Summary: Brand image and reputation is one of the most vital aspects for a business to succeed and build a positive impression of your brand.
To improve your brand image, you have to research your target audience, USP, PR, brand identity, quality of content, and visual identity of your brand. Know how aligning brand image with brand identity builds authenticity. Learn how social media and monitoring of the brand can help you strategize better engagement with customers.
The world is swiftly transitioning to online platforms; this reveals that your online presence is just as significant as having a proper meal. Similarly, for any business to survive, it’s essential to establish its online presence, as no matter what, your brand name still identifies your business. “71% of businesses will have a website in 2023, as per Forbes Advisor.
However, we cannot deny the fact of how powerful the tools of new media are in creating and improving a brand’s image in the widespread public domain. A business needs to connect with its customers, so careful planning and strategy implementation are required.
This blog will investigate the matter and inform you how you can stand out in a competitive market where three websites are built every second. Reading this, you will be able to fabricate a strong brand image by aligning brand identity, utilizing social media, devising influencer marketing, monitoring, and enhancing customer engagement, which can be proven as an excellent plan execution for engaging with your target audience.
Why is Brand Image Important?
What is a Brand Image?
It is a customer’s opinion about your services and products. It is more in the minds of consumers, who are significantly impacted by their emotional connection to the company’s values, mission, and consumer experiences.
For example, on May 21, 2015, the Indian state ordered the recall of Maggi noodles.
“Some tests in India and abroad subsequently showed that the noodles were safe. Based on FSSAI action, Maggi was banned and the company took a hit of Rs 450 crore”.
The Economic Times
“The Maggi controversy had a negative impact on Nestlé and the brand’s reputation. The parent business was also badly affected and struggled to manage the brand’s corporate image”.
However, Maggi swiftly re-entered Indian households as if nothing had happened because of the brand image; its company was able to build around noodles even after the “lead case” in 2015.
A good brand image may improve public perception and customer loyalty, resulting in long-term benefits.
Types of Brand Image
- Corporate Brand Image: A company’s corporate image refers to how others see it, its products, and its services. This impression is based on the company’s performance, media coverage, and activities.
- Product Brand Image: This reputation is created over time and is shaped by various factors such as the product’s quality, performance, and customer satisfaction.
- Personal Brand Image: A personal brand image is an idea or picture people form about an individual based on their brand. This image is influenced by various elements, including the individual’s activities, communication, appearance, internet presence, and the value they provide to others.
Impact of Brand Image
A brand’s image is responsible for driving credibility to a business. Leaving a good impression on the minds of your customers will lead you to potential customers and create a positive image of the company in the public domain, which will help you build equity.
How do I Create a Strong Brand Image?
- Know Your Target Audience
While planning to promote your brand, you need to know that you can only impress and connect some customers with your brand. It would help if you found out which group of people resonate with your brand the most. It is equally essential for you to know your target, and then you need to survey which demographic people are more inclined towards your brand. Now, you must create a strategy plan to convert them into potential consumers and, eventually, paying customers.
- Brand’s USP
The USP is a unique selling proposition; this answers your potential customers’ questions about what makes you different from others and why they should choose your brand over others!
Promote your USP as the beneficiary for the customers who will return your business to stand out.
- Engage Through Valuable Content
Valuable content indicates that you must fire the content when the time is right and on the medium your target audience prefers.
Once all the factors mentioned above are taken care of, you have to create content that resonates with your target audience and is related to something they care about, which is carefully covered with your brand promotion.
- Visual Identity of Brand
You know the famous Chinese proverb, “A picture is worth a thousand words“. Your brand’s visual identity is your asset; use it wisely. Ensure your brand’s logo relates to the service or product you offer.
Your visual identity will include your logo, website, brochures, videos, product image, and brand ambassadors. It would help if you kept in mind the facts of what your target audience needs and whether they can resonate with your brand’s visual identity.
Importance of Brand Image Alignment with Brand Identity
If you need a strong, regular, and workable brand, you must align your brand’s image with its brand identity.
Doing so will help you know customers’ perceptions and build trust in the brand. This road to brand promotion, public impression, and ultimately to the success of brand’s equity.
The cohesion of brand identity and brand image will lead to the company’s authenticity in the eyes of the target audience, and they will put faith in the brand and are even ready to purchase anything without having second thoughts about the price if they’re capable.
Leveraging New Media for Brand Reputation
The incorporation of new media to improve brand image using online platforms is growing dramatically. Social media in today’s world is a powerful tool; combining it with influencer marketing will widen your reach.
Also, it will promote your brand to people who might not know about your brand’s existence and will leave a long-lasting impression in some cases.
For example, a brand founded in 2018 named ‘Dot and Key’ is nowadays getting recognised by the people of India, as it has started to smoothly use influencer marketing with social media influencers to promote its products.
Upon noticing the pattern of the brand, you will learn that they hold targeted social media campaigns on YouTube, Instagram, and even on OTT platforms to make brand identity visible and noticeable.
Being an active implementer of such factors will surely boost your brand reputation online. In this way, you’re increasing your brand’s online presence with the trust and loyalty of customers.
Keeping an Eye on The Brand Reputation Online
You must check frequently to see what online impression your brand leaves on people. Find loopholes in your online presence and fix them.
Content marketing is a way to establish yourself and monitor your considerate growth in every customer segment by creating posts and videos for online media.
Emphasizing your audience with quality content will improve your online presence. Also, you can offer a good user experience to your customers if you invest in your website and its design.
For instance, you can take inspiration if you visit Flipkart’s website; the experience of using the site will be smooth, and you’ll be able to browse different pages and look for a variety of products.
You have to notice how other sites are catching the audience’s attention. Keep track of your online feedback and provide the audience with a description of each product or service.
You have to audit your brand image regularly and dig out your brand’s needs, which must be met for smooth business operations.
Engage With Your Customers
Customer engagement is crucial to building a brand image. It would help if you remembered that your customers are the sole reason your brand still exists in the market, so you have to make your customers feel connected to your brand by dealing with them.
You have to give your customers a response to the feedback they give you about your business. Like the customer care service concept, you can create a portal dedicated to the customers to inform them about their grievances and notify them about your brand’s campaigns.
Involving your customers in campaigns and other activities will promote improved public relations and trust in your brand.
Leverage SalesEra to Build Your Brand Image & Maintain Online Reputation
All set to ‘improve your brand image online’? You have to benefit your company’s positive brand image. The brand image brings sales and a new potential customer base, and it will even retain them.
Remember, improving a brand’s image online is a continuous process; keep yourself engaged with your target audience.
SalesEra provides you with many practical solutions to improve your brand image.
Written by Priyanka Katheria
