Here at Baillie Lumber, we work hard to boost brand awareness by consistently delivering high-quality hardwood lumber products with top-notch customer service. This focus helps us stay committed to our company mission, “To Help Others Succeed.”
But no business, however successful, can afford to rest on its laurels. Here are tips for keeping your brand strong and consistently in line with your mission and vision:
Think of your brand as a “promise” to customers.
It’s always important to think of your brand in relation to the companies you serve. At the same time, as Business2Community reminds us, “companies are made up of individuals” who are “also consumers in our global world and have come to expect a certain level of finesse from every product and service they interact with.”
In other words, whenever that business encounters your brand—by clicking on your website, speaking to a salesperson, directing a query to customer support—they rely on the implicit promise you’ve made to always provide high-quality products and support.
Pay attention to the quality of your website.
Particularly in the B2B realm, many prospective customers first encounter your brand during an online search. That’s also where they conduct research on your company. They will explore a variety of sites that are relevant to that search, but first and foremost they will closely examine your website.
Don’t let this key element of effective branding go neglected. Your site should always be informative, user-friendly, easy to navigate, and structured so the purchasing journey moves forward as a result of that initial search for information.
Also, leverage the potential selling power of your site by adding a dependable flow of value-added content—that is, videos, blogs and “how-to” articles that clearly describe what your products or services do, and, most importantly, how they address concerns and challenges faced by prospective customers. We have found great value in this. By having hardwood facility highlight videos, hardwood lumber blogs, and hardwood species or other product highlights on our website, it keeps visitors to our site engaged and prompts them to reach out to us to inquire more about what we can offer.
Maintaining a high-quality website should always be a top branding priority.
Keep the brand focus pointed outward.
Of course, you and your team believe that your products or services offer the best solutions on the market. However, branding efforts that focus too much on the company itself will invariably fall short of its promise to customers.
According to Olive & Company, a key mistake that businesses sometimes make is “being narcissistic: totally absorbed with themselves and how awesome they are.” But today’s customers know “if you’re not putting them first—even if those customers are companies rather than individuals.”
Emphasize customer service and resource assistance.
A brand that becomes known for its commitment to the customer is already ahead of the game. Quality products are a key factor in strengthening brand, but so are these customer-focused elements:
· Offer multiple channels of support (customer service agent, email, FAQs, etc.).
· Empower your customer service team by giving them all the information and authority possible.
· Have a “customer-first” mindset that anticipates customer concerns before they appear.
· Serve as an industry resource by providing tips, insights, and other content-rich support to customers with complex issues and challenges.
At the same time, stay active on social media by highlighting what you do for customers, with links to valuable content that regularly appears on your website. These efforts will help to build a community of followers and enrich the status of your brand when a new prospective customer seeks to learn more about you online.
Never forget that a strong brand is essential to the future growth of every business.
Brett Del Prince
Baillie Lumber
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