Branding a Company through Communication

Although the Internet opened up worlds of communication between companies and customers that were otherwise closed, it is still essential to use these new lines of communication most effectively in order to properly brand a company to an audience.

Corporate branding online is much different from corporate branding off-line. Online, corporate branding is all about content and personal communication. Even though the immediate access to larger audiences may tempt you to employ mass marketing schemes to get more business quickly, know that they will not work in the long-term. They definitely will not help to build a corporate brand that customers will remember.

Personal communication means that you will only be able to use marketing automation programs judiciously. There needs to be a person behind the tweets and Facebook posts that are sent out on a regular basis by your company. People are quickly becoming able to tell the difference between messages that are generated by automated marketing programs and those that are personally directed at them by an individual.

How you respond to negative communication also dictates how many customers will communicate with you. On the Internet, negative reviews are immediate and very public. Anyone can post them and anyone can view them. What is more important than the posting of a negative review about your company is how you handle it. This has the potential to take your corporate branding efforts to the next level or completely stop them in their tracks.

When you receive negative communication, it is essential that you respond to it personally, immediately and positively. There should be no automated response for a complaint that a customer has made; rather, it should be addressed personally.

Complaint should also be addressed immediately. Whether you know it or not, people are always looking at your social media pages for indications of the quality of your brand. Negative messages always draw the eye more readily than any other type of message. If there are negative messages all over your pages with no response, new potential customers may be turned off by this.

However, if there are some negative comments on your wall that are immediately addressed by your company, it shows liveliness and a willingness to engage a consumer on his level. The last characteristic of this communication is that it be positive.

Most people who complain are only doing so to test the response of the business. If your response focuses on finding a solution, you will most likely turn these negative reviewers into loyal customers. Other customers will see this behavior and be much more likely to give your company a chance and view you as a quality brand in your industry.