For a business, it’s not always easy to show the world who you are. A company brand depends on what that company sells, what actions it takes, and how it communicates. A good brand establishes positive associations in their customers’ minds. These associations can help the public differentiate your company from others. Highlighting and expressing the company’s values, building relationships, and asserting corporate credibility are all strategies that work toward creating a desirable, polished external image.
Communicate Company Values
One way a company can demonstrate its personality is by educating its customers and employees about its mission, values, and purpose. Often the public is in the dark about a business’ commercial focus when all consumers have to go on is the company’s name, or worse yet, potential consumers may have misconceptions about a company’s primary goals. In these cases, the business can use it as an opportunity to communicate with its clientele by educating them on the company’s vision and background.
Amway is a good example of a company that works hard to educate its customers and, in effect, shows its personality. The global leader in health and beauty hosts a blog on its website written in a relatable tone that clearly explains the concepts and goals of the company as well as offers testimonials from real people relating their experiences. This casual and personable approach is directly aimed at potential clients, and the public easily defines the business values while creating an amiable persona of the company.
Make a Video
Company-made videos offer a business the unique opportunity to raise the curtains and show the public the people behind the brand. The tone of the video conveys the attributes of the business brand. For instance, Austin start-up company SpareFoot engineered a humorous and quirky recruiting video that parodies a standard corporate training video that expresses to viewers that the company culture is fun and creative.
You don’t necessarily need a professional video crew to make a quality video. A smartphone is optimal for recording and posting a video to your company website or social media page. And it doesn’t have to be a five-minute production. Short clips can offer viewers a glimpse of your company’s ambiance and personality. The key is to simply be genuine and these efforts will result in building relationships with employees and customers.
Get Involved
You can also show the world who you are as a business by showing them what causes are important to you. Demonstrating compassion by becoming involved in a social, cultural, or health issue, either to bolster funding or awareness, demonstrates social consciousness and humanity.
For example, Nike is involved in initiatives like the NikeGO program, which aims to help kids get up and moving and grants them the means to ‘just do it,’ which showcases the company’s concern for modern youths. Environmentally, the company hosts both the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, which recycles footwear and the Nike Considered initiative that aims to reduce toxic materials and waste. These efforts demonstrate compassion as well as corporate responsibility.
To manage one’s brand effectively requires proactivity. In order to build a positive external image, a business needs to first have a solid vision and understanding of the personality it wishes to convey. A few sure-fire strategies for delivering that personality are to clearly communicate your vision, create unique videos that highlight your company’s culture, and to become involved with issues at the heart of your business and its constituents. It won’t happen overnight, but with a clear vision and these strategies, your company can build an external image that’s made to last.