Brand image and reputation are both tightly linked, but they are not the same thing. Understanding the difference between the two can help companies to focus and prioritize how they are being perceived by customers. This can be especially important when looking to make data-driven public relations decisions. Read on to find out more about the differences between image and reputation and how having this knowledge can help your company. If you are looking to make an important decision that may affect the image or reputation of your company, consult an expert marketing design company like San Diego’s Lien Design to get you on the right path.

The public's impression of a business is known as "brand image." What people think about when they hear or read about a particular business, its offerings, or its personnel. Marketing, advertising, and public relations all play a role in developing a company's public image. Customer feedback