Brand Perception: Changing your customers views…

Brand perception is ever evolving in a customers mind. With every new generation of consumers and changes in the markets, a customer’s view of a well-reputed brand has the potential to change – for better or for worse.

This process is sometimes a passive and gradual change, but it could also just as easily be a more abrupt transformation – driven by external events that are beyond one’s control. However, whether the changes in your brand perception are forced upon you or driven by you, there will always be an element of uncertainty. After all, you can’t control the thoughts of your customers.

For me, brand perception is the process of figuring out what a brand really stands for, both for the business and the audience. We conducted internal and external surveys in which I asked these types of questions:

• How do consumers and advertisers view your brand?
• How does the brand relate in the current marketplace?
• What words you think of which represent your brands personality?
• What is your perception of who you are as a brand?

Using the survey results, I then underwent a five-step process in order to determine the companies existing brand equity and a strategy to further boost its perception.

Here are the steps I took:

1. What do they really think? To change a perception, you must first understand what people think, and not what you thinkthey think. Asking for open-ended feedback without leading questions is the only way to determine how you are seen. Social media provides ample opportunity to listen to your customer, and if you listen enough, you’ll gather a better understanding.
2. Understand your customers. Gathering feedback is only the first step – now it is vital to understand why they have these thoughts. Does your marketing only hit a certain demographic, leaving vast swaths of your customer base in the dark? Are there geographic or cultural differences? It is vital that you create opportunities for conversation and act upon that feedback.
3. Get your team on board.It is one thing to understand what your customers think, but it is another matter entirely to explain to your team why they might need to do things a little differently. Many of them will be one or two steps removed from the customers, and it is vital to explain why changes are required. Your brand perception starts with your people, and once you have decided what it is you need to change (an important step in itself!), the changes will only take place if they adopt them as their own.
4. Tell them. Small, incremental changes will not have a significant impact on the way your brand is perceived. If you are going to change something, do it for the right reasons, and make sure that you shout it from the rooftops. It is incredibly powerful to tell your customer, “We have listened to you, and we are going to do things a little differently now.” Boldly stating what your brand stands for is the best way of resetting your customer relationship. It requires you to live up to your promises.
5. Look to the future. Enjoying your current success is fine while it lasts, but in the age of disruption, there are bound to be challenges that will turn your business model upside down. Being proactive regarding the demands of your future customer base is the best way to manage the relationship. Letting your customers know that you are looking forward and growing with them is the best way to ensure their long-term loyalty.

Changing the perception of your brand is a heavy undertaking, but it could make all the difference in whether or not it stands the test of time years into the future. Staying relevant and meeting the needs of your customers will make you untouchable. If you feel you need some hep to redefine your brand and create a marketing strategy moving forward, let us help.

Talk to us hello@inspiremande.co.uk