TheMarketingblog

Shaken & Stirred - Influential Brand Profiling and Positioning

5 unusual ways to improve the reputation of your brand

Never before has the brand reputation mattered so much.

Of course, it was important in the past, but in the era of the internet and social media, how a company treats its customers can make or break its brands.

It also makes it easier to improve your brand reputation than you would imagine. You can use these five tactics to start improving your company’s reputation.

1. Create High-Quality Content on Your Blog and Social

Many businesses have this misperception that SEO is like a game. They believe if you use a few marketing tricks, you convince Google and the other search engines to rank your pages higher in the SERPs. What they don’t realize is that SEO is a combination of strategies. They are all geared at making websites more informative and easier to use for their visitors.

If you’re creating mediocre content to score keywords, you’ve never going to build a solid reputation. Take a look at your competitors. Chances are they’re doing the same thing.

You need to rise above and make your blog pop. It needs to be entertaining, informative, and actionable. And you need to post often and consistently. It doesn’t matter if you have the best blog in the world if you only post once every three months.

Aim for at least once a week.

2. Social Media Influencers Are a Good Investment

It may still seem odd to you that people can be famous for being popular on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. But it is the world we live in. From almost nothing a few years ago, the influencer industry should reach $22 billion annually in 2022.

Consumers have ingrained trust with these influencers. To them, an influencer’s recommendation feels more like a suggestion from a friend than a real advertisement. It means they’re more likely to buy something.

And these stats add up. 94% of all Twitter users have bought or plan to purchase something from a business they follow on the platform.

You don’t have to go with the biggest and most expensive names. Find a rising star that has overlapping values with your brand. You can strike a partnership that benefits you both.

3. Establish a Policy of Trust

In the aftermath of privacy scandals and data breaches, consumers’ trust in businesses is at an all-time low. 41% of people don’t trust brand marketing. At the same time, 40% of people said that they would not return to a brand if it displayed unethical forms of behavior or was involved in any scandal. That includes a data breach.

Companies now have more consumer data than ever. It’s time they inspired their users to trust brands with their data. Between addresses, credit card information, order history, preferences, and more, companies must make sure customer data never falls into the wrong hands.

If you don’t know where to begin, start by using the right cybersecurity tools.

Currently, a virtual private network (VPN) is one of the best tools marketers and PRs can use. What is a VPN? When you connect to a WiFi at work, you connect your device to the office network. When you connect to a VPN, you also connect to a network, only a virtual one.

For more information click here: https://nordvpn.com/what-is-a-vpn/

What does a VPN do? It encrypts your internet connection, meaning nobody can track what you do online. Whether you’re uploading files at a cafe or even on your business network, nobody can intercept your data.

Of course, one security tool can’t cover all your business needs. You should also:

  • use a password manager to safeguard credentials

  • get file/device encryption software for essential data

  • enable the automatic app and operating system updates

  • use antivirus or anti-malware software

  • backup and encrypt data locally and in the cloud

  • restrict network permissions

  • routinely conduct security audits

And then, you can market a trust-based approach to data. It’s an excellent way to distinguish your business from your competitors and improve your brand reputation.

4. Improve Your Website Functionality

The faster your site loads and the easier it is to use, the more likely customers will stick around and buy your goods/services. 53% of internet users leave a site if it takes more than seconds to load.

With that in mind, spend a few hours tweaking your site so it can run its best:

  • optimize image size. Most images don’t need to be larger than 1000px

  • use video strategically and reduce the file quality when you do

  • fix broken links

  • create a coherent site map

  • remove all unused media, including templates and post revisions

  • test the performance of your site

  • enable lazy loading

5. Demonstrate Social Proof

Social proof, like customer reviews, build your reputation. And they’re essential. 83% of people prefer reviews to company marketing materials.

It makes sense. When you shop on Amazon, do you find yourself buying products with a five-star or two-star average rating?

Let customers add their reviews and share feedback on social media. Include testimonies from influential people too. You may face a few roadblocks and some less than stellar feedback along the way. Instead, seize these moments and opportunities for company improvement. They can drive your business further in the right direction.

You can improve the reputation of your brand. Use these five tactics, and you’ll prove to your future customers that your company stands far above the rest.

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