Every company has an image. If you do not pay enough attention to your reputation, it will develop without control, and the process will become unmanageable. There is a possibility that the organization will create a positive impression of itself. But there is also a risk of forming a negative image. In this article, we will talk in detail about the image of a company and why it is important to form it.
Organization image
There are three types of company image:
positive;
real;
reflected.
Positive refers to the image the company is trying to some of the key features of band achieve. Real refers to the established attitude of society. Reflected refers to the management's idea of what the target audience thinks about the company.
Internal image of the organization
This image is formed among employees and reflects the culture within the company. It is a mistaken belief that the employer's reputation does not play a key role in the success of the company. However, it is the employees who often act as brand ambassadors. They can share their experience of working within the company, attracting the attention of potential customers or, conversely, repelling them.
Components of the internal image of an organization:
image of the leader. Management skills, personal characteristics, professional abilities;
personnel image. Professional skills, social data and communication culture within the enterprise;
corporate culture. Working conditions, care for personnel, stability and reliability, psychological climate.
External image of the organization
Shows actions towards the target audience.
Components of the external image of an organization:
staff. If your company is known as a reliable employer, if the working conditions are satisfactory for employees, then they will pass on positive feedback to a wide audience.
partners. No company operates autonomously; it is always connected with other companies. In order to choose a reliable partner, it is necessary to maintain a reputation as a financially stable company.
Mass media. The influence of the media on people must be taken into account. Articles in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV news, as well as online publications must contain positive information about the company. This requires creating newsworthy events and maintaining contacts with journalists.
authorities. Tax authorities, law enforcement agencies and other local authorities have a certain impact on the organization's activities. A company's positive reputation helps minimize obstacles from these authorities.
public. Some groups of the population are not your potential customers and you do not show interest in them, but over time the situation may change.
Why create a positive image for your company
Consumers have become more demanding with the development of the Internet. Information has become easily accessible to a wide audience. Before making a decision to buy a product, establish a partnership or get a job, most Internet users study reviews, compare offers to form their opinion about the company.
Therefore, developing the reputation of the organization becomes a priority task for the business owner, since without a good image, any advertising efforts may not produce the desired result.
Let's consider what will happen if you don't work with your image and what will happen if you work on image formation.
Don't work with the image
Form an image
They won't recognize you at the market
Attract your target audience
They won't choose among competitors
Expand your influence in your niche
Partners will not consider
Stand out from your competitors
They won't tell their friends or acquaintances
Attract partners
There will be no joy when you see financial reports
Increase sales and profits
Stages of image formation
Research. Before you start forming your image, you need to conduct a thorough study. It is important to study the target audience with its needs and preferences, determine the sites where potential clients are located. It is also necessary to analyze the company itself: study its field of activity, determine its strengths and weaknesses, and assess its current popularity.
Concept development. Concept development leads to the creation of an ideal image to strive for when forming a positive image in front of the target audience.
Developing a strategy.
The strategy includes the following components:
description of the target audience;
key messages from the company to its audience;
selection of communication channels;
basic rules of communication;
motivation to write reviews.
Implementation of the strategy. After detailed preparation, the plan becomes reality. The results will not take long to come if the first and second stages were carried out qualitatively: the organization's fame will gradually increase, and positive opinions will be formed among the target audience.
Monitoring. Once implementation has begun, it is important to continually monitor the results. How did the target audience react to the actions taken? Which communication channels were the most successful? These and other questions need to be asked regularly to evaluate the reputation building process.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the positive image of an organization can be changeable. It is necessary to constantly maintain the trust of the target audience in order not to lose its attention. It is necessary to monitor information about the company's reputation and respond to any negative information in a timely manner.