Tag Archives: brand image

Image Is Important

There was a time when you would see a shop owner sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store before opening for the day.  The reason was simple:  Image.

Customers care about the image of the businesses they patronize.  Why would they purchase the same jeans from a discount store when there’s a certain prestige in saying you got them at a higher end store?  Image.  The owners of a business should also care about their image for that same reason – because it’s important to their customers and prospective customers.  Think about it.

Would you eat at this restaurant if you saw how the kitchen looked?

Would you eat at this restaurant if you saw how the kitchen looked?

Would you patronize a fast food restaurant if wrappers, napkins, and straws littered the floor whenever you stopped in?  Would you be a regular at a grocery store where the produce section displayed rotten tomatoes or moldy fruit?  How about a machine shop where it looked like the floor hadn’t been swept in a month?

The inside appearance of a business is important for building brand loyalty.

Would you feel more confident if the kitchen looked like this one?

Would you feel more confident if the kitchen looked like this one?

The image your business conveys to the public on the outside, including in your brand identity, logo, and your advertising, is even more critical to the long-term success of your business and your brand.

If you have  a delivery or service vehicle with signage that advertises your business, how does it look?  Is the paint or decal faded?  Is the vehicle showing some rust or have a few dents?  What does that tell your customers?  Any lights out in your neon sign?  Are you flying a faded, tattered American flag?  Are veterans one of your market segments?

Do you showcase your location in your ads?  Are you proud of what your building looks like?  Take an objective look at your website.  Does it convey the kind of image you want people to have of your products and/or services?  Think about the last time it was updated.

Your website, like your place of business, should convey an image that gives your customers the confidence to send their family, friends, and referrals to you so they can become customers as well.

It’s often the little things that make a huge difference when it comes to the image your business conveys to the public and your customers.  What message does it convey to shoppers coming to your grocery store if there are no carts available because they’re scattered around the parking lot?  Yes, rounding up the carts and returning them to the corral is a menial task for some employee, especially if it’s raining, but those carts are usually the first contact those consumers have with your business.

If you’re not sure what the first impression is that people have of your business, try first to visit it impartially – as though you were a client yourself.  What’s the feeling you get?  Think about engaging a consulting firm such as Brand Irons to find that out.  First blush is one measure, but that impression may go much deeper and require talking to your customers about why they patronize your business.

Something as simple as sweeping the floors could enhance business.  Think about it.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Product Presentation

One of the most important elements in marketing your business is how you present your company and your products and/or services.  Presentation sets up the perception customers and potential customers have of what it is you have to offer.  Poor presentation can develop a negative perception, and we all know a negative impression – especially if it’s the first impression – can be difficult to overcome.Presentation involves virtually every aspect of your business, from your web presence to packaging of your product, and from your corporate logo to your advertising impressions.  There are psychological reasons to pay attention to presentation.

The example pictured pertains to positioning of your product.  Most consumers are right-handed.  While that may seem insignificant, it does play a role in product placement.

Store shelves are arranged to take advantage of human nature.

Store shelves are arranged to take advantage of human nature.

Store shelves are arranged to take advantage of human nature.On a grocery store shelf, dish washing detergents are displayed with the most prominent brand at eye level, front and center.  The unwary consumer sees the top brand, notices the price, naturally grabs for a bottle, and continues on their trek through the store.  It is only when they get to check-out that they realize they’ve grabbed the store brand instead of the brand they thought they had intended to purchase.  Simple psychology applied to primarily right-handed people.

Look more closely and you realize the bottles are shaped and sized very much alike, and just as colorful so the perception is they’re all the same.  At check-out, the consumer is less likely to return the store brand in exchange for a higher-priced product so the store’s psychological ploy has worked.

Have you taken a look at your company’s website lately?  Does it present well to potential customers?  When you take the time to think through the process of a potential customer finding your business on the Internet, you understand that it usually starts with a search engine query.  If your website or other information fails to come up on the first page of search results, you only have a 25% chance of a user going further to find you.

If your website does land on the first page, it’s likely you’ve paid to promote your website, found the right key words to bring you to the forefront, and have a relevant page descriptor and relevant content that matches what the consumer was searching for.  Those are the first steps.

Your website must then pertain to what the potential consumer is trying to find, and quickly.  It should be easy to scan and locate the information they need to use your services or purchase your product.  How all that information is presented is also critical.  Make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for, and if you’re not sure what they’re looking for, ask them so you can enhance the presentation of your products and services.

You must get their attention, keep it, and get them to respond favorably to your call to action.

Presentation goes so much deeper:

  • Hand your product to a potential consumer with the label facing them.
  • Give someone your business card with the information easy to read.
  • Park vehicles with your company’s logo in conspicuous locations to maximize the advertising value, and make sure the vehicle is clean and attractive-looking.
  • Keep the entrance to your building neat and clean.

Remember, it’s hard to change a first impression.  How do your employees present themselves and your company?

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand