Improving Your Image: What Every Company Should Know
Image is at the heart of every company’s marketing.
But even the best product is hard to sell if the image isn’t right.
Read the essentials of how companies can improve their image.
As with many things in business, either opportunity or pain may have brought you to this topic. Either you have realised that your reputation is a problem, or you want to take your brand or company to the next level. Most points in this article will help you in both situations. What matters is that a change of image has to be lived by the head of the company, so that the good image becomes part of the culture and keeps itself going.
A company’s image is relevant not only in B2C but just as much in B2B. You might think that as long as business is going well, image has no effect at all – but appearances are deceptive. Whether the image is positive or negative, in both cases it shows up as invisible costs or unconscious savings in a wide range of areas.
With a bad image, recruitment costs for qualified staff are higher, and salaries have to compensate for a negative working atmosphere or a bad reputation. In extreme cases, nobody may even want to talk openly about their work in public. And advertising spending may be higher than necessary, because even with flawless products and services you constantly have to break through a kind of blockade with buyers. Who wants to be a customer of “a company like that” or buy its products?
If you are now thinking “He’s right! We have to act”, I can reassure you: you can improve any image. But you should define a clear goal and build a strategy in advance.
Perhaps your goal is to build an employer brand, or to earn a particularly good reputation as a service-oriented company. Write down your goals and prioritise clearly what we will focus on first. Each goal will cost an as yet undetermined amount of time and resources. Employees have to be brought along, and perhaps even a new company culture introduced.
My tip: a clear strategy for a better image
Before you can put the following recommendations into practice, we first need to do some homework. How are you and your company currently perceived? The smaller the company, the more the image merges directly with the person of the managing director or owner.
Ask your customers, employees and also acquaintances who have no direct business relationship with you how they see your company, or what people read and hear about it. Just because you may not have a press department or social media presence doesn’t mean your company isn’t already being talked about there. Be open to EVERYTHING that is said. Even if some things seem unimportant at first, they could give us clues to the real problem. From unfriendly service staff to poor product quality to a negative working atmosphere, anything is possible here.
Let’s take off the blinkers and patiently listen to as many people as possible on the subject. And yes, that will be neither easy nor pleasant…
Once you have collected a few interviews, the first overlaps should appear. Perhaps several customers report negative service experiences? Perhaps a single resignation has led to rumours behind your company’s back? Or you are the only company in your industry without one important certificate. Whatever the first interviews reveal – if a problem becomes clearly tangible, confront it. Perhaps a customer-facing department needs retraining. Perhaps individual people need to be dismissed immediately. Don’t shy away from these first challenges, because as long as your “image forest” is burning, it will be very hard to start replanting in the form of image improvement.
Be open to all feedback
Get to the bottom of negative feedback
Take countermeasures before you improve your image
Your image doesn’t belong in an intern’s hands
Wondering what your image has to do with interns? Who last looked after your social media presence? 😉
It’s incredible how often I see social media presences entrusted to interns or trainees. Companies often think: “Social media is something modern for young people, so young people do it best.” In terms of content that’s right, and interns, trainees and student assistants in particular can contribute extremely valuable approaches and ideas for social media communication.
But social media is PR, marketing and communication. And all of that contributes to your image. It should at least be specified, approved and regularly reviewed by you or someone responsible. This ensures that your social media and online presence contributes to your strategy for a better image.
Social media contributes to your image
Get ideas from young people
Review social media activities regularly
The content has to fit your strategy if you want to improve your image
Good reviews lead almost automatically to a good image. You may know this from your own experience: when in doubt, we choose the product with the most good reviews, the provider with the highest rating. That is our evolutionary herd instinct, and you can use it to improve your image.
Review platforms are a relatively quick way to build your reputation online. Every review you receive on platforms will help you in several ways:
Google shows your reviews directly in Google search
You can integrate reviews from the various review platforms into your website.
You become visible on several platforms on the internet
And let’s not forget the many specialised apps and search engines such as Tripadvisor, Yelp or Google Maps – if you are a local business.
My tip: find suitable search engines and apps, and first ask for reviews from customers you know are or were satisfied. If possible, ask in person, ideally as part of a sincere satisfaction survey some time after the purchase. If you sell products, include a request for a review directly in the packaging.
Why bad reviews are valuable too
Anyone who gets lots of good reviews will also get some negative criticism. Be grateful for every piece of negative criticism and, above all, respond to it promptly and publicly. Because bad reviews can improve your image – sometimes even more than good reviews. Let me explain:
In the past, you could simply sweep customer complaints under the carpet: ignore an unpleasant phone call, somehow resolve a complaint discreetly on site. But criticism aimed at you online is no longer private; it is public and visible for ever. So it is crucial that – and above all HOW – your company responds to negative reviews. You should engage with what has been written openly, friendly and honestly. Focus on the honest core of your answer; we don’t want any PR waffle here.
It’s better to admit mistakes online and signal that you are working on weak points straight away than to explain why the customer’s criticism is actually completely wrong. However aggressive or irate the criticism seems, the trigger – the core of the criticism – may be valuable information for you.
At first glance, employees have nothing to do with a good corporate image. But at second glance they have everything to do with it – and nobody can improve your image better than your employees.
Social media has fundamentally changed the relationship between employer and employee: the more employees you have, especially from the younger generation, the more likely it is that individual employees have more followers and listeners online than your own company presence. If you add up all the followers of all your employees, that is probably 10 to 20 times as many touchpoints as any successful company page. That is enormous potential and enormous power on the employees’ side.
Your most powerful PR tool is your employees’ positive opinion of you. Give your employees a reason to speak well of you.
We have already seen that a positive image has an enormous financial impact on human resources. So why not start building an employer brand straight away? Unfortunately, we can’t simply send the greatest advertising messages out into social networks – we have to build the employer brand from the inside out. At this point, the image clearly comes from your employees. In fact, everything you do in your company affects your employees’ satisfaction – from the quality and cost of the coffee to ergonomics at the workplace to the boss’s mood in the morning. Nobody cares how many problems and how much stress the managers have, because your employees work just as hard. So: develop suitable hierarchies, ensure open, constructive collaboration – and encourage a positive culture of learning from mistakes and of respect.
Remember: people spend more time at your company than with their family.
It becomes obvious how important it is to have the right employees in your company – those who don’t just work for you for the money, but are interested in the company’s shared success. Our blog article “HR marketing basics” is meant to help you find exactly these employees and get them to come to you.
How to turn your employees into brand ambassadors
Listen: what do your employees want?
Bring employees on board: ask for reviews.
Train your employees.
1. What do your employees want?
What is currently bothering or burdening your employees?
Ask for honest and constructive feedback. This should take place both in team meetings and in one-to-one conversations, so that no opinion gets lost. Follow up on every criticism, even if it seems insignificant at first.
What is the atmosphere and chemistry like between colleagues?
People can inspire, motivate and simply like each other – or block and hinder each other and let inspiration dry up. Respond to criticism, but be sensitive and talk to the teams concerned first, so that a change doesn’t make the situation worse.
Are all employees at the same level treated equally?
Many companies still have enormous inequality between women and men, even in the same position or with the same qualifications. #MeToo and emancipation aside: where people fight for success together, equality and respect are a basic building block – not an extra.
Do all employees work for the company’s vision? (Or only for their salary?)
The vision is the anchor of your company culture. Are your employees still fighting for a goal, or are they just working through tasks? Make sure all employees understand the purpose of their work (and identify with it), otherwise pay becomes the driving force. And pay can be replaced.
Do employees feel valued in their work?
Some people only work for the money, but most of us want to make a difference. More than ever, a job is becoming a calling. Give your employees a sense of appreciation. That doesn’t always have to be a bonus payment – on the contrary: a sincere thank-you can work wonders.
Once we have dealt with problems, or know that our employees already speak well of us, it’s time to communicate the positive image to the outside world.
