Insincerity is painfully obvious. No one likes “fake,” whether it’s in writing or in mannerisms, and it’s usually easy to see. When it comes to your online and offline personas, people judge your business’s authenticity and then use it to determine whether or not they want to use your product or service. In some cases, that might not be “fair,” but it’s true.
Taking it a step further, search engines also can read through a business’s dishonest or insincere activities online, and that will diminish the business’s credibility and online rankings.
Fortunately, there are many ways to control how you are viewed in the public eye, and they all have one common denominator: You have to be real.
Addressing How People Judge Your Business’s Authenticity
Online, offline, by phone, in writing, in speaking, and so much more. People judge your business’s authenticity from a variety of sources. Your job is to make sure they see you as you want to be seen.
- Your website: Your website must represent your brand, and the messaging should be consistent on every page and every post. If the site is disorganized or your messaging is chaotic, you will lose visitors.
- Social media presence: Transparency is key to your online image. The bottom line is you have to be respectful, truthful, and accurate, especially when your post is there for the whole world to see. Avoid salesy language, avoid pretentiousness, and avoid presenting an insincere image. Social media users will see straight through that, and it will reflect poorly on your business overall.
- Online reviews: It’s virtually inevitable: You will get some bad reviews. The key is to address those reviews with integrity, and then fix anything that can be fixed. Beyond that, you should work to ensure that even those positive reviews enhance your brand’s image. It sounds like something that is out of your hands, but with the right techniques and digital marketing team, accomplishing this is more than possible. When you address those reviews, viewers know your organization is on top of its game and that its members are genuinely interested in their customers’ happiness.
- By phone: If your website promises that you will be there for customers, but no one ever answers phone calls to your business, you’ve done your customers an injustice. It will appear that your promises were insincere, in other words, and that will slowly diminish your overall name and respectability. Make sure you treat people by phone as you would anywhere else.
- In person: It’s important to make yourself seen in public in order to substantiate your claims of being accessible and open to communication with customers and clients. Carry yourself in public as you want the public to see you, but whatever you do, do it with sincerity. Show interest in what people are saying to you, not because you’re trying to promote your business, but because you mean it.
Controlling the Perception
When it comes to controlling how you are perceived in the public eye, it’s about both personal integrity and the integrity of your business. With sincerity and a genuine desire to help others, you will appear authentic to your current and future customers.
It’s important, however, to first determine how you want your brand to be perceived, and that’s where we come in. Talk to us to start the process of creating and growing a more comprehensive brand image. Get in touch with us through our Basso website, by phone at (248) 530-6000, or by e-mail at info@bassomarketingagency.com.