Brand reputation
"Reputation is like money: it is easier to earn it than to keep."
Samuel Butler
Perhaps now humanity strives not to think about the opinions of other people and to live for their pleasure, but what about the opinion about the company ... is it important now? - Undoubtedly, unlike people who can avoid ill-wishers, companies sell and every potential client is important. Even a couple of negative opinions should not be allowed, because in our digital world, communication between people is carried out at the speed of light. But let's take everything in order and analyze what a reputation is and how it is formed.
Brand reputation is a system of consumer opinions based on criteria that are important for the target audience.
More often than not, customers rate a brand based on:
- emotional attractiveness;
- communication activity;
- pricing policy;
- product quality;
- service maintenance;
- social responsibility.
These are the ingredients for building a good reputation. Let's take a closer look at what is meant by each of the characteristics.
Emotional attraction. Each brand develops a logo, shape and color of packaging for its product. And the client's first impression of your brand depends on the choice of design. People are so arranged that they are “greeted by their clothes,” and emotional attractiveness depends on how your product will look. If at the first glance at the product shelf, you like your product, then the first step to success has been passed. How can this be achieved? - This is a difficult question, indeed, so that it is your product that stands out and at the same time remains attractive, and not scares away. It is necessary to conduct serious analytics of the competitors' market, study the psychology of perception and develop a high-quality design. The best option would be to contact the professionals of the outsourcing company.
Communication activity. Now is the era of the Internet, all people are involved in the digital environment and solve everyday issues with the help of the World Wide Web, so when choosing a product, especially an unfamiliar brand, people will seek advice in the Internet space. The task of the Brand Company is to provide positive information support for the client. It is important to create a website with high-quality content about the benefits, social networks should present you in the best possible light, reviews on marketplaces, price aggregators and other significant sites should be as positive as possible, in case of negative it is important to provide feedback (negative reviews cannot be left unanswered, they should be processed as much as possible, clarify all the details of the claim and inform the client about the measures taken in your company, offer bonuses for inconveniences), various advertising projects (advertising on TV, all social networks, reviews of video bloggers on youtube, etc.) ... This goal can be achieved in different ways: hire a good marketer, contact an SEO company or a PR campaign.
Price policy. All customers pay attention to the price, promotional offer, discount, so your price should always be up-to-date, and this means relevance, not only in your price lists, but also in the market as a whole. In determining your pricing policy, it is always important to take into account the prices of similar goods, therefore, tracking the prices of competitors plays an essential role in pricing. Price monitoring - shows the price range of analogs in real-time, which helps to instantly respond to price fluctuations in the market. Another important reason for monitoring prices is to track dumping. It is important for Brand that his goods are at the same price in all stores. This instills confidence in the buyer that he is not being deceived, that the set price corresponds to the value of the goods, that the Brand does not “cheat”. Honesty, stability and consistency are what clients value. Price tracking, price control and anti-dumping assistance can be provided by the 7-PRICE SaaS price monitoring service!
Product quality. This concept is loose and can be understood in different ways. The manufacturer must decide which audience his brand will target and create the highest quality product according to the budget of this audience. In this matter, it is also important to analyze both the target audience and competitors' products, both from the marketing side and the technological (raw material) side.
Service maintenance. For each Brand, there should be a support service that can help in case of misunderstanding in handling the goods, breakage of the goods, the need for repairs, etc. Each brand chooses the method of the communication independently, the main thing is that this service is there. It can even be a phone number / Telegram chat/email of an employee of a company or an outsourcing company or an office/service center in the city, it's up to you!
Social responsibility. There is such a phrase among the people “as you are to people, so they are to you”. Social responsibility is about humanity. People appreciate kindness and generosity; a Brand's participation in social projects always has a positive effect on its reputation. Participate in charity events and you will always be closer to people and their needs.
Another important aspect is social responsibility within the company, be vigilant and avoid rumors that your company is not a favorable environment for employees. Sometimes employees are the word of mouth to attract customers, so it is very important that employees feel comfortable at work.
The reputation of the company is directly affected by the head of the company (or a group of senior executives). When considering cooperation, employment or ordering a large group of goods, people will be interested in the owner of the company and of course, they want to see a serious, responsible professional whom they can trust. Along with large customers, retail buyers also pay attention to the Brand Manager of the products they use. After all, a positive reputation disposes the client to trust the company and purchase its goods, thinking that a good company cannot produce low-quality goods (and here it is important not to disappoint the buyer).
As a result, I would like to emphasize the importance of the Brand's reputation, because all people discuss products/goods/services that they acquire and trust the reviews of both acquaintances and strangers, even various comparative articles that are not supported by facts. Therefore, when entering the market, consider your steps to build a positive reputation!