Brand management is clearly an important aspect of your business.
You need to build a brand that people respect and trust, and you then need to maintain that positive brand image. When you do, you will attract more customers and new hires to your business, and you will find success as a result.
But here’s the thing.
There are certain situations that can damage your brand image, and we will take a look at two of them below. Thankfully, these situations can be remedied, and we will factor possible solutions into our discussion.
#1: Bad customer reviews
One bad customer review might not matter so much. But when negative reviews pile up, you do need to take note. Potential customers will be checking review sites to learn more about your business, and if they notice a common thread between the reviews that have been posted, they might assume you are doing nothing to fix whatever is being complained about.
Another thing to be wary of is fake reviews. These could be posted by your competitors, and in some cases, could be posted by disgruntled employees and customers too. Their sole intention will be to damage your brand image, for whatever reason, so you do need to be alert to the possibility.
So, here’s what you need to do. Check review sites often and look for any bad reviews. If you find any that are seemingly genuine, make your apologies to the reviewer, and do what you can to make the situation right for them. If you find fake reviews, leave a comment suggesting why the review is wrong. You might want to use the services provided by Removify too. Fake Google reviews could be a thing of the past, and so could fake reviews elsewhere online, because of the help they can give your business.
#2: A badly behaved employee
You might be doing all you can to maintain a positive brand image, but what about your employees? They are sometimes the face of your business, and if they behave in a way that can tarnish your brand, you might face the consequences. They might post something that causes a stir on social media, for example, such as pictures of themselves on a drunken night out, or gossip and lies that pertain to your business. They might behave criminally too, or act rudely to your customers.
If an employee does do something to harm your brand, you need to be proactive. Not only will they need to be disciplined, but you will need to make amends to those they have offended. You might need to make a public or private apology, for example, and you might need to publically distance your business from the behavior that has been exhibited.
You should also pre-empt any such problems from happening in the first place. You can do this by being diligent in the hiring process, and by having policies in places that forbid certain behaviors. Check out this sample social media policy, for example, and consider using similar in your business.
You have worked hard to build your brand image, so don’t let it be tarnished in any way. We have given two possible scenarios that could affect your business, but there are others, so continue your research online.
