What You Need to Know: Brand Reputation


What Is Your Brand Reputation?

If you’ve been in business long enough, you’re run into brand reputation issues. Most of the time, these are simple things that are easily dealt with, but with the prevalence of the Internet and the ease with which information can be shared, it’s almost impossible to have a sterling name anymore. That being said, it’s possible to build effective standing for your brand through the use of carefully constructed online reputation management services.

Brand Reputation and Brand Promise

Understanding your brand reputation means understanding what it’s actually measuring. “Reputation” in this case is an opinion held by the public at large regarding your character or behavior. While this is generally used to apply to people, it can also be applied just as easily to brands. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Apple”? How about “BP”? Whether it’s due to a re-invention, decades of actions, or one huge incident, the way that your brand is perceived can have a drastic effect on your business.

Keep in mind, this is not the same thing as a “brand promise.” That is less a reaction and more of an aspirational statement, closer to a mission. A brand promise is what you want your brand to represent and the efforts you make to bring reality in line with that desire. Whether you want to be known as dependable, innovative, or any other positive trait, your brand promise is a guide to how you want to shepherd your reputation.

Defining Your Reputation

Part of what online reputation management services do is help you define what it is you want your company to represent. How do you want to be seen? This can be anything from the type of market that you want to target to the kind of “personality” you want to portray. Are you about youth and energy? Experience and dependability? If your brand were a person, what would people think of it?

Almost anything can be accomplished with dedication and the right experience, so having a good idea of how you want to present yourself as well as a sense of what you can do as a business helps to narrow the possibilities. That’s part of the reason it’s so important to work with professionals, such as the ones here at RepManagement.com, who know how to find out what you want your brand to be.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong keeping a close rein on your brand reputation. It’s a vital part of how you attract new customers and provide constant growth for your business.