A brand is a key component of attracting customers. Think of one of the most clearly branded companies in the world: McDonald’s. Customers are getting a clean, convenient place to eat with a known, stable menu that has proven its customer satisfaction over decades.
A brand should bring the characteristics and products of your company to mind. If it doesn’t, you need to improve your company’s brand image. Here are five ways to do that.
Know why customers pick your company
There’s no substitute for knowing your customers and what makes them come to your company as opposed to going to competitors. Don’t think that branding is just about slogans, or picking colors and fonts for your logo. You need to know what customers most like about you, and highlight it in your brand. If you aren’t sure why customers choose you, a survey would be a good idea.
Know how you can attract more customers
Once you know why existing customers pick your company, you can develop a plan to attract more customers using your brand. McDonald’s, for example, wins brand loyalty partly because of its convenience. You can easily pick out a McDonald’s from its brand symbol, the Golden Arches. Perhaps you have been selling yourself on the speed of shipments from your warehouse. But the poll of existing customers revealed that your customers like your reliability more than the speed. If your slogan is currently “Speedy deliveries,” perhaps add the word “reliable.”
Make sure your employees know the brand values
Your employees have to represent the brand. Before they can do that, they have to be aware of what the brand values are. Communicate the brand values throughout the organization. If it’s reliability first, speed second, create a snappy slogan and put it everywhere: on your website, your employee e-mails, and on bulletin boards.
Make sure your employees can represent the brand values
After you know that the company’s employees know what the brand values are, make sure they can represent them. They should be reliable employees and able to convey that to clients, especially if they are in client-facing roles. If an employee complains that they didn’t receive something, they should not only send it again, but follow up to make sure the employee is happy.
Represent the brand consistently everywhere your company is visible
While your employees need to be brand ambassadors, a company brand is represented everywhere. It needs to be represented consistently across all platforms and advertising. Otherwise, it’s not a brand. If your company has a social media presence, make sure the brand is on every channel. Make sure it’s on your web site. When a potential customer thinks of your company, it should think of the brand.
Contact a Staffing Firm Today
A strong brand can help you recruit employees as well. Do you need to recruit more people? We can assist you in developing a plan. Staffing agencies are pros. We’re happy to help. Contact us today.