Improve your brand reputation with these 4 steps

Having a strong reputable brand is key to achieving your marketing goals. You want your name to be easily recognised, and your customers to become brand ambassadors and loyal customers. Here are four ways to improve brand reputation.

Be honest and open Top brands have that special something that sets them apart. What's yours? You need to figure this out and develop your elevator pitch that you can use when you get the opportunity. Be honest and open about your brand with your target audience. Customers are highly discerning and can sniff out a dishonest brand from a mile off. So don't try to make your brand into something that it's not. To figure out what makes your brand unique, look for a specific aspect that adds value to what your ideal customer requires. This information is great for building your reputation.

Show value in your products Show, don’t tell. This is an excellent rule for brand reputation. Many markets today appear oversaturated and hyper-competitive. Many consumers and b2b customers have seen and heard it all. So you need to show value in your products. Create marketing collateral and advertising that highlights how your products serve the customer. Answer the ever-important questions of “Why do I care?” Focus on addressing the need of the customer and match this to your solution. Remember don't introduce your solution until you understand your customers issues.

Talk to your customers directly One of the best strategies to improve your brand reputation is to connect with customers directly. How do you do this? i) Say thank you. Simply express appreciation for your customer. ii) Upsell. If you think there’s a feature that the customer might find useful, then let them know about it. iii) Be purposeful. Customers appreciate when you’ve put in the extra effort to ensure their issue is resolved. It is crucial that your follow-up messages with the customer. iv) Be personal. It’s good try to personalize the query, problem, where applicable. v) Be timely. Find the best time of day to contact customers.

Act on customer feedback There’s a difference between listening and hearing. Too many brands hear their customers provide feedback, but they don’t listen—which means they’re not acting on that feedback and creating meaningful change. Act on your customer feedback. Customers who are willing to share their opinions should be valued, and you should make sure to listen closely to what they have to say and develop and implement solutions as needed.

Your brand is your business and your business is your brand. As you develop a successful identity, make sure you’re doing it with the customer in mind. Remember they’re the ones you need to sell your brand to.