When you think about the most important aspect of a successful business, most people would assume that it’s related to a great pricing strategy or unique marketing approach. While both of these areas support a growing business’ needs, they don’t yield the same long-term benefits that a solid brand reputation can provide.
Establishing a trustworthy brand isn’t always discussed in product strategy or marketing committee meetings, but that doesn’t change the fact that gaining trust from your customers plays a critical role in your business success. Below, we’ll discuss why this is the case and how different areas of your business affect your brand’s reputation.
Having an Active and Visible Online Presence
In today’s modern business landscape, creating an online presence is not just a way to advertise products and services — it’s an essential step to building brand trust. However, creating an “online presence” in order to establish credibility with modern consumers involves more than just creating a company website. Having an active presence on more than one medium gives customers confidence that they’re dealing with a reputable company.
Today’s consumers expect brands to be open and transparent in who they are and what they value in both company culture and their customers. Social media outlets and blogging platforms are a great way to create a voice for your brand, allowing you to connect with your audience while showcasing yourself as an authority in your niche. They also double as helpful resource centers when engaging customers in both presale and post-sale discussions.
The Effects of a Product Recall
For some companies, getting a product to market as quickly as possible and before the competition is priority number one. But while speed to market is an important part of business scalability, focusing on efficiency over quality in product design can cause serious issues in the event of a product recall.
Even if you take proactive measures to handle product recalls as organized and as professionally as possible, they can have long-term effects on your brand’s reputation. Manufacturing or design defects in products that cause injury or emotional stress can be devastating to a brand. Not only can these defects lead to a lack of trust in your products, but they also result in expensive litigation battles.
Leadership Accountability In and Out of the Office
Unfortunately, there are far too many cases involving business leaders who have compromised the future of their companies due to poor decisions and conduct unbecoming while in and out of the office. All business leaders have a duty to themselves, their employees, and their customers to act professionally whether on the job or in the public eye.
Your online reputation, reflective of your social media activity, public records, and known affiliations can do as much harm as they can good when it becomes associated with your business. This is especially the case when making a stand on certain political or social issues and using social media as an outlet to voice those opinions. If customers don’t feel they can trust or empathize with the president or CEO of a company, then there is no reason they should expect anything different from the organization as a whole.
Your Customer Service Reputation
By far, one of the first and last things a customer typically remembers is how they were treated by the brand they deal with. Focus on providing stellar customer service, whether over the phone, through email, or on live chat sessions. It doesn’t matter how well you design your products or how big your marketing budget is; if your customers don’t feel like they are your number one priority, your business reputation will suffer.
Dedication to quality customer service should be ingrained in your company culture. Any staff member that occupies a forward-facing role in the organization should be thoroughly trained on how to provide valuable and memorable customer experiences. One bad customer service experience can cause a chain reaction of bad reviews — and devastating impacts on revenue and profitability.
Showing You Take Your Company Seriously
Another impact aspect of your business’s trustworthiness is the perception of whether you take your company seriously or not. One way this is evaluated is by identifying how secure you keep your digital assets and that of your customers. Cybersecurity is a growing issue that almost every business is aware of. If your organization accepts the reality of this risk but doesn’t put policies and procedures in place to mitigate it, your customers won’t think you value protecting their privacy or your own.
Another way to gauge your company’s commitment to long-term sustainability is whether your business is insured. Investing in solutions to protect your business and customers showcases to the public that you’re a reputable business that’s here to stay.
Developing and maintaining a strong business reputation is key to standing out from your competition and creating a loyal customer base. By recognizing the different areas of your business that affect customer perception, you’ll ensure you take an approach to your business development strategy that fosters trust.
Photo Credit
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Guest Author Bio
Magnolia Potter
Magnolia Potter is a muggle from the Pacific Northwest who writes from time to time and covers a variety of topics. When Magnolia’s not writing, you can find her curled up with a good book.
Blog / Website: Magnolia Potter
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