We all make quick judgements, whether you realize it or not. And research shows, a first impression can be made in as little as 50 milliseconds (or just 0.05 seconds).
In today’s connected and remote world, that first impression of a business is more likely to be done online. This impression can be delivered from a news article, a social media profile, a website home page, or even just related imagery in a google search.
You may already know it is important to invest in a strong website, but it can not stop there. A company’s entire brand presence extends beyond a url. Here are four tips to make sure that first impression is a strong one.
Be Consistent
You have worked hard to develop your brand: a logo, a few photos that reflect your business, a consistent color palette and font family, and perhaps even a video. When creating printed collateral, you are insistent upon a consistent “look and feel.” When updating your digital presence, the same rules apply.
Social media profiles should all have the same or similar feature photo. Your website should use a specific digital font family. Even how you write your company name should be disciplined in terms of capitalization and spacing. Your digital presence can live on forever, and therefore it is important that you continually update it to keep your brand identity consistent.
If you worked hard on a rebrand, the last thing you want to see on a google search is your old company logo.
Be Relevant
The content you post and publish online should be timely. With the ease of digital publishing tools, there is no room for error in ensuring the facts on your website and social profiles are relevant for the moment in time it is being consumed.
This does not mean you need to write a new blog post each day, nor update your homepage to mimic the front page of the New York Times. However, you should be refreshing your materials to reflect current times. I have corrected many websites that stated “this year” when in fact, the content was reflecting a situation from 3+ years ago.
Moreover, if you commit to writing a blog series – make sure you are doing so consistently and frequently. A potential customer or client that views your blog section and sees the last post was written over a year ago may wonder if you are still in business or have the capacity to stay in business. The same is true for social media. If you want to have a social presence, you must commit to it for the long haul.
Be Informed
A google search can reveal quite a lot about what you want to know – this includes your business. Search it often – and keep tabs on how your brand is being presented to your audiences. This includes news articles, social media posts, connected images, and your business profile.
A PR strategy can help you take control over what your audience sees about you. But the first step is knowledge and having awareness of your brand reputation. I can help with that, too.
Be Connected
What you say about your company is one thing, but what others say about you brings credibility and trust. In fact, 77 percent of consumers say good reviews are a deal breaker or deciding factor in their buying decision.
There are a variety of ways to gain third-party validation for your brand – but steer away from only “paying” for them. Authenticity and credibility is key to building your reputation. From curating third party reviews to generating earned media mentions from news sources, it is important to cultivate a network of others sharing your platform and talking about your products and services.
If you are ready to take control of your first impression and put your best foot forward, Anna Stallmann Communications is here to be your trusted public relations partner to achieve your goals.
