Improving Your Image on the Market

When someone says “great image”, we usually think of a person who is well-dressed in an original fashion. When it comes to business, it’s also important to think of how you ‘dress’ your company, how you present yourself and also your products and services. What do you need to build the best possible image on the market?

Know the Identity of Your Company

It’s said that a good image is like an icicle – it grows slowly but you can destroy it with a simple wave of the hand. Building up the image of a business and its owner takes a lot of knowledge and experience, as well as a tremendous amount of patience and tenacity. You always have to look after your image. In the beginning, try to figure out what identity your business has on the market. The following questions should help you:

• Who are you and what do you do?
• What are your values? Are they identical to the values of your target group?
• How does your company culture look from the outside?
• Do you really offer something that the market needs?
• What differentiates you from the competition?

Don’t Copy Your Competition

Successful startups inspire many people to try and create their own projects on the market. The biggest mistake one can make is to begin copying everything their role model does. Always try to find your own recipe for success, which will allow you to build upon your own advantages instead of someone else’s. Your goal should always be to fill a gap that has not yet been filled on the market and to do things better than your competition. With a unique solution, you’ll be easier to recognize for potential customers.

The Thought Behind Your Business

Your potential clients should know why you’ve decided to start with your business. A business should always be built upon a deeper meaning. Try to offer a unique story that would help you connect with your customers. It will make you easier to remember. Be careful, however, that you don’t inflate your own ego too much or use too many empty phrases that will clutter your story. When you talk about yourself, use facts.

Don’t Underestimate the First Impression

There are many parts to a company’s identity, such as a logo, website, business cards, and promotion materials. When communicating with potential and regular customers, you’ll have to take into consideration the entire visual identity of your brand. Keep in mind that you will only have about 10 seconds to impress the average internet user. However, the visual appeal isn’t the only thing that’s important. You should always keep your information and design up to date, too, else your website will seem old and out of touch.

Know Your Way Around

Don’t worry, your website doesn’t have to have the most amazing graphics. But you should never underestimate the importance of the information you have on it. Your potential customers will search for this info and so it needs to be easy to navigate and understand. It also can’t contain errors. Unique content with relevant information is also a pretty important standard to keep. If your content is stale and out-of-date, people will lose interest. You’re the professional and so you should aim to give your customers professional advice.

Be Active on Social Media

If you think you can make it these days without a presence on social media, you’re wrong. Every modern company needs this platform to become visible on the market. You can also use social media as a customer support tool. Their big advantage is that you constantly interact with your target group and the community that is interesting for you. The key here is to not only post regularly but also interact with your fans – reply to their reactions and questions. Of course, every social media platform appeals to different kinds of people and so every platform may not be suitable for every type of business. You should always pick your social media platforms carefully and remember that less is often more.

Stay on the Good Side of Opinion Leaders

People tend to look up online reviews for products and also follow various bloggers and vloggers. These people are opinion leaders – authorities that can change the opinions of those who read and watch their content. A few positive words from such a person can give you better results than even paid advertisement would achieve. It’s important to keep up connections with members of the blogosphere.

Build Relations With the Community

In the era of social media, many new companies tend to underestimate the power of face-to-face communication with their customers. There’s nothing better to help you build your image with the public than to stay in contact. You should always be interested in the community you’re a part of. For example, if you own a restaurant, try to get to know the people who live nearby and start with some activities within the realm of experimental marketing. You can try to send out free samples to the members of your community or invite them to a special event.

Be Honest

The vision of easy money can lead people to dishonest tactics. However, such success is very short-lived. If the name of your company becomes damaged as a result of shady tactics, people will not trust you and you might never recover from it.

The Customer is Always Right

It sounds cliché but it’s correct. You have to focus on what your consumers want and not on your own idea of what they should want. Your products, services, and information have to be useful to them, not to you. A satisfied customer is the most important thing you have and also the main thing you need to focus on. If you manage to secure the reputation of a fair company, your preferences on the market will grow.