Maintaining a positive public perception of your brand is crucial because even minor slip-ups can potentially wreck your company. Unfortunately, many brands use reputation and image interchangeably, yet they are not the same.
Mistaking one for the other can be detrimental to a company’s branding efforts. Since they are different, each calls for a different strategy in terms of management, and each merits your team’s complete focus.
Reputation is the sum total of public opinion about a company’s corporate actions. It’s the deciding factor in whether or not clients will put their faith in you and do business with you. Reputation, however, cannot be changed like an image. It takes time and effort to establish a good reputation in the eyes of the public.
Company culture, product quality, and how you engage with customers all play a role in establishing your reputation.
However, your success also depends on your ability to avoid typical dangers and common errors that can permanently damage your reputation. Here are some mistakes you want to avoid if you don’t want to kill your business before it even takes off.
Ignoring the customer’s needs and wants
The importance of satisfying customers cannot be overstated. It’s imperative that you provide your customers with what they want. Their memories will color their impression of your brand, and it’s a great way to win a customer’s trust and, perhaps, earn their business again.
Say you run an online casino; gamblers typically want bonuses and offerings to help them extend their play. So, it is better for your business to, for instance, give them great bonuses. You’ll probably have more sign-ups when you offer bonus codes like Red Stag Casino bonus codes, which improves your bottom line significantly. Customers are easily swayed to switch to a competition if they receive subpar services or goods.
If you want to give your customers a better experience, make sure you don’t have issues like a slow website, rude and unhelpful customer service, or a website with a subpar interface. The key is to function as more than just a company, so consider things from the perspective of your target audience. If it’s broken, repair it.
Poor taste and grammar
Before posting online, make sure to check for spelling and punctuation mistakes. Too many mistakes indicate a lack of professionalism. People may take you for a joke if they discover that you don’t even take the time to proofread your own work. Don’t put yourself through it.
Furthermore, it’s easy to let your guard down when you’re feeling emotional or have a strong viewpoint, but keep in mind that you’re shaping the public’s perception of your business. People don’t want to deal with crude jokes and inappropriate words when they do business with you. If a comment about your brand annoys you, log off and respond later when you’re more composed.
Inconsistent messaging
To succeed in establishing credibility in the virtual world, you can’t ignore social media. In today’s branding, the “behind the scenes” strategy reflects professionalism and spontaneity. Social media networking is important because it allows you to communicate with your target audience on a more personal level.
However, that is merely one aspect of an omni-channel strategy. It’s vital to cover all the bases, from social media and mobile apps to the telephone, if you want to expand your horizons and connect with clients online and offline. If you think it sounds complicated, consider that the more channels you use, the greater the chance of inconsistency.
To succeed as a brand, you must clearly communicate your beliefs and give your customers relevant information. The integrity of your message and the accuracy of the information you provide could be compromised if you engage with them over a variety of channels. While these can’t be copied and pasted from one channel to another, they can be managed from a single hub.
Being the same as everyone else
What sets your product apart from the competition? Or are you fighting a different battle than your rivals?
Creating an original product in today’s saturated market is challenging. However, there are several ways to distinguish yourself from others if you dig a bit deeper. Consider that, although selling similar items, Burger King and McDonald’s are totally different companies enjoying considerable success in the same market.
Any “me-too” enterprise would have to cut prices drastically to attract customers. And this just spells a downward spiral for most brands out there. It would be counterproductive to your branding efforts to mimic competitors, so learn how to distinguish yourself somehow.
Aggressive sales tactics
Endless sales pitches for your product or service, regardless of what it is, will only annoy consumers and drive them away. Even if people are interested in what you have to offer, they will only stick around if you give them a reason to.
Losing followers is inevitable if you fail to see that social media is all about building and maintaining relationships. Who could possibly be unoffended by a business that constantly brags, pressures them to spend, and bombards them with ads?
Final thoughts
Brand loyalty, customer satisfaction, and expansion are all bolstered by a strong reputation. It only takes one slip-up to undo all of your hard work in building your brand’s reputation. Reputation is precious: it takes years to earn and only minutes to lose.
