Brand perception is the way a particular logo or brand name is perceived by the general public. It has to do with the emotions it invokes and the way people respond to them. People’s perception of brands naturally change over time. For example, children may look at the logo of a company that sells pizza and has an arcade and get very excited. Adults will look at the same logo and may feel annoyed, thinking about the noise and commotion that takes place inside of the locale.
From time to time, businesses want to intentionally shift the perception others have of their brand. They want to change the features that distinguish them from other businesses. If you’re heading down the same path, use these ideas to get started with your internal shift.
Strategies for Changing Brand Perception
Before a company can change their brand perception, they first must understand how the public perceives them. This is referred to as the actual perception. From there, identify how you want the public to perceive your brand. This is the ideal perception. Once these two things have been clearly identified, businesses can take action in the direction they want to go.
Looking inside the Company
Businesses must first look within their organization to see what steps they can take to change their business in a way that will allow them to deliver the promise of their brand to their clients. Examine the level of customer service you provide and your management teams to see if your objectives harmonize with the new image you want for your brand. This is the stage where you’ll also want to look into pricing to make sure you’re getting a deal that will actually help your brand.
Embrace Social Media
Television and print advertising are still very reliable and used by many businesses. However, they are no longer the primary or most efficient option. Social media has a branding power that conventional forms of marketing do not. A good step to change the way a business is perceived is by establishing an online presence. Go from a stale blog to a younger tool like twitter to gain new ground with a new demographic. Research shows that social media is responsible for the large shift in the way your brand is perceived.
Adjust the Experience Your Customers Receive
The primary way to change the way a business is perceived is to change the experience customers get. For example, customers shopping at Nordstrom’s may have a different perception of the business if they could purchase high-quality clothing at a discounted price using discountrue coupons. The idea is to produce a service that will improve or change what a business is offering. If a customer’s experience changes when they visit a store or when they interact with the business, it is only logical their perception of the business will change as well.
Changing the way a business is perceived can take time. However, when it is done properly, it can increase customers as well as profits.
Brooke Chaplan / Freelance Writer
BrookeChaplan (at) gmail(dot) com