How to improve your corporate image?

Are you interested in making your products and services more customer-focused? In this article, we dive into the question of ‘how to improve your corporate image?’ and how branded clothing can play a part in helping businesses display a professional image.

If you want to attract new customers in today’s world, first you need to be visible. Buyers seeking your products or services will be attracted to a distinctive company offering reliability and quality. Understanding the bond between branding and customer experience can give you the edge you need to drive positive results.

Read on to learn how you can influence potential customers from the first point of contact…

What is a brand?

According to Wikipedia, a brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller’s good or service from those of other sellers. Brands create and store value as brand equity for the object identified, to the benefit of the brand’s customers, its owners and shareholders.

Originally, brands were simple symbols that defined ownership of goods. Think about sheep in a field or old-fashioned wooden crates used to transport goods. Time has moved on but many people still make the mistake of viewing a brand as just a logo or font/typeface.

Today, branding means much more. Consider your favourite coffee shop or fast food outlet, if there were no logos visible would you still recognise it? As well as physical features like the building and style of corporate clothing, you may notice the impression that the company makes on customers by the language the staff use and how the products make you feel. It could simply be the smell as you walk in. In short, the brand emphasises the deal made between the company and its customers.

What is customer experience?

Now you that understand branding, customer experience (CX) covers the tools and techniques a business uses to reinforce the message to people who walk through the door. Having a distinct brand is worth nothing if you fail to deliver what is promised, so the best firms pay attention to structures and processes.

Going back to your coffee shop or fast food outlet, have you noticed how you get greeted the same way, regardless of the branch location? Great customer experience is all about consistent interactions that create an impression of trust in the business. You keep going back because you know what you will receive, and this can improve customer retention and business growth.

Answer this question: when you go overseas and you spot a brand you recognise, are you tempted to pay them a visit?

How to improve your corporate image?

Branding is linked to creating a positive first impression as the logo and colours will be remembered at the first step of the customer journey. Before buying a product or service, a customer will notice a company’s social media channel, vehicle, shop, corporate clothing or packaging.

When a buyer begins to interact with the company, it is down to the customer experience to reinforce that positive first impression. In the old days, this was the moment when someone walked through the shop door, but it is much more complicated today.

Online marketing means customers now have a multitude of routes to connect with companies, with savvy buyers conducting hours of research before making contact. From your website to a magazine advert, businesses need to ensure that every message is consistent, using the correct logo and colours.

Using marketing images of staff wearing corporate clothing is one way to reinforce your brand as customers will recognise your team when they visit your premises or when you arrive at their front door. Having a clean and tidy store, office, van or uniform creates a lasting impression when a customer comes face-to-face with your business.

So how can corporate clothing help?

If you are wondering how to improve your corporate image, here are some real-life examples to show the importance of branded clothing for businesses of all sizes and sectors:

The tradesperson

You attend a new customer and arrive in a clean vehicle and wear corporate clothing. You are friendly and professional and deliver a good service for the price quoted. Not only will the customer tell their family and friends about their positive experience, but neighbours have spotted your van and will ask your customer about your services.

Furthermore, one of the customer’s friends suffers a poor customer experience from a tradesperson wearing dirty clothes and driving an unbranded vehicle. They overcharge and provide poor quality work. They tell your customer who is happy to make a recommendation.

The retailer

A successful floristry business decides to open a second shop in a nearby town. One of the more experienced members of staff, with strong customer experience skills, is promoted to become manager of the new shop. The premises is painted in the brand’s colours and all staff are provided with corporate clothing to reinforce the professional image.

A marketing campaign promotes the shop launch and staff ask for feedback from new customers and ask for referrals. Each week sees improved business as the new branch builds a reputation in the local community.

Business services

Your IT consultant arrives at your premises wearing a shirt and trousers – smart and professional, but rather anonymous. Now imagine if they wore corporate clothing such as a branded white shirt complete with a branded jacket or gillet – still smart and professional but it also reinforces the company image.

These are basic examples, but they do emphasise the bond between branding and customer experience. Branded workwear can add another layer on the trust that customers feel when engaging with your business. It’s all part of the cycle of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers.

Need advice on corporate clothing?

When it comes to answering the question ‘how to improve your corporate image?’, we recommend you discover how your customers perceive your business and how their experience defines the impact of your brand. What do they value most about your products and services? Using these findings you can adapt your marketing efforts to mould your brand to make it more attractive to other customers.

We believe corporate clothing is an essential element of brand perception. From a sole trader to an ambitious SME, smart staff are fundamental to supporting your customer experience efforts. Here at Positive Branding we offer quick quotes, expert advice, quality service and a price-match policy. To find out more, contact us today.