on maintaining high ethical standards at all times. Remember also that you can’t monitor each of your employees individually, making it very difficult to catch unscrupulous behavior. With this in mind, consider using whistleblowing system so your employees can report unwelcome behavior knowing they are not going to get in trouble for doing so.
Use Quality Content Only
Whether it is on your blog, an advertisement, or a social media post, the content you use will have a profound effect on the impression people have of your brand.
With this in mind, it is important to ensure that any content associated with your company is always of the highest quality. Any images you use in marketing need to be professional and great-looking. Video and audio need to be of high production quality, and written content also needs to be of a high standard.
When it comes to written content, always try and aim to be interesting and useful. Otherwise, it will just come across as spammy and this will not reflect well on your brand. Also make sure to get the basics right, such as spelling and grammar. It can be easy even for experienced writers to miss mistakes, so make sure a grammar checker is always used when your content is being created.
Keep Your Messaging Consistent
People tend to identify with a brand not just for its products but also what it stands for. Brands tend to appeal to particular demographics, and the content they create should always be consistent with their target demographic.
Say, for example, a luxury brand started releasing content aimed toward the budget end of the market; it’s likely to make their existing clients feel as though they are losing their connection with the brand. It can make people feel as though your brand is no longer what it used to be in the same way we might feel as though a loved one is changing as a person. This might ultimately cause your customers to move to a competitor they feel more familiar with.
Remember to always remember who your target audience is. If you try and change your message to include a wider demographic then you might end up losing the people who have helped make your business flourish. The consequences of losing your key supporters could be devastating to your business.
Website User Experience
For most companies, their website is essential to their business. It’s how the business communicates and promotes their products, and for many it’s the portal through which sales are made. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly common for businesses to operate with no other ways for their customers to interact with them. With this in mind, a good website user experience is essential if your brand is to be viewed in a good light.
One of the most common ways a website can damage a brand is that it loads slowly. This can cause visitors to become impatient, and it’s not just the website they’re getting frustrated with – they’re likely to be feeling the same about your brand overall. Other common issues include a confusing website that’s difficult to navigate, making it hard for people to find what they want. A lot of people will also become frustrated with too many ads, and complicated forms can be a deal-killer
Take yourself on a tour of your website and try to imagine you’re a potential customer. Ask yourself if it is what you would expect from a website and make sure any issues are repaired as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Protecting their brand is one of the most important things a company should be mindful of. People associate so closely with brands that damage to the brand image can irreparably damage their relationship with it. This will likely cause them to choose another brand instead, and it will usually be very difficult to win them back again.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to help ensure your brand image stays in good shape. By following the few suggestions above, you can help prevent some of the most common causes of damage to a brand’s image.
illustration: business vector by pikisuperstar