These days, creating and maintaining a positive brand is more important than ever, and integral to the long-term success of your business.
But first, what do we mean by brand? Brand isn’t just about having a great name or a beautiful logo, it encompasses way more than that. It’s what you’re business is known for, and it’s the overall impression you make on those who interact with it.
The new advertising
Creating a positive brand image plays a role not only in attracting prospective customers but also when it comes to leveraging the advocacy of your existing customers as well.
Because, while marketing is alive and well in various forms, what we’re seeing is a shift from traditional advertising (what the organisation says about itself) to a new form of advertising which is spearheaded and fuelled by the very people for whom organisations exist: the customers themselves.
Now, customers are willingly doing the ‘advertising’ for the organisation as they increasingly share their experiences – both positive and negative – with friends and family in person, and on social media. The growth of digital also ensures the ‘voice of the customer’ is being heard louder and clearer than ever – not to mention the capacity for opinions and experiences to be etched permanently online.
At ING DIRECT, we’ve seen ourselves just how powerful customer advocacy can be following our recent social media campaign where we asked customers to publically rate us. We wanted our customers to share their feedback with us– not only so we know what we’re doing well, but also so we know where we can improve. Hearing directly from our customers is invaluable, and directly influences the way in which we manage our brand.
Values alignment
People are increasingly looking to align their values with the values of the organisations they buy products and services from. Liking a product or service is just one component of becoming a brand fan; customers also want to know that the organisation they deal with operates in a way that doesn’t conflict with their own personal values.
In this sense, articulating and staying true to your organisational purpose is also growing in importance. If you say you have certain values, then you must ensure that you live them also.
Brand advocacy
There’s no doubt that customer experience is crucial to the way in which your brand is perceived in the marketplace. So, it pays to listen to your customers and make sure that you are doing a good job. After all, your business reputation is at stake.
When you’re thinking about your brand, be clear on what you stand for, and what you want to be known for. Then align your strategy and culture to this core purpose to deliver an exceptional customer experience. This will not only create passionate brand fans who advocate for you and refer new clients, but will also go some way towards making a positive impact on your bottom line.
