7 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Image

The ‘image is everything’ moniker is never more true than when you’re talking about a company. Once a company’s image sours in the public eye for any reason, the fortunes of that company are usually soon to follow.

Luckily, there are many ways to improve your company’s image and stay in the good books of your current and future customers. Here are 7 proven techniques.

1) Professional Answering ServiceFirst impressions mean a lot, and a professional answering service is a great way to make a great first impression. Statistics say that up to 8 out of 10 callers won’t end up leaving a voicemail when they call, and that automated voice is no way to nurture customer relations.

With a professional answering service, a real person will always answer the phone which gives the impression of an accessible and caring company.

2) Brand Consistency

Along with a top-notch answering service, it’s important to keep your brand consistent through all the different areas of customer contact. They should all be identifiable as coming from the same company. This includes:

• Website• Letterhead• Company vehicles• Storefront• Promotional materials• Business cards

3) One-on-One Contact

With so much of today’s business being automated, real, one-on-one contact is an important part of fostering the company image. Just like with an answering service, it shows you’re real and that you care. This may include things like:

• Charitable events• Giving away free samples• Personal contact with clients rather than just email• Trade shows

4) Utilize the Press

The media often gets a bad rap, but they can also be helpful when it comes to building your company’s image. Utilize media outlets to relay the stories and facts you want your target market to know about the business.

Create a media relations campaign with the outlets your target market reads, listens to and watches and then have them do stories about relevant aspects of the company.

5) High Quality Website

It’s certainly no secret that most people are going to check you out online and maybe even buy from you online if they like what they see. So much of business is online, so it makes sense from a sales perspective and image perspective to build a high quality website.

And keep in mind, in most cases this is not a DIY project. It needs to look professional contain content your customers are searching for and be easy to navigate. Consider it a necessary business expense and allow professionals to get it done.

6) Get Out In the Community

If your business shows an interest in the community, the community will often show an interest in you. Get out and participate or even create community events several times per year.

This will keep your visibility at a high level and will also create trust in your brand and your business.

7) Pretend You’re the Customer

If you really want to know where you should make changes to boost your image, pretend you’re the customer. Visit your website, call the office or make purchases the way customers do.

If you go through each process and notice it isn’t functioning quite how you’d like, make the necessary changes to enhance the customer experience.

References

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