There was once a time when a business could rally on word of mouth and the community it’s based in to do the marketing for them. Now, when almost every business is competing worldwide, this is no longer possible.
Efforts made to improve your company image and to establish it as a business that can be trusted and that’s worth working for need to be prepared and based on research. This doesn’t mean that improving a company image is always expensive, but it needs to come from an understanding between a business and its customers.
The theme
It may seem like an abstract concept, but a business needs a theme that’s bigger than a story of what it does. There’s almost no chance that a product or a service you’re offering is unique, but a broad theme that defines who you are can and often must be original.
This theme then needs to be reflected in every kind of market you’re doing business on and it should be what the business binds together. The best way to approach this matter is to think about a place in the market that’s missing and how your company can fill it.
Review and revise
It takes a lot of time and effort to set up a business and its marketing campaign. However, this should never mean that your business or its image is set in stone. It should be something that’s always revised and changed based on the input you’re getting from the customers.
This process should be made as flexible as possible and it should be something you do on regular basis, so that you’re prepared to change a campaign quickly when it proves not to suit your needs.
Open lines of communications
A modern business needs to be available to its customers at all times, or at least it needs to appear as such. Start by opening a few different channels through which your customers could reach you. Setting up 1300 numbers is necessary because even today not everyone uses a computer. Also, try having a few text-based communication methods as well.
These lines need to be staffed by the best people you have available. They will represent your business in the first contact with its clients and that’s where you need to shine.
Being active on social media
Everyone uses social media and it’s impossible to run a marketing department without having a social media strategy. However, the attitude towards this media is changing. Many now feel that it’s there to distract or take away from the time that could be used more productively.
That’s why your corporate social media needs to be used in a way that mimics personal accounts. Don’t use them to write boring announces. Stay conversational and keep up with current trends so that your followers engage with your account in a natural and friendly manner.
User-specific content
It’s usually not a good idea to have blanket content that covers all your followers. This way, you get generic content that no one is usually interested in that much. Luckily, you can use social media and other innovative technology to publish content that’s suited to every particular user based on their interest and online activity.
Before doing so, you need to be upfront with your users about the data you’re using and collecting. That creates a sense of trust and openness between you, which means a lot these days when online privacy is more important than ever.
Improving a company image can be done without too much money. The key to doing so is to change the things up according to the needs of your customers.