Generally associated with the notion of brand marketing, brand image is one of the essential pillars for the success of a company. This is one of the decisive criteria that lead consumers to choose one brand over another. Although this key concept is generally difficult to grasp, it contributes to customer loyalty, increased notoriety, and increased sympathy capital. But what does it really mean? Discover through this article the definition of brand image, its importance, and some tips to build and measure yours.
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What Is a Brand Image?
Defining a company’s brand image is not as complex as it seems. However, it should in no way be confused with that of concepts such as notoriety and reputation.
Branding is how the audience perceives a product/service, company, or brand. In other words, branding is the representation that an outsider such as the consumer has of a company, organization, or institution. It is a feeling and even a mental judgment based on immaterial or real elements.
The definition of brand image includes:
- the desired image, which is how the company wants its customers to perceive it, what it strives to convey through its messages;
- the perceived image, which is the representation that the public receives, the understanding it has of the messages that the company conveys, and its own opinion;
- The true image represents the image you think you have with your partners and customers.
Among these various images that contribute to the definition of brand image, the first can be easily controlled while the second is difficult to control. The company must ensure that the brand image perceived by its audience does not deviate from the image it conveys while remaining faithful to the true image. To do this, it must put in place a coherent and effective branding strategy. This can be done by registering on a trusted employee review platform, a customer review platform, etc.
The 3 Pillars of a Strong Brand Image
The earlier steps help you identify the critical elements for building a strong brand. Key considerations include communication methods, product/service offerings, supplier choices, pricing strategies, brand content, and distribution channels. The pillars of the brand can be broken down into the following:
- Visual Identity:
- Acts as the first impression for potential customers.
- Comprises key elements such as the logo, images, slogan, colors, design, photos, and typography.
- Ensures consistency across all communication channels and platforms.
- Conveys the core message defined in earlier steps through the name and slogan.
- Requires the creation of a graphic charter to guide graphic designers in maintaining cohesive visual standards.
- Tone and Communication Style (Brand Voice):
- Should align with the target audience and the desired relationship you wish to establish.
- Reflects the personality of the brand in all forms of communication.
- Core Values:
- Rooted in the brand’s fundamental “why” or mission.
- Serve as guiding principles for decisions and messaging.
These foundational elements form the essence of your brand, shaping how it is perceived and remembered by your audience.
Branding, Reputation, and Awareness: What Is the Difference?
The definition of brand image is very different from those of notoriety and reputation or e-reputation of the company. However, they are closely related concepts. Indeed, as mentioned above, the brand image is the image that the company sends back to its target audience. It stems from the quality of the products or services you market as well as your marketing strategy.
Branding and marketing are therefore linked. So, if you want to strengthen your company’s brand image, you need to take an interest in your customer base. In this way, you deliver a positive message that will have a positive influence on your sales.
As for reputation, it refers to the image perceived by the brand’s audience. It encompasses the Google e reputation which is the perception that Internet users have of the company. It lets you know how your brand is known and considered by the public. This opinion can be negative or positive. Reputation comes from the interpretation that your consumers, your partners, your prospects, your future employees, etc., formulate from the signs and messages received.
As far as notoriety is concerned, it represents the public’s knowledge of the company. It makes it possible to evaluate the degree of presence of the latter and its popularity on the market. On the internet, the notoriety of an entity is the level of visibility on search engines, social networks, etc.
How Important Is a Brand Image?
Nowadays, building or defining a positive brand image is a necessity for any business. Indeed, when a customer has to make a choice between two similar products, he will opt for the one that has a great reputation, excellent branding, and better features. Moreover, from the definition of brand image, we can retain many advantages that are close to the interests of the employer brand.
First of all, branding a product or company helps make a good first impression. From the configuration of the website to the clothing of the staff, every detail counts to impress customers and prospects.
The image perceived by the public also promotes the increase of awareness of the company through the satisfied customers who advertise you. The more positive it is, the more popular your brand will be and the more customers, prospects, partners, etc. you will gain.
This notoriety leads to an increase in sales and consequently an increase in turnover. In addition, by means of your positive image, you strengthen your credibility, which allows you to gain the trust of your target audience and retain current customers.
In addition, with a good brand image, you prove your rigor and professionalism. Finally, the impact of brand image is observed in case of bad buzz. When the company goes through a period of crisis, the credibility, trust, and notoriety created thanks to its image allow it to counter this phenomenon.
How to Build a Strong Brand Image?
After defining a brand image, let’s see the steps to follow to design a solid one. It would be ingenious to draw inspiration from the strategy of brands such as Michelin, Coca-Cola, Apple, Google, Nestlé, Nike, etc. These brands enjoy a positive brand image and an undeniable reputation.
However, before emulating any company, you need to analyze its branding to understand the reasons for its positivity. After the analysis, the next step will be to focus on your business, your customers, and their purchase motivations. This will allow you to identify the main elements that can participate in building or defining the brand image, those that you must control, and even limit or avoid. Defining a positive brand image like that of these large companies can be done in 5 steps.
