As a business, your image is important. Whether you’re a multinational company or a local SME it’s all too quick and easy to ruin that positive and friendly image. Here are eight ways that you could be sabotaging your organisation, without even realising it.
You’re not updating your website
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of not updating your website content, especially if you are a small organisation. When your main focus is keeping your businesses running from day to day, most other areas are just an afterthought. However, neglecting your site can be seriously damaging to your image. Lack of fresh content, incorrect contact details and overlooked grammatical errors can all cause people to click off of your website. Regular content updates make all the difference.
You push for quantity over quality
Whether it’s your printed literature or your blog, an information overload is not what customers want. If it’s an update on what you’re up to, keep it short. If it’s information about a new product, just provide people with the facts. If you want to say more, give people the opportunity to explore and read on but don’t bombard them with the information all at once. This type of copy doesn’t appeal to everyone and could potentially put people off of your brand.
You’re posting on social media without thinking
Everyone can see what you post on your social media accounts – customers, potential customers and the press. It’s a powerful tool for those buying your products and one poorly worded tweet can completely destroy a company’s image in a matter of days. Be sure to post content that is relevant to your brand, avoid anything that you think may become misconstrued and always be kind and helpful to those who choose to interact with you through this medium.
You don’t have a social media presence
Whilst posting on social media can be dangerous territory, having no social presence at all is unthinkably damaging to your business. This is especially the case for companies who are just starting out and may not have a website that is fully up and running yet. Social media is a great way to build a positive brand image for yourself and allows you to interact with customers on a more personal level.
You aren’t asking for customer feedback
Customer feedback is not only a great tool for improving business functionality but helps to improve your image too. Although customers don’t enjoy being bombarded with marketing questions, they do like to feel wanted. Customers are used to interacting with businesses in a more informal way thanks to social media. So, if a few informal feedback questions are thrown their way they’ll most likely be happy to respond.
You ignore negative feedback
Receiving and sharing positive feedback from customers is a good way to enhance your image but ignoring the negative comments isn’t going to make them go away. Addressing customer concerns, especially on social media and review sites, will do far more to enhance your image than simply pretending they don’t exist. If others can see that you are actively trying to resolve a customer’s problem, they are far more likely to respect you than if you give someone the silent treatment.
Your customer communication is poor
Good communication is the key to a successful brand. Your customer service says much about who you are, so if it’s poor it will reflect badly on your image. Communication between you and your customers has to be clear and friendly whether it’s over the phone, in a letter or online. It’s important to remind yourself that your customers are the ones driving the business and that they will also help to drive your organisation’s positive image.
You don’t have a clear brand message
A clear brand message will help to drive multiple areas of your business but shaping a positive image has to be one of the most important. Your premises, staff members, social media accounts and your website should clearly and collectively represent the positive values of your business. Continuously reinforcing a clear brand message across all platforms is not just important, but crucial if you want to nurture your businesses image.
Get in touch if you would like to know more about communicating your brand more effectively.
