When you are just starting a business or thinking about rebranding, it is critical to think about the type of impressions you want to make with your clients and customers.
Your brand is the look and feel of your business, should set you apart from your competitors, and is the first thing a visitor notices when they visit your website. It only takes a person 7 seconds to form a first impression, and you want it to be a good one.
To help you ensure that you’re making that lasting impression, here are five tips that will help make your brand memorable and your company look more professional.
Start with a Consistent Brand Voice and Style Guide
Most businesses want to appear professional to customers and suppliers, but some want to add a little more. Depending on the industry and their target market, they may want to appear fun, humorous, or friendly. Your brand voice is something you should define before you start creating copy. You can add the details of your brand voice to your style guide so that content and copywriters know how to write for your business.
A style guide is also where you describe other global branding details that you want to apply to your visual assets, both digital and print. For example, it will tell designers which fonts and color palettes to use, where to include your logo, and more. Creating a style guide first will contribute to a consistent, professional experience for all of your customers.
Create a Professional Website
A majority of customers will use their mobile phones to find your business, so you need an online presence if you want customers to find you in this modern age. That begins with a professional website.
If you want a unique website that stands out from competitors, you might want to hire a professional web designer to create a custom site for your business from scratch. They will be able to follow your style guide and create a user-friendly site that fits your business. Hiring a designer will come at a cost. If you don’t have a budget for that, it is possible to create a professional-looking site with online website builders.
Build a Social Media Presence
Once you have launched a professional website, it is time to build the rest of your online presence on social media. Social media can increase the amount of exposure your brand receives and increase traffic to your site. It can also generate leads and build an army of loyal fans who spread the word about your brand even further. 55% of consumers say they learn about new brands or companies on social media.
You can begin with Facebook, Twitter, and the other big social networks where many of your customers may be, but also look for niche social networks that target the same market you do. Use your voice and style guide to flesh out these accounts and make sure you are making an effort to engage customers.
Deliver Great Customer Service
It doesn’t matter if your branding is consistent across all of your properties if your customer service isn’t professional. In fact, you can make up for minor branding issues with great customer service. This means making sure that your customers can contact you in whatever way they prefer. Make sure to list your email address and phone number (or at least a contact form) on your website. Don’t forget customers may contact you from their social media accounts.
You also need enough staff to handle customer inquiries as soon as possible. If emails aren’t getting answered and phones are consistently on hold, you may want to outsource some of your customer service.
Get a Toll-Free Vanity Phone Number
Getting a vanity phone number for your business comes with many benefits. A vanity phone number is a toll-free number that spells out the name of a business, a product it is known for, or another phrase used for branding. An example is 1-800-FLOWERS.
One benefit is that it gives customers a free way to talk to your business, even when they are in another state. Because the number spells out a memorable phrase, your customers will also remember it much easier than a random bunch of numbers. It will also increase trust in your business because most people will see the toll-free number as something established businesses should have.
It can be hard to gain traction with a new business. The first step is ensuring that you are providing a consistent, professional experience for your customers. Using these five tips, you can get started in the right direction.
