Like it or not, what people say about your company online matters. It may influence future relationships and business deals, not to mention your brand.

Here are a few factors you need to keep in mind when working on the online image of your business.

How is Online Image Established?

The first thing to keep in mind is that your online image is much more than just your social media sites and blog.

Rather this includes everything you do (or don’t do) online, from images and videos you share to comments and posts on other websites and articles.

Even if your business checks in with Foursquare or similar sites, it will be part of the online image.

Why is Online Image Important?

Studies have shown that most people will look up a company online before they use them.

What many people do not realize is that even posts on Twitter and Facebook, even though they seem to be private, can be found during a Google search. This means that potential customers can see your various activities and updates.

This is why it is important to make sure that you are putting out the right information online.

How to Start Building Your Online Image

If your business is new to the internet, there are a few things you will want to do to create a solid online image. For one, having a website is an excellent way to tell people about what you offer.

You will also want to create a blog. The idea of the blog is to give useful information to your potential customers rather than just tell them why you are the best.

Now, you can talk about and link to your business in the blogs, but you want the majority of the article to be about useful information.

You also want to establish social media sites for your business. Not only will this help to make your business more visible, but it is also a great way to communicate with your customers and know what they are looking for.

There are many different sites out there that you can use, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. If you are concerned about managing them, then there are even apps that help to sync your sites.

With this, Instagram can be a great marketing tool as you can post new products or teaser pictures of different things for your business.

Rather than blogging and social media, customer surveys can be helpful to do a little research before starting to build your image. What does your audience like? What they don’t like? What are their preferences?  Creating a customer survey may seem difficult, but it’s easier than it sounds. Remember, keep questions short to increase participation and ask just what you need to fullfil your goals. Also, you may want to reward people who complete your surveys. A bonus, in form of a discount, a giveaway or a credit.

Managing Your Online Image

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Once you have established an online presence, the best thing you can do is ensure that you keep the image you want.

There are a few tips you can use to get the best results from this.

1. Be proactive

The best way to avoid having a negative image is to keep it from happening in the first place.

2. Think about every post or comment before you put it online

Anything you post can stay on the internet for decades. This is why you want to think about any negative connotation something you say will have before it is said.

3. Be careful about who has admin rights

Some companies allow several admins on their social media sites, which can lead to insensitive or negative posts being made. This could simply be someone accessing the social media site from their home after having a few drinks or a disgruntled employee. Make sure you have the right admins to avoid issue.

4. Keep posts positive

No one wants to do business with a company that is always negative. This is why the best thing you can do is to keep posts light and fun with a positive twist. The only exception to this is when there is some sort of disaster and you want to send out your thoughts and regards to those involved.

5. Stay Neutral

There are many issues that people get fired up about, specifically politics and religion. Though as the business owner you have your own beliefs, the worst thing you can do is express this as the views of the business. Rather you want to make sure that you steer clear of this negative image by staying neutral on the topic.

6. Regularly conduct Google searches

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Doing a search for your business will help you to have an idea of where you stand. Not only will this allow you to see what has been posted by your company but also what other people are saying about the company.

7. Customer Surveys

Running customer surveys helps understand your audience satisfaction and improve your brand.

Keep questions short and answering options simple. For example, a rating scale works just fine, because it’s quick and easy. Think about text boxes: they make your survey looks time-consuming and they are also hard to analyse, at first glance.

Before sending out your survey, make a test drive with a few customers. And remember, always measure and track the client’s feedback over time, by periodically send out surveys, so to keep improving your business and online image.

Outside Online Image Help

There are companies out there that can help you manage your online image. This can be ideal for companies that have a negative image that they want to change or even just for companies that do not have time to focus on this aspect of the business.

The thing to keep in mind though is that the cost for this can be substantial. However, if you already have a company that handles your online marketing, then this may not be much more. 

A brand is only as good as its position in its segment of the market. When people think about the word “brand influence”, they often think of the power a brand has. They think of the revenue it makes, the impression it has, and the prospects it holds for all those who invest in the business. However, in a real sense, brand influence is how well can a brand impact its audience at every touch point. 

This impact can be measured on the parameters of customer loyalty and employer satisfaction. How? The better a brand is, the more likely it is to attract new customers and retain them. If a customer is loyal to a brand, it is clear that the brand is doing its job well.

Employee satisfaction is also crucial since the brand is also a corporate company. If employees are staying in a brand, it means that the brand has a proper work ethos and satisfactory policies. 

A sound brand influence can help your company in many ways.

Attract New Customers

A prominent brand may not instantly get a customer, but they would have a better recall value.

Even those who have not used the brand may know the name, and that only increases the chances of them using the brand in the future. 

Generates Business

In extension to the previous point, if more and more customers are attracted to the brand, the company, in question here, would make more profits. 

Monopoly Over the Market 

Brand influence is also about power play. An impactful brand will naturally have a broader audience, and thus, a bigger say in the market. With most of the share in the market, the brand will also get to call the shots.

If you can think of any big MNC such as P&G, Unilever, etc. all these brands have generated a massive audience for themselves, they are pretty powerful, and they have monopolized their respective sectors. 

