Managing A Brand

Perception And Reality

How a business is perceived by people is how it is considered; this may not be the reality, but what people think will reflect on the image and reputation of the business.

For this reason, the reality is how people think, so this needs to be managed; it needs to be led and built upon. This is the job of a PR agency, to manage a business's reputation and ensure that they are perceived in the correct way. Many companies do struggle with this, certainly if they are involved in a volatile industry or get a bad coverage by the press.

Managing a brand is a big part of the job that public relations covers and an important one for the reputation of the business.

Volatile Market Conditions

The media is a fickle machine, the goal is to draw readers in (rather that to portray the whole story, telling a story that sells is the goal of the media) and keep them coming back for juicy stories.

We are living in volatile times, when businesses need to protect their image and reputation. The financial industry is a good example of an industry that has received bad press. The various financial companies that have come into the media spotlight are seeking to counteract the bad press with putting a positive spin or positive PR. The danger is that bad press will cause existing clients to leave and prospective clients to stay away.

Monitoring Competitors Brands

Part of an effective PR strategy is monitoring competitors, watching how your competitors are working and how the market is reacting to their products/services and their PR.

The roll of a PR agency is to ensure they know who the competitors are in your industry, watch what they are doing and tailor your message to fit in or react to theirs.

Managing Complaints

A big part of managing a brand is managing complaints. Very few businesses are complaint free, there are normally customers somewhere that have issues of one sort or another whatever the business.

Part of good PR is managing these complaints and being seen to answer them. If the world sees that complaints are swiftly and efficiently handled, this can have a positive effect meaning that the complaint procedure only strengthens the brand.

Coping With Negative Coverage

The more popular a business becomes, the more likely that negative coverage will occur. This could be from a competitor, the media, an internal mistake or any number of sources. Part of the PR companies roll is to prevent or migrate this negative coverage. Similar to handling complaints, negative press coverage needs to be confronted and tackled either to divert attention away or diffused.

Helpful Advice

A company's brand is the heart of the business, if the brand is badly projected then the company (no matter how good the product or service) will suffer. Choosing the right PR agency to manage and maintain the brand is important even in the early days while the business is growing.

Selecting an agency that knows your market, knows your product will ensure that they are effectively able to manage your brand as they know the market; essentially the agency becomes an important part of your business strategy.

Marketing Quotes is a free price comparison service to UK businesses to help get free quotes and advise from local marketing companies.

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