In the era of startups and a flourishing business eco-system, a company cannot afford to remain in the shadows, or to ignore a reputation issue. Many new companies do their best to build their image from the ground up only to ignore it as increasing revenue and expanding become their only priorities. On the other hand, veterans in the world of business know that continuous investing in protecting and enhancing your reputation is the only way you will ever stay at the very top.
With so many new tactics popping up every day, experts coming up with more solutions to support your image, and your own competition conjuring up their own methods, it can be tough call to make when you need to choose how to invest to safeguard your image. The listed five are universally relevant across all major industries and will remain so in the years to come, no matter how many new and cool trends appear.
Build relationships
If there’s a single marketing approach that has worked wonders for brands old and new, big and small alike, it’s collaborating with the right people. You don’t necessarily have to bond with the Kardashians, but you can surely find an influential person online who shares your values, and who would love working with you.
They will not just disseminate your story and make you more visible, but they’ll also allow organic reputation growth through reviews, comments, and other forms of online engagement that tends to sprout as a result of collaboration. However, one-time campaigns mostly work with larger, already strong brand names, so your best bet is to think about investing in a long-term influencer relationship.
Design with care
Your website is one of your greatest assets, and as such, it deserves to be pampered to perfection. Talk to your programmers and designers as to how you can optimize your website to perform better, or how you can improve your content distribution to increase user engagement.
It’s one thing to stick blindly to general rules and trends of the web design game, but it takes extra effort to make your online presence stand out. It’s not just about leaving a breathtaking first impression, but also offering many reasons in a single second for your customers to continue building more positive impressions as they browse.
Improve your communication
How your customer service represents your brand is a major factor in how your customers will perceive you overall, and if they will become loyal, or head straight to your competitor. If you wish to show your clientele that you are a respectable, reliable business, you can buy a 1300 number which will help you build a seamless, single-point communication channel for all your customers’ inquiries.
An added benefit of this approach is that as a result, your effective communication and availability will profoundly improve your brand image in the eyes of your customers. People appreciate a quick and efficient response when they have a question, a concern, and especially a complain, so enabling them to reach you through one number is a two-fold win for your reputation.
Get busy on social media
Although having the right influencers by your side is one of the best ways to stay not just visible, but also relevant on social networks, you also need an active social presence of your own. This is where the majority of your customers make their buying decisions, and due to these networks’ predominantly informal tone, you have a perfect chance to bond in a much friendlier, simpler way.
However, staying consistent is the key in order for your social efforts to make sense. Your followers need to know instantly that a post comes from your brand, and your posts should reflect your image in such a way to convey meaning, value, and emotion. All of that with a few words on Twitter or a single image on Instagram? Absolutely! Use these networks to connect with people in a way they will gladly engage with your company and continue using your brand.
Build your reputation from within
Too many companies overlook the importance of building their reputation within their own walls – don’t be one of them, give your employees a multitude of reasons to love and respect you, and that will come with a return of investment that it’s almost impossible to measure. It’s not enough to just hire the right people, but you need to give them room to grow, and actually fall in love with your brand just like your customers would.
A happy employee is a powerful source of reputation-boosting through simple word-of-mouth. They’ll talk about you when the clock strikes five and they go for a beer with their friends who may need your product or service. Kind words coming from your employees (just look at Google) can do wonders for how the general public will perceive you, or if they will choose to give your brand an opportunity to impress them.
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David Webb
Business consultant
david.wiliam.webb@gmail.com
david.wiliam@bizzmarkblog.com