Paint Your Picture: Creating A Brand Image
Ever wondered what your potential and current clients think of your real estate business or services?
The way that your clients perceive your brand can be summarised as brand image. Managing brand image and understanding elements that make up brand image is important to be able to accurately convey your brand’s identity and services that you provide, as well as to ensure that your brand is being communicated the way you intend it to be. Read on to find out more.
The Importance of Brand Image
Does thinking of a certain brand automatically bring up certain attributes to your mind? Perhaps hearing brand names like Chanel, Gucci and Balenciaga may immediately bring up images of wealth and luxury, and seeing brand names like Godiva and M&M’S brings up images of decadent desserts? Brand image works just this way - it’s what comes to mind when a customer or a client thinks of a brand. Every brand has a message they wish to convey, and their goal is always for the customer or client to perceive them favourably. Brand image, once solidified, can be very hard to change. Think of your local fast-food brands for example - would you be able to think of them as brands serving organic and healthy food if they were to push out such advertisements suddenly? Chances are, their taglines and their offerings come into your mind too quickly and firmly to allow you to think of them in any other way. As such, maintaining a brand’s image is of utmost importance.
A single negative article that spreads like wildfire can very quickly and easily taint a brand’s image. When it comes to brand image, things get tricky because while the brand and advertisers can put out certain messages, brand image is ultimately constructed by the recipient or viewer. However, there are still many elements contributing to a brand image which you can consider to influence the way that audiences see your brand.
What Makes Up Brand Image
Firstly, what your brand offers or specialises in should be made instantly obvious to your target audience. You want audiences to be able to hear your brand name and know what you offer. Take IKEA for example - one word and most people would immediately think of its iconic blue and yellow logo and the idea of furniture or home. Be certain of what your brand offers or what sets it apart and capitalise upon that to make sure your audiences are aware as well.
A key touchpoint in a customer’s journey is their interaction with the people associated with and representing your brand. Hence, ensure that the customer service your brand provides is top-notch and memorable.
Another element to your brand image would be the benefits your brand offers. How does it benefit customers to choose your brand and what value-add can you deliver? What are some tangible benefits your brand can deliver and what are some feel-good, but potentially less tangible benefits your brand provides? These are important questions to think about and to find the answers to.
Tips to Build a Successful Brand Image
Building a successful brand image takes time, patience and consistency. Establishing your brand’s unique selling point from the outset, its services and its benefits are good ways to solidify your brand identity and to ensure that content put out by the brand is guided by its identity.
Tap upon your network to spread the word about your brand if it’s still growing, and don’t be afraid to harness the power of social media to catch the eyes of your target audience. Being consistent involves consistency in content creation, promotion and of course the quality of the services and products that your brand provides.
At BCD, we take branding seriously. We prioritise quality and customer satisfaction, and are always looking for ways to improve upon these aspects. If a team committed to improvement sounds like the right fit for you, feel free to contact us. At BCD, our focus is YOU.