An Advantage to Your Side Businesses  

When established brands launch new products, they always get the benefit of their parent brand’s publicity. It is natural for them to make the most of it. However, it is only possible for them to do so because of good brand influence.

Brand influence is also about networking and connections; what this means is that a brand with a good brand influence can also collaborate with better publicists and competitors. These collaborations and partnerships can be used to market and publicize their new products. 

Excellent Employer Branding 

With a strong brand influence, your corporate image also improves, which means that more and more people would be interested in working with you. What this means is that you will get the best of talents at the lowest of costs. This not only ensures that your inner mechanism stays healthy but also that you are always buzzing with better ideas.  

However, it could help if you remembered that a good brand influence is more natural said than done. Your branding, business, and marketing strategies all need to align and fall together at one point for you to achieve and optimum brand influence. 

It’s no rocket science to establish why some companies make it so prominent in the market, while others shut down unnoticed. It all comes down to one thing: Brand influence! This article has been a mini-guide on how you can get there. If you have more questions, we will be happy to help. Happy branding! 

And while these things will take some strategizing, hard work, and dedication, there’s nothing that can substitute the reputation of your company.

So, to help you rebuild in a more positive way, here are three things you can do to improve your small business’ image.

Connect With Your Values

Before you can create a company that has a specific and notable image or reputation, you first have to know what you want this image or reputation to center around. To do this, Tina Dietz, a contributor to Forbes Coaches Council, shares that you need to have everything connect back to your values. But before you can do this, you have to know what your values are.

Think about what your company values and which of those values you want to best represent your brand. Once you know this, you can then have all your marketing, advertising, product development, and more reflect these positive and respected values.

Implement The Feedback You’ve Been Given

Usually, when a business’ image takes a hit, consumers come out of the woodwork with complaints or suggestions about how things should be different in order for the business to find more success in the future.

And while you could get on the defensive about this negativity, Kara Masterson, a contributor to Lifehack.org, suggests that you humbly look at the feedback you’ve been given and try to implement things that could actually prove to be beneficial.

Not only could this help address any issues you’ve had in the past, but it could also show consumers that you value their opinions and are willing to make compromises for a happier future. So if you’ve been given suggestions about cleaning up the property around your business or rethinking an old policy, see what you can do to make those things happen.

Create A Supportive Network

In an effort to bring your company back into the good graces of the general public, Chris Tapley, a contributor to Business 2 Community, recommends that you start to seek out potential influencers within your network that could help rebuild your clout.

Now, you must be careful not to do this too heavy-handedly, or your efforts could backfire on you and be seen negatively by consumers. But if you’re able to partner with people who your target audience loves and respects, you may be able to rebuild your own image based off the image of this supportive partnership.

If your business’ image has recently taken a hit, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to improve the reputation of your company.

You should already be able to see why we consider a blog essential to building your brand and making sure people know more about you and what you can do. These days you can’t afford to be without a blog.

Here’s seven reasons why a blog is crucial to your brand’s success.

1. If You’re Not On Google, You Don’t Exist

The very first thing that most people do when they first hear of a business or celebrity is to type their names into their nearest search engine to see what comes up. This should bring up past reviews, possibly some news stories that your name got tagged in, a couple of social media profiles and, most importantly, a blog.

If a blog doesn’t happen to show up when people look up a business or brand, people wonder – and this means they trust it less. If you’re not part of search engine indexes these days, if you don’t have official representation in the form of a blog, you practically don’t exist to the world. And that’s bad for business.

2. This Is Your Web Home

A blog functions as your official web home as a business.

This means that your blog will be the platform where you inform people about the products you sell or the services you offer; this also means that you will use your blog to let them know of any changes. You will use your blog to post news, updates and special offers directly to your customers and fans – and they’ll use it to get in touch.

Your blog is your official representation online, and without it…You guessed it, you don’t exist.

3. People Will Trust You More

How do you judge a new product, service or celebrity?

Most people will use their official website as a gauge of what to think of them, and having a blog that represents you in the right way and gets the right message over to your fans and clients means that they will trust you more in the long run.

4. You Can Interact With People And Answer Questions

Remember that a blog also gives you a platform to interact with people and answer their questions.

Your blog gives them a place where they can contact you – without it, how would you get any fans or business in to begin with?

People like the chance to feel like they can interact with celebrities and businesses: Your blog is the place where they get to do it.

5. You Can Deal With Complaints In An Easier Way

Complaints and bad publicity is not great for anyone – but it’s bound to happen to everyone at some point.

Would you rather see bad publicity posted on a platform where you have no control over it, or would you rather be able to do damage control on your own terms? Your blog, where people can get in touch, gives you a much easier chance to resolve issues.

6. You Can Provide Customers With News And Updates And Offers

So, where would you go if you were looking to find news about a company or celebrity?

Sometimes you would go check out news headlines, but most of the time you would go directly to their official website or blog for this: That’s where all of the latest information is. And that’s what you should offer your readers.

7. You Can Get Entirely New Customers This Way 

Using a blog to promote your brand gives you a chance to get entirely new customers – people who see ads to get to your blog, people who click on shared content… All of these are customers that get sent your way directly through your blog.

Want to know more about how you can get customers through your blog? Here’s a great guide to get you started.