Like it or not, you’re constantly branding yourself. Whether or not you’ve given any thought to the whole notion of “branding” — for your small business and/or for yourself personally — you’ve already been doing it.
The ways that you present your company’s products and services, be it in-person, over the phone or on the web, continually cause people to develop a general perception about them. This perception, good or bad, will be one of the leading factors that determine whether or not a potential client ends up purchasing from you. Once enough people have a particular impression of your business (essentially what they consider your brand to be), and word spreads, you now have a “reputation.”
The First Impression
Two quick questions for you. First, what sort of reputation do you want the world to have about you: a good one or a bad one? That probably didn’t take long to answer, so on to question two, which might take a bit more thought. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “Is the presentation that I’m giving people about my company one that will likely create a favorable first impression?” If the answer to that is yes, then you are well on your way to enticing more customers and building a solid reputation. If, however, you answered no, then you may want to give this some further attention.
The Application
In today’s marketplace, it’s almost guaranteed that the majority of your prospective clients will be making many of their purchases, and seeking solutions to their problems, on the internet. This makes your online presence the #1 area where you can make an enormous impact on the brand that you’re putting forth. Being conscious about building a first-rate, highly-regarded brand will quickly increase your company’s revenue by encouraging more people to like you, trust you, buy from you, and tell the world about you.
One of the first experiences many will have with your business is on your website. What opinion of you and your products does one get from visiting the site you currently have up? Having a well-designed site will inspire visitors to stay on it for longer, and make them more likely to buy while they’re there. Also, don’t overlook the necessity of having your website look and work well on mobile devices.
Another terrific way to generate interest, traffic and ultimately, sales, is through the use of mobile applications. Having a quality app built, which offers a resource of value in your niche, can help you meet customers right where they’re at — on the smartphones and tablets that they carry around and access throughout the day.
You might also consider starting a blog, so that you can stay in direct contact with your past, present and future clients via their email inbox. Blogging is a fantastic way to share more about your company’s story, initiate conversation within blog post comments, and give people an easy way to share what you’re all about with their friends and social networks.
As you take these steps towards building an awesome brand, the perception of your business will grow, as will the customer engagement, positive word of mouth, and your sales and revenue.
What have you done to build a brand for your business? Let us know in the comments below.
