Half of consumers (50 per cent) said their opinion of a company is affected by corporate branding, such as advertisements highlighting a company’s values, according to a survey conducted by Visual Objects, which matches businesses with B2B service providers.
That said, only 22 per cent of consumers reported having seen corporate branding in the past year.
For a small business, diverting money to promote the company versus its products and services can be a challenge from a budget standpoint.
And touting values can come off as being disingenuous if the company doesn’t, in fact, live by those values. Crowing about your commitment to diversity, for example, is meaningless unless your branding materials reflect the diversity of your target audience, said Kate Bourque, a branding and web design consultant, in a news release.
She said consumers subconsciously associate a company’s identity with its brands, so how you brand your service is equally important. Telling consumers your business cares about the environment probably means less than selling eco-friendly products, she explained.
Consistency also is key. Maintaining a consistent style and tone in your communications — including your logo, website, images, social media and customer service experience — can help a company develop an authentic brand voice and reputation.
Retail branding, which 37 per cent of consumers reported encountering in the past year, also played an important role in how consumers viewed a company. This type of branding creates the atmosphere customers experience in a physical retail space (its look and feel), but the same principles apply to the ecommerce experience.
When consumers shop online, they look for convenience and tools that assure them they are making the best purchase decision. A website's layout, design and loading speed all contribute to this user experience, which affects whether consumers will buy your service.
Service branding also happens through word-of-mouth, which 36 per cent of people said they relied on the last time they hired a company to provide a service, found the Visual Objects survey.
Experts said word-of-mouth service branding often occurs on social media.
"Modern word-of-mouth referrals now mostly come through positive reviews from existing customers," said Robert Brandl, founder and chief executive of WebsiteToolTester, a website builder for small businesses.
To facilitate these reviews, Brandl suggested that companies add social sharing buttons to their websites.