What is brand image?

Brand image: definition

Brand image is the perceived representation a person has of a brand, company, or product/service. It is a feeling, even a judgment, that someone holds about a brand, based on tangible or intangible elements. It is what is said about a brand, and not necessarily what the brand would like to convey. It is essentially a matter of psychology, and it matters for a company to make sure there is no gap between the brand identity the company puts forward and the brand image perceived by the target public.

How do you build a strong, positive brand image?

Every company, of course, tries to reproduce the strategies of the specialists in the field (Google, Apple, Nike, Nestlé) that have positive brand images and very high notoriety around the world, because a person does not only buy a product: they also buy a brand. On the internet, we then talk about e-reputation. It is therefore a decisive factor in the consumer’s purchase decision.

Your company should therefore choose a message to convey and stick to it so that it is well perceived and interpreted by the public. It is essential to ask the right questions in order to build a winning strategy. What image of your company do you want to give? What message do you want to convey to customers?

It is essential to listen to the public to make sure the brand image reflects its identity and is consistent with the clientele it targets and with the company’s values. With social networks it is easy for people to tarnish a brand’s image whether they are customers or not; you therefore need to stay on permanent watch and communicate effectively to help prospects and customers. Brand image can be strengthened and improved by brand-communication tools such as advertising, promotional tools, design, packaging, distribution channels, and so on.

How do you improve your brand image?

• Draw on the genius of your company

Starting from an effective company strategy, light the spark of creativity that triggers the collective genius of the brand or the company. Innovate to steer the whole toward avant-garde concepts or ideas.

• Show your audience what you can do for them

Keep in mind that your target public expects a product or service that can make their life easier. It is essential to know your target well. By understanding what they want and what they expect from you, you can meet those expectations precisely.

By offering a quality product and making your brand recognizable, you position yourself in a competitive market. At the same time, you improve the reputation of your own brand. The customer experience (or UX) should sit at the heart of your marketing strategy.

Your product should be what turns potential customers into heroes. That will help you retain current customers while driving real traffic acquisition and therefore new prospects.

If you send the right message to your target, they can also become your spokesperson with the people around them.

• Take the opportunities to show your brand to the public

Your brand identity first has to be recognized. That goes through a particular graphic design, a web strategy, and internal communication. The communication plan must include a variety of supports. The more relevant and striking your brand identity is, the more people will talk about it.

• The best way to reach your target is to know their habits.

Speak to them in the places they frequent, with the message they expect to hear, on the supports they like. Once you have understood those expectations, you can be creative in order to leave a mark.

Make sure you differentiate your brand from your competitors, even if that means creating a new visual identity. The positive returns will only be larger.

• Establish your expertise

When you want to improve your brand image, start by establishing your level of expertise with a single product. When the market recognizes the unique value of your company, all your future products will automatically be valued.

• Think about your customers’ experience

It cannot be said enough: the customer experience should sit at the heart of your brand’s communication strategy.

Put yourself in the customers’ place and ask yourself several questions:

What does your target public need? What can you offer them? How is that useful?

Also take into account the public you are speaking to. Is it a B2B target (in other words, professionals)? Is it rather consumers? The way you present your brand will differ depending on the public. Try to capture the words people use to describe you. Authenticity, simplicity, a positive experience, and strong relationships are all things that will set you apart and improve your reputation.

Your customers and prospects do not want to be treated only as a wallet. You can improve your brand image while also improving your customers’ trust. Be useful to them by producing relevant content (white paper, videos, in-depth articles). You can also use the company interview both to highlight your customers and to promote your services in an original way.

• Volunteer: and let people know

People like brands that volunteer at a local level. Once made public, those actions raise the status and value of the brand considerably.

• Write a blog to get your company message across

• Write a blog adapted to the interests, needs, and greatest challenges of your target audience.

• Offer new perspectives and advice that highlight your expertise. That will strengthen your image as an expert and as a “problem solver.”