1. Have a Good Knowledge of the Brand
To start defining your brand image, you need to determine the “why” of your brand, i.e. the mission that the company has set itself. Ask yourself:
- Where did the idea for the creation of the company come from?
- How did the brand reach its current level?
- What motivates it?
- What does it want to convey as a message?
This will allow you to get to know your brand better. It’s important that you make sure you build a consistent brand image that is well-aligned with your identity and business.
2. Study Your Target Audience
The main actor of branding is the target audience. So, to send a positive image to your target customers, you must define a buyer persona by taking into account the behavior and preferences of the latter during their purchases and interactions with your brand. Thus, you will determine the dreams, expectations, problems, and fears of your customers, which will allow you to know what message is conveyed.
3. Creating the Right Message
Every business must ensure that the message it wants to convey to its audience through its brand image is consistent with what the audience perceives and understands. Creating the ideal message is therefore a crucial step in building or defining the brand image.
It comes down to determining the image you want your audience to perceive. You must list the values and messages you want to convey. Also try to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience to identify what can appeal to them, and what message or information can attract them. Thus, you will be able to create an adequate message for the definition of your company’s brand image.
4. Analyze the Competition
Your brand image should differentiate you from your competitors. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out a competitive analysis. To do this, you can ask yourself questions such as:
- What is the marketing positioning of competing brands?
- What products or services do they offer?
- What values do they advocate?
- What communication media do they use (social networks, blogs, newsletters, etc.)?
- What tone and visual universe did they choose?
Thanks to the answers to these various questions, you will have new ideas and tips to stand out from your competitors. If you are not interested in what the competition is doing, it is also possible to take inspiration from a brand in a sector different from yours.
How to Evaluate Your Brand Image in 5 Steps
To improve the image of your company, you must first seek to know what image it portrays to your audience. This makes it possible to develop and implement a more effective strategy for the definition of the brand image. Here are some tips you can apply to achieve this.
1. Conduct Qualitative and Quantitative Studies
Thanks to quantitative and qualitative analyses, you learn about the image that your company conveys to its customers. The data to be analyzed includes:
- The increase in turnover or the number of sales;
- The number of customers and prospects;
- Social media statistics such as engagement rate and number of views on posts.
These studies also consist of measuring the degree of knowledge and satisfaction of your customers for your products or services.
2. Take Employees’ Opinions
Collecting the opinions of your employees is one of the best ideas to improve your employer brand. It can also prove effective when it comes to improving a company’s brand image. Thanks to employee reviews, you will get many proposals that will help you implement a better branding strategy.
Similarly, when positive, employee reviews provide readers with valuable information such as company values, product manufacturing conditions, customer culture, etc. This contributes to building a strong brand image.
On the other hand, when they are negative, these opinions damage the reputation of the entity. It is therefore important to ensure that the reviews left by your employees are positive. To do this, consider optimizing their experience by implementing QWL: employer brand and employee loyalty. You must also be aware of the challenges of employer branding for a company.
3. Analyze Traffic and Search Volume
With the help of Google Analytics, you can proceed with the analysis of your website traffic. Thus, you will know where your customers come from to better choose your communication media. With the Direct tab, for example, you will know the number of users who searched for your site by entering its URL or clicking on a link to find you.
Plus, it’s possible to measure your brand’s impact by assessing how many people are researching it. To do this, you can use tools such as Ubersuggest and Keyword Planner.
4. Take Customer Reviews and Conduct Surveys
To measure the brand image of your company, it is essential to carry out satisfaction surveys and take the opinions of your customers. These opinions will help you check whether the promises made to your audience have been kept. By reading this unbiased and honest information, you will know exactly how your brand is perceived. Similarly, you will understand the expectations of your customers and will be able to better satisfy them.
5. Perform a Permanent Watch
Ongoing monitoring involves monitoring your brand image to ensure that it is in line with your values, your audience and your brand identity. You need to listen to your customers and prospects to know what’s being said about you. It is also necessary to adopt effective communication via tools such as advertising, distribution channels, packaging, promotion techniques, design, etc.
FAQs
What is branding and what elements define it?
Branding refers to the perception that an outsider has of a company, product, or brand. It consists of three elements: the desired image, which represents how the company wants to be perceived, the perceived image, which reflects how the public perceives it, and the true image, which corresponds to the image that the company thinks it portrays to its customers and partners. Controlling the desired image and ensuring its consistency with the perceived image are essential aspects of an effective branding strategy.
Why is branding important for a company?
Branding plays a crucial role in the success of a business. It creates a good first impression with customers and prospects, builds awareness, and increases trust in the brand. A positive brand image contributes to increased sales and turnover while building customer loyalty. In addition, in the event of a crisis or bad buzz, a solid brand image allows the company to counter the negative effects. It is therefore essential to build a consistent and positive brand image to stand out from the competition and succeed in the market.
