A Powerful Corporate Image – You Can’t Do Without It!
The top three touch points where you can make an impact
Whether you own a small online business catering to a niche audience, or you run a growing company with national or international customers – you can never undermine the importance of a strong corporate image. It does not matter whether you are selling simple carpet cleaning services or complex IT services, the market is open to all, and you have to stand out and establish your image so that your prospects prefer you over the hundreds or thousands of other big and small players in the same domain vying for attention. You will face the competitive intensity when you realize that Google brings in 10 million results for your service keyword – it’s literally a war out there. People will not come to you if they feel that you are not offering anything exceptional. Many business owners think that designing a flashy website and a unique logo is all it takes to create a corporate image. It takes a lot more. You should identify all customer touch points and implement ways to enhance corporate image for each. Here are some ways to establish your company’s corporate identity with a minimum overhead.
Touch point #1: Your corporate web presence
Your company’s web presence is no longer limited to your website, though it is the most important part. Make sure that your website reflects your company’s image precisely and offers the right information to the visitors. Your web designer plays a key role in bringing your ideas to life accurately. Other virtual places where prospects can come in contact of your corporate image include:
- Related blogs, forums, networks, communities, business directories, and allied websites
- Wikis, YouTube, PRWeb, EzineArticles, and the likes
- Live online chat
- Site-targeted advertising, pay-per-click search campaigns, and banner ads
- Opt-in newsletters, webinars, and promotional email marketing campaigns
All these activities should be done intelligently keeping your core corporate image in mind all the time. Your web presence should inch your prospects from ‘attention’ to ‘desire’ stage in a logical way. You don’t have to hire people in-house to conduct all these tasks; you can utilize packaged and customized online marketing services to do it professionally with a low overhead.
Touch point # 2: Telephonic or email communication
Once your website has done the job of grabbing attention of your prospects, they will call you or send you an email. The way you handle the first call can make or break a deal, and so it should be done professionally. Hiring a full-time resource can be difficult and expensive for a small business. You can easily take advantage of on-demand phone answering services, where all your calls will get answered by a live person. What’s more – there are great packages where you can get a virtual assistant, toll free number, live receptionist, unified communication (email, voice, fax), and call routing – all at a fraction of a cost and on as-needed basis. Even if you have the free time to handle all your phone calls, a little investment in these services can go a long way in enhancing your corporate image and bringing in even more business.
Similarly, always avoid sending emails from free email accounts like Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail. Even if you are running a sizable operation and providing quality services, a prospect who receives your email with an email ID jsmith@gmail.com may question the identity of your company. But an email from jsmith@yourcompany.com will eliminate that concern. Setting up your company’s email address is extremely simple and inexpensive. Almost, all web hosting companies offer free email service. Ask your web hosting company for more details.
Touch point # 3: Your physical office
Most small businesses and start-ups do not have the luxury of lavish office space to boast of. When your clients want to learn more about your physical address or visit you on-site they should feel that you are a professional organization. Fortunately, you don’t need to make a huge investment in renting an office; you can impress your clients with a shared office with minimal overhead. You can find such office spaces in almost any city in the US and they are common in Europe too. In some industries it makes a big difference. If you run a financial or an investment firm, people would like to see your office in New York City or in another major city, and it does not matter where you really operate from. The major advantage is that these spaces are completely furnished and located at the best business centers in the city. You can make use of internet access, on-site services, administrative staff, office equipment, meeting rooms, and more – all on as-needed basis.
A powerful corporate image can take you a long way and help you run your company professionally and efficiently. By implementing these simple techniques in your business you can strengthen your corporate image immediately and make your company shine out from your competitors.