Here, too, various review platforms are available, above all the German market leader kununu. Internship portals are also excellent, precisely because interns have a higher turnover in your company, so more reviews accumulate in a shorter time. A good reputation on internship sites can quickly become a good reputation for apprenticeships or student jobs (and the skilled workers of tomorrow).
Don’t forget that your employees are also private individuals. Some may even be Google Local Guides or top reviewers on Amazon. Ask your employees for reviews on the platforms relevant to you – but encourage honesty rather than hollow 5-star ratings.
3. Training for the best customer experience
The best customer experience is one that is perfect from start to finish. Where does your customers’ customer journey begin?
Depending on the company, it is the home page, the phone call or the shop. Whoever writes the website copy, answers the phone or stands at the counter is your company’s first flagship – and you know from personal experience how much first impressions shape us. Have you ever wondered why people spend thousands of euros on jewellery at Tiffany & Co.? Are the beds at the Ritz-Carlton so much better than in any other 5-star hotel, or Apple’s devices so much superior? No. In all these examples, customers pay for the personal experience – and they do it gladly and out of conviction.
All three businesses know their customers by first name, their birthdays, the name of their pet and the place of their engagement. All right, Tiffany and the Ritz-Carlton are world-leading extreme examples of excellent service. But you see what I’m getting at.
You don’t have to remember your customers’ birthdays and favourite colours. But it is still worth training the staff on the front line. However good your product or service is, if the human relationship isn’t right, you won’t sell – or you will remain far below your market potential. It starts with a smile and ends with the question of whether there is anything else you can do. That applies in every industry, not just at the deli counter.
How awards improve your image
Reviews from customers and employees are great. Just as good – and for some purposes even better – are awards. “Top employer”, “Top service provider in category xy” or “Top partner” not only give your communication materials a visual boost, but can also improve your image in terms of content.
Organisations that present awards:
Competitions, associations and business initiatives (e.g. SME initiatives)
Established brands and companies (e.g. Microsoft, Google)
Online portals (e.g. kununu)
The best thing about awards: they are a real boost for employees and encourage teamwork and identification – not only the win, but also the road to it. So work on competition projects together as a team.
The fires are out, the workforce is motivated and process problems have been eliminated. Time to let everyone know how great we are! With all the modern means available, don’t overlook tried-and-tested press work:
Regularly supply the local and national press with photos and texts about events, milestones or news. Most of the texts won’t be used or published, but if a topic fits the editorial plan, you get the best advertising in the world – good PR. Even in the age of the internet, newspapers still spread the truth for many people: if it’s in the paper, it must be true.
Image through sponsorship
Sponsorship and donations for social causes and local clubs are excellent for press work. Support local sports clubs, take part in company runs or donate the money for Christmas cards to a good cause. It’s even better if the object of the sponsorship fits your business model or your vision. And you’re allowed to think outside the box.
You produce industrial filters? > Look for non-profit organisations in the environment or energy sector. An annual litter-picking campaign? A municipal wildflower garden? These could be your topics.
You are a service provider in healthcare? > Sport and the generations could be your topic. A sports club? Locally active senior citizens’ initiatives? Or organise an event yourself, for example the “Sample Company Sports Cup”, in which different teams – including one made up of your employees – compete against each other.
Image and CSR
CSR, i.e. corporate social responsibility (“corporate responsibility for the environment and society”), is an important topic for all marketers when it comes to image. Show social commitment, take part in voluntary events or launch your own formats.
Society will thank you – and society shapes your image. In short: if you think of others rather than only of yourself, you can improve your image.
Disclaimer: yes, you are on the website of a film production company. Even so, this point is purely objective – and that’s why it comes last in my list. (If I wanted to sell you something, I would probably have started with it.) The fact is: a film, as an audiovisual multimedia experience, can help improve your image or communicate a positive image.
