In the age of social media, it’s vital for brands to build up a positive online profile. Customers can share their opinion and experience of your brand on multiple platforms, and potentially impact your business.
This is why working to make sure shared customer experiences are positive is a key part of ongoing strategy.
Positive brand
Working to build up a positive online brand is particularly important for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In simple terms, your brand is how you represent your business to the outside world.
A positive brand is one that is based favourably on people’s perception and experience of using your company. It’s easier than ever for customers to use their voice online, and affect the image of your brand, your business and your future.
Benefits of an online brand
A strong and positive online brand can bring with it significant benefits for a small business. It’s arguably the most powerful tool you have in terms of crafting your reputation and, in turn, gaining more customers.
As soon as your business launches, your brand is out there. It’s up to you to make sure that it’s controlled and remains positive. It’s vital to have a specific plan to maximise any chance to build your brand. Here are some steps to take to help your brand grow:
- Register domain name early on
If you’re starting up a business in 2017, then you must take it online. A strong, well crafted website and active social media accounts will be instrumental in growing your reputation. Not only will it extend your reach into a wider potential customer base, it will allow you to develop a ‘brand voice’ to communicate with your chosen demographic.
One of the most important considerations when starting out is your brand name, and registering an appropriate domain name early on. The domain name will represent your business online, and must clearly represent your brand name.
If you choose a web address that’s not instantly connected in customers’ minds with your brand name, then people will find it difficult to find you. Setting up a domain name is simple and usually relatively cheap. Go with a domain extension that will be recognised all over the world, as it will help to improve the perception of your company.
- Make your offering consistent
When you’re up and running online, it’s important to give customers a consistent and coherent experience both online and offline. Anything your company does or says online is representing your brand, so getting it right is crucial.
Set up a coherent social media strategy and make sure someone is on hand to interact with customers and keep content fresh. Having someone dedicated to answering Facebook messages and Tweets is a good idea, if you can afford the outlay.
If your brand is attached to social media accounts, a blog or any hint of poor service, then it can detrimentally affect your business. Social media is key to building up trust with customers.
- Carefully design your website
A website should feature as many details as possible, laid out in an accessible way. A casual visitor to your site should immediately be able to understand who you are, what you offer, where you’re based and how to contact you.
Include links to your social media profiles, and ensure that content has been optimised to help bring people to your site. An FAQ page is a good idea to help your potential customers access immediate information. Consider including e-commerce capabilities so that customers can buy directly from you, and have customer support throughout the transaction.
All these features can work together to provide a reassuringly professional positive online message to customers.
