While in our personal lives, we agree that Joanne Jett got it right, from a business stand point your brand’s reputation is everything! Building your brand is hard enough and ensuring that its reputation remains intact requires work, but the stronger it is, the more your audience will trust you and become ambassadors for you for a lifetime. So, what influences brand reputation? Reputation is a culmination of the appearance, the words, the voice and the actions that you use for your brand. All of which will be represented through your website, your social media, consumer reviews, customer service, product/service quality, Google and if applicable, Wikipedia. It’s also important to note that in today’s cultural climate, it’s crucial to take stances on socioeconomic and environmental issues as well, especially with the younger generations in mind. That being said, here are some ways that your brand can increase its reputation and keep it there for years to come!
Make customer service priority #1. This is your chance for face to face interaction with your audience so make sure it’s a positive experience for them. According to Microsoft, 58% of customers who feel their experience falls short will sever their relationship with them. It takes only one person’s negative experience to ruin potential business and if you make a mistake don’t be afraid to own up to it! People appreciate honestly and trust those who hold themselves accountable.
Actively listen. It’s important that you apply feedback from your customers now that they have given it. Whether positive or negative. Who’s talking about you? What are they saying? Make sure to stay on top of this and respond to every review. It will show others who are looking to work with your brand that you do care and listen in order to resolve problems that may have arisen.
Create high-quality content and be consistent on social media. The speed at which news travels on social media is insurmountable. It’s also important that people see you post consistently with relevant content in your field. Answering any comments or direct messages in a timely manner is crucial to keeping your reputation high with your followers. Here are some more key tips for social channels:
Schedule posts when they perform best
Have a developed and consistent brand voice
Amplify positive reviews and testimonials
Search engine results. Improving your SEO on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon, and YouTube are all important. Google is king nowadays and is the most convenient. People tend to choose the one with the best search profile and think about it, there are only about 10 or 11 on that first page. This forms first impressions for those that are new to your brand. People will form opinions quickly from these top listed, relevant brands.
Character is defined as moral or ethical quality and this is the foundation of your brand, so make sure that what people see online is what they get in real life. Having this cohesiveness between brand character and reputation will protect you. Although it may seem that the way that others view your brand is outside of your control, you can remain focused on those things that you can control that will ultimately affect the opinions of the public.