• Send consistent messages

To establish the value of your brand, try to send consistent messages on every platform. That will help your targets trust you, and it will help you highlight your products and services.

Start by analyzing your website, your social networks. Do they match the messages you want to convey? Always make sure your messages and your actions are in harmony with your values.

In the same way, opt for a close relationship with your audience. Your communication techniques should include those requirements every day. That goes through a strong digital identity, but not only that. It also includes adapted marketing communication, through an emailing system, a newsletter, or other communication actions.

• Collect and use testimonials

If you really want to stand out, draw on the testimonials of your customers, colleagues, and mentors. The more your customers are won over by the solutions you offer, the more that will feed the trust of your prospects.

• Share your story

A company that has a story is more authentic than one that does not. Consumers also see companies that have a story as more able to evolve and to answer the evolution of their needs. Brand content, or the art of telling the brand’s story, should be part of your digital communication tools.

• Learn from your past successes

To establish your brand image well:

• List all your successes

• Think about what you did so that those actions succeeded.

• Note what you did, how you did it, who benefited from it, and how they benefited.

• Be human

Your customers should know the people behind your brand. Do not hesitate to introduce the members of your team and everyone who works with you.

• Call on an agency

You need to improve your brand image, but you do not know where or how to start?

Improving a brand image calls for several kinds of expertise, such as communication or SEO. Call on professionals to put effective strategies in place. The help of an SEO and e-reputation agency lets you focus on your core business and your customers.

Brand management

Who owns brand management?

The management of a brand strategy belongs to qualified experts. Still, every employee is concerned, because their actions can have a considerable impact on the brand’s image.

If you really want to succeed, your approach has to be as inclusive as possible. To get there:

• Tell your employees that what they do matters for the brand.

• Let them know that failing to keep the promises made to customers can harm the brand and the company

How do you measure your brand image?

You want to know what image your brand sends back, so you can put an adapted strategy in place?

Several methods are available:

• Quantitative and qualitative studies

These surveys will let you know the image of your brand among consumers by measuring their levels of satisfaction and knowledge of your brand.

• Surveys

You can ask your customers directly how they heard about you. Have they already heard of you? Do they know what you offer? You can also ask people selected at random to estimate the impact of your brand.

• Traffic and search volume

Google Analytics gives several indicators on the traffic of your website, including where users come from. For example, the Direct tab shows the number of users who typed your site’s URL into their address bar or who arrived by clicking a link (outside email). You can also measure the search volume of your brand to measure its impact. Tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner, or Ubersuggest, can give you those indications.

• Customer reviews

Comments from satisfied customers help you check that the company has indeed kept its promises. Reviews from dissatisfied customers or former customers give you valuable, more honest information on how the brand is perceived.

• A permanent watch

Putting a watch in place on social networks and on the internet lets you monitor your brand image and know what is being said about it. You can follow the number of mentions to measure your brand image. Suggestion: by counting them, you can put regular tracking in place and see how it evolves.

How do you bring a change to a brand?

When you want to bring a change to a brand, watch a few points.

• Avoid radical changes

Any change you bring to the brand will have an impact on your customers. Remember that your customers and your employees will have developed an emotional attachment, even a sense of belonging, to your brand. Calling on professional marketers can be an adapted solution in this case. Calling on influencers can also improve your e-reputation, without having to change your logo.

• Bring an adapted change

If you have had a problem with your customers in the past, try to find its origin. If it was caused by a failure of your systems, do not be tempted to change your slogan to solve it.

• Do a safe rebranding

“Rebranding,” or changing the logo, is a common technique used in brand marketing. It is not without risk, though. Remember that your logo represents the personality of your own brand. Changing it radically is almost like starting from scratch. So, at the risk of losing your customers’ affection, think about a simpler marketing action, or present a mockup first. A graphic charter, infographics, and digital creations will, among other things, take part in your web-marketing strategy. You will then be able to create a new logo without losing your identity.