You can use it universally in a wide range of media, such as
social media, the website, the intranet
your own premises, training rooms, company events
sales presentations
trade fair stands and in-house exhibitions
less often, cinema & TV
Improving your image with a corporate film? Of course I could say a lot more about that – after all, it’s the film we have produced most often in recent years. But the topic isn’t the core of this article, so I can recommend our blog article “Corporate films for companies” if you are interested in the subject.
How can companies improve their own image?
Companies can improve their image with a wide range of marketing tools – for example with PR, social commitment, through their own employees and through image campaigns, e.g. corporate films.
Our free eBooks for your video marketing
As a final tip, I can only recommend our free eBooks (in German). For a general overview, the eBook “The introduction to video marketing” is recommended. It gives examples of all the important film types and marketing strategies with definitions and statistics and is the most comprehensive of our eBooks.
Or get one or more eBooks on the following topics:
If you deal with image improvement long enough, you will develop a natural feel for the image impact of every department and aspect of your company.
Perhaps, now that you have read the whole article, the following additional tips have already become no-brainers. Here we go:
Create a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) If you haven’t already, you can set up your company on your Google page straight away. This automatically helps improve your Google ranking, links your Google Maps listing and opens up new search engine placement options for you.
Ask good customers and employees for reviews Fill your list of Google reviews! It’s best to start with employees and good customers. That’s where willingness will be highest, and you can quickly improve your Google ranking.
Follow up on negative feedback and be self-critical While we’re on the subject of feedback: have you ever received negative feedback? Definitely follow it up, because winning back an existing customer is, for all the effort, easier than winning a new one.
Ask your customers whether there is anything else you can do for them It’s just a small question at the end of a phone call or email, but it helps your customers feel valued and comfortable. Why not try it right away and build it into your internal conversation guidelines.
Create social media pages and a content plan Admittedly, this isn’t something you can do in a few hours, and you may need professional help. But social media profiles with a suitable content plan pay off for your company image in the long term.
Revise your email footer Email is the most personal and most frequent contact your company has every day. Why not use it as a shop window? Add a picture of the contact person, your logo or even your awards, for example. Links to promotions and products can also go here.
Put awards and customer statements on your website While you’re at it: awards, offers and customer statements (testimonials) shouldn’t be missing from your website either. They build trust, improve your image and increase willingness to buy.
Invest in video marketing The world is becoming more digital, more media-driven and more visual. No wonder video marketing has been the number one trend topic in marketing for a few years. Use the power of video content and produce a corporate film or a recruitment video.
Update your home page and optimise it for SEO Do you know the saying “If it’s not on the first three pages of Google, it doesn’t exist”? It’s not quite that dramatic, but still use the potential of the world’s biggest search engine and optimise your online marketing and your home page – including for mobile devices.
Tom Wolt ist Marketingberater & Regisseur bei Pathfinder Studios und Experte für Medien, Marketing und Filmproduktion. Mit 18 Jahren Berufserfahrung, erfolgreichen Multimedia-Projekten für 450+ Kunden und über 1.000 Drehtagen am Set ist er ein erfahrener Marketing-Experte für europäische Unternehmen – vom Tech-Startup über Hidden Champion-Industrieunternehmen bis zu Konzernen wie MAN, Miele und Audi. Seine Werbefilme und Kurzfilme haben mehrere internationale Auszeichnungen gewonnen, sein erster internationaler Kinospielfilm ist derzeit in Fertigstellung.
Tom Wolt ist Marketingberater & Regisseur bei Pathfinder Studios und Experte für Medien, Marketing und Filmproduktion. Mit 18 Jahren Berufserfahrung, erfolgreichen Multimedia-Projekten für 450+ Kunden und über 1.000 Drehtagen am Set ist er ein erfahrener Marketing-Experte für europäische Unternehmen – vom Tech-Startup über Hidden Champion-Industrieunternehmen bis zu Konzernen wie MAN, Miele und Audi. Seine Werbefilme und Kurzfilme haben mehrere internationale Auszeichnungen gewonnen, sein erster internationaler Kinospielfilm ist derzeit in Fertigstellung.
