Every company wants to maintain a good image and reputation in the eyes of the public. However, you might not be aware of the many things that can or could hurt your image.
Your brand is based on what people think of you as much as it is what you design and produce to send or convey to them.
1. Lack of planning and strategy
Do you have a marketing plan in place for your brand/company? Having a clear goal and creating a strategy to get there will save you time and money as well as helping you avoid expensive mistakes.
2. Inconsistency with your Brand Image.
Do you have a set style guide that is being followed across all media platforms? To ensure you’re a strong brand, all the visual pieces that relate to it — colours, fonts, imagery, logo usage and messages — should be consistent everywhere it is used.
3. Producing poor quality content
Are you trying to save money by cutting back on your marketing material and the quality that goes into creating it? Low quality content and visual literature can harm your brand and turn people away, resulting in a potential loss of customers and revenue.
4. Breaking your brand promises
Is your brand promise different from what you are actually delivering? If you are not meeting your customer’s expectations, your brand and reputation will suffer. Be true to your brand and don’t promise things that you cannot actually deliver. Be realistic as your brand can and should always grow with your business so the messages and brand promise can adjust over time too.
5. Failing to act on online marketing opportunities
Do you get all your enquiries from one place? Exploring alternative marketing channels online could very well increase enquiries. If you don’t have the time or ability, seek out professional advice.
6. Not listening to what your audience is saying
Are your customers happy or unsatisfied with your products and service? They are bound in this day and age to talk about you on social media and other platforms. Be sure you read and respond to these comments. Apologise for problems you can’t fix, and thank those that give positive feedback.
7. Poorly designed and difficult to navigate websites
Have you wondered why you are not generating many enquiries/conversions from your website? Perhaps your website doesn’t look professional or isn’t very user-friendly. An update to the design and key messages with some improvements to the user interface have been shown to increase conversions drastically.
8. Crossing line between being different and appearing offensive
Do you know who your key audience is? Be sure to research who they are and what they may consider to be appropriate or offensive. Match the way you convey your messages to what you believe the audience will find appropriate and act upon.
If you feel your business’s brand is not perhaps conveying the right messages to the right people then we would be happy to have a Brand Consultation with you to help put this right. You do not need the budget of Coca Cola to have a quality brand.
