In today’s business world, the image is everything. In many cases, your brand’s image is the first impression your company gives to potential customers. And, as marketers know, first impressions can make or break a conversion. A question you should always consider is, is your company image costing you sales?
It is imperative that your brand image remains visible and competitive — all while capturing the personality of your company to tell potential customers the nature of your business in an instant. Brand marketing and imaging can sound like a daunting task. However, it is vital to your business.
Below are five ways you can enhance your brand image for marketing and maintain visibility in the eyes of the rapid decision making, social media influenced consumers of today.
The Importance of Design For Business Success
A business with a great design that stays constant through its products and services, website, and marketing content is a successful business. Apple, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola all have a consistent design throughout every element involved in their business operations. One such aspect of a company that will help you maintain consistency is user experience.
Creating a great user experience is an intangible but necessary aspect when designing for business success. In the case of each brand above, customers know exactly what they will get with these brands. Furthermore, customers know they will enjoy the products or services because the brands behind them have continuously shown that they have what it takes to make the customer happy. The brands have associated their brand image and logo with a consistent and excellent level of user experience.
If user experience changes for the worse, your company image can be tarnished, losing existing and potential customers. However, if you maintain consistency in the branding, your business will become recognizable, and this will foster growth. Your design; logo, image, and user experience are imperative to remain visible for your customers in your marketing efforts.
Investing in Your Brand Image
Of course, you won’t become recognizable and maintain visibility throughout your business operations if you don’t have an image. So, investing in your brand’s image and choosing how you will represent yourself to new and existing customers is essential. Whether you are up-and-coming, or an established business, it is crucial for your business to break through the marketing saturation with an image that will connect with your customers on an emotional and personal level.
Create an experience for your customers and maintain your image by including your logo on all of your packaging and communication. To keep up with the times, try and test new things such as adjustments to your logo, or different color schemes to see which gets the best feedback from your customers. This information will be valuable to understand what your customers like and expect from your business when going forward with your marketing efforts. Taking the time to understand what to invest in for your branding can take out the guesswork, and potentially failed marketing tactics, which will save your company time and money.
Online Vs. In-Store Shopping
With the rise in online shopping, the brick-and-mortar marketplace seems to be in danger. In recognition of online shopping, a company website is more important than ever. A business website needs to be attractive, easy to navigate (user experience), and coincides and reaffirms your brand image to make a customer feel buying a product from your company. Many customers enjoy the ease and convenience of online shopping, and a sound company website is essential to company sales.
However, the rise in online shopping is not reason enough to abandon traditional, in-store shopping. FreightPros illuminates customer mentality behind the success of brick-and-mortar shopping, stating that:
56 percent of people want to see and touch things before they buy them. This applies particularly to food and clothing. For clothing, 55 percent of people want to try items on before they buy them. For food, 78 percent of adults regularly shop at grocery stores, and in-store food sales have grown by $16 billion, while online food sales have only grown by $1.6 billion. When it comes to the staples people really need, such as food and clothing, there will always be a place for brick and mortar retail.
In many instances, in-store shopping provides a level of intimacy that online retain cannot offer. To cover all bases for your business and to maximize revenue, if possible, it is suggested that you provide both online and in-store shopping for those customers who want the convenience of online shopping, as well as the ones who preferred to touch the product they are deciding to buy physically.
Networking
Social media is critical for visibility and marketing and is a valuable asset when communicating with your customers. It is well known that taking to social media platforms is a great way to maintain high visibility for your company. Customers enjoy the personal level in which businesses can connect and communicate with them via social media and will stand by a brand who recognizes them.
Your company can answer customer queries, recognize a loyal customer publically, and acknowledge customer commentary for a strong and likable presence on social media. Additionally, you can post promotions and daily sales — staying in the eyes of your customer base. Social media can provide a way to represent your image easily and frequently.
Logo Design
Your logo is perhaps the most essential aspect of your brand. Taking a look at the brands mentioned previously, a powerful logo and design is a large part of their success. In any of the tips above, your logo should be displayed prominently and frequently throughout.
An excellent logo can attract customers, create customer recognition, and establish your overall identity. Logo design should be a significant portion of deliberation when investing in your brand image, as it can likely be the deciding factor if a customer chooses your brand over another.
Your image is your brand, and in many cases, it will determine the success of your brand. The tips above can help your marketing stand out above the rest, providing the visibility your company needs to thrive. Make sure you have these steps in mind when designing and crafting your company image for your business.
Featured Image Credi: Pixabay
