A business’s brand is the way people perceive that business – in essence your brand is your business. Brands and perceptions of brands are created in a number of manners – from your messaging on social media, to your website design and content.
A holistic approach is a winning approach when it comes to branding, however not all businesses succeed in accomplishing this all-inclusive methodology. Branding that doesn’t match internal and external audiences’ perceptions can cause conflict, problems and ideally should be changed.
Fortunately, though you can’t control what people say about a brand, you can help shape the brand and alter their perception of it. Here’s how to do so:
Attentiveness
Be attentive and monitor and listen to see what peopbrandingle say about your brand, the conversations they are having, what they say about your products, competitors and the industry as a whole. Following, gathering, gauging and then adapting your business around this information, allow you to fill gaps, meet demand and repair potential issues before they hit. It can even be used to create new products. This sort of attentiveness is the backbone of successful brands.
Honesty Helps
If there’s an issue, don’t ignore it. Always apologise and say sorry if there is a problem with your brand, product or service. People will always appreciate a bit of honesty and allow you a second chance if they feel you are making inroads into solving the problem. Not doing this often causes significant issues for a brand.
Be Open to Criticism
Don’t get angry when someone criticizes your company, product or brand. In fact, be grateful as it could be a crucial opportunity to improve your brand and discuss issues and policies. Criticism is a form of feedback that you would otherwise pay a lot of money to marketing companies to uncover. Be grateful people are offering you feedback and use it to change your business for the better and create more loyal customers.
Be Smart and Be Active
Businesses need to be at the cutting edge of their field; however they should not be outside of their field. By saying this we mean that though Twitter may be the Holy Grail for a lot of businesses in finding prospects, it may not work for everyone. If your prospects aren’t on this particular social media site, there’s no need to be. Often using a marketing company with knowledge of social media and branding can help you reap rewards. Remember, always be active in new areas; however gauge the need to engage with them before doing so. If there is a potential audience to participate with make sure to, if not then it’s a waste of time.
Consistent Branding
Branding should be consistent and messages should be consistent across all areas for a brand. This allows them to create a ubiquitous brand. Figure out a universal vision and implement that across the business in a holistic manner to create a brand tone of voice that works across all areas.
Be Open
Be open to complaints even if they can’t be solved or even if they don’t deserve to be. Be creative and open and even if the complaint is not solvable, other customers will see you tried your best and appreciate that.
Shout it Loud
When you create that branding then go ahead and post it everywhere and shout it loud. It will become something people will become accustomed to and people will know what you stand for.
Follow these tips online and offline and you will be able to create a winning brand that reflects your mind set and company aims through every one of your channels.
Author: Cormac Reynolds
Courtesy: www.revenews.com
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