As a business you may strive to make more money but what is even more important particularly since it affects your ability to consistently attract customers and build your brand, is to have a favourable public image. If you are not a commercial business but still offer a service or if your brand is a non-profit, a NGO or a charity, this will be even more vital. Believe it or not, your customers, your donors, your clients consider the reliability of a product/service or a company when making a decision. This means that your business practices and values matter to consumers and achieving a positive brand image can be harder than it looks.

Just for clarity, your business reputation is the widespread opinion that someone has of your business as whole. There is no grey area here; your business is either reputable or not. Your brand reputation is the image that an individual or the public has based on their experience with the brand.

Here are three ways to level up your reputation:

Can your brand adapt to change? The one thing that remains constant is change. Just think about how the pandemic forced many brands to rapidly change. However, your ability to adapt means being well informed and involved. If you’re not aware of changing trends or if you’re not open to change, inertia can kill your business. Always keep an eye out for news and events that are relevant to your brand e.g., an ongoing need in the market may call for you to launch an awareness campaign or launch a product or service to satisfy that need.

Writing and presentation skills- If you wish to project professionalism, your communication must be polished whether verbal or written. Would you trust your dentist if he/she can’t explain your issue clearly? The same thing applies in business – why should anyone trust a business/organization that has unclear communication? Work on organizing and mastering different presentation styles so your communication is always clear. You may not like to speak on camera or do interviews, but practice, practice!

Pay attention to detail –Accuracy is a must when it comes to your brand’s storytelling. Even a small error can have a lasting effect on your brand’s image. Ensure that your messaging is flawless.

Commit to positive actions – It’s one thing to claim you’re committed to customer satisfaction for example or even supportive of the community, but do your brand’s actions reflect that? Are you saying you are committed to a cause because it makes the brand look good or do you really mean it? People today can be quite sceptical of ‘talk’ – there must be actions to back this up. We live in an information rich world so the inner workings of a business will become public especially if it’s contrary to how the brand presents itself to the public. Be sure to create an internal culture that your team is proud of and that customers will approve of, if they learnt the details. Your reputation is more than communication of information – you must be communicating something that is truthful and fundamental about the organization.

Candice Sealey is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Ignite! a Full-service Marketing & PR Consultancy that helps businesses/brands to stand out and communicate the right message to the right people at the right time through Strategy, Marketing, Media services and Design solutions. She is also a freelance content writer, advertising copywriter, voiceover talent, media personality. Follow us on FB & IG @igniteresults Phone:784-432-2223. Email: igniteresults@gmail.com