Image management: The how-to guide for brands to build & maintain their brand image

Images are critical to brand success. Effective image management conveys brand authenticity like no other.

Overall, the influence of a brand among consumers is determined by two important components: identity and image.

The first ensures recognition. Thanks to corporate identity, logo, and color scheme, customers identify the company among competitors quickly.

However, identity is not capable of providing loyalty. Whether or not users follow you depend on your image. If it matches the values and priorities of the person, then it will not only make a purchase but also become a brand advocate.

Why is image management important

Image management – a goal in which companies invest a lot of resources. And all because in the presence of a strong image, the achievement of goals and the implementation of the company’s ideas are greatly simplified. Its advantages are as follows:

• Better customer relationships.
• High level of brand trust.
• The attraction of new clients.
• Easier introduction of new products to the market.

How to Strengthen brand image: 4 components of an effective image management

Brand values

Profit, market expansion, or leadership are economic goals. They are important to the company, but not to the client. People follow a brand because they share the values it conveys. So define yours.

Key values stem from the brand vision. They can be described in several words. Having values allows you to humanize a brand and add an appeal to it. This will set you apart from the competition. In this case, people are not following the product, but the aspirations, goals, and personality that the brand promotes.

Examples:

• Nestle – inspiring, enthusiastic and friendly brand.
• Apple – tools for creativity and self-expression.
• Redbull – adventurous, outdoor, and sports brand.

Sequence

In order for a brand to become recognizable and its image understandable, several impressions are needed. Research suggests 5 to 7 of these are required. It’s important to reflect brand values ​​in every message, including logo, social media, video, and promotional material.

Therefore, image content management is important. Design your own checklist to maintain a unified brand voice across your messages. Image asset management software is appropriate. This ensures that appropriate words, images, and colors are used. As a result, a full-fledged brand personality is formed in the minds of the target audience.

An appropriate approach to the audience

91% of users prefer brands that make relevant offers.

Image – vision of a brand through the eyes of customers. The brand needs to address its target audience properly. Plus, support it. One of the most important tasks of marketing is understanding customers for empathy, understanding of feelings, and attitudes.

Modern users choose brands that share their choices. Therefore, it is necessary to create a portrait of the target audience which provides information about the problems, goals, and beliefs of users.

Similarly, set up a simple session tracking on the site. It will give an understanding of preferences. For example, what information customers are looking for, what information they ignore, and what they value in a product’s characteristics. Knowing this, you can create a personalized experience. It increases loyalty and allows you to gain brand advocates.

Confidence

For 14% of users, trust is the main (after price) criterion for choosing a seller. It facilitates the choice by eliminating the need to make a purchase decision or not. Consumers simply trust the company. It is this attitude towards the company that stimulates the purchase of products from Apple, Coca-Cola, Toyota, etc. Trust is a reliable basis for creating a strong brand.

One of the key criteria for building trust in a brand is its position on the storage of personal data. If a company has a leak of information, it can negatively affect its image. Therefore, it is important to use precautions and modern VPN-like tools. This will help to ensure a reliable and secure connection. This is especially true for those brands that work with remote employees.

Trust is something that is difficult to achieve and easy to lose, so it is important to invest in it continually.

Digital image management: communication that forms the brand image

The first thing to do is to research your target audience. As we wrote above, the image is built on something more significant than the characteristics of the product. The basis is brand values. Therefore, knowing the target audience is a must.

After studying the users, you should start communicating. The image is formed in the process of interaction. Remember, every online appearance/mention is your brand. Therefore, you should carefully consider the content.

Language

Communication should be consistent with the personality of the brand. It is important that it sounds natural. Use a professional tone when the brand is B2B. Youth and direct brands can communicate more freely.

The brand language should be well thought out. In the future, it will be integrated into all communication channels. Must match the brand identity.

Emotional connection

Give your brand a life, a story, emotion that people relate to. So try to be more “human”. For example, users love to learn new and interesting things. Especially if it turns out to be a story that sinks emotionally and reveals a strong brand identity. This is a good foundation for building long-term relationships.

Advertising

It is important for the image to declare yourself. And advertising is the most effective way. With its help, you can convey the brand and convey information to the target audience. The consistent brand experience through media assets that follow the brand guidelines works a charm in maximizing ROI with advertising.

Social networks

In 2020, 3,6 billion people use social media. This is almost half of the world’s population. At the same time, 71% of people who have had a positive experience of interacting with the brand on the social network will recommend it to their friends.

Moreover, there are many social networks. Each brings together users of a certain age and preference. Find out where your audience is spending their time and reach out to them directly. This is true even for B2B businesses, because there is always LinkedIn.

The first step towards building a strong relationship is personalizing communication on social media. You can interact with your audience through content, challenges, hashtags, comments, and reviews. People have the ability to tag you and share their impressions of the product.

To maintain the image assets that represent the brand, it’s worth communicating with customers and answering their questions. Promptness and appropriateness of the response is a welcome move and form the image of a brand that is attentive to customers.

Conclusion

By shaping the image, you increase the credit of trust in the company, which will result in high loyalty, trust, and support. This is a solid foundation for growth. So if you haven’t built it yet, you should start today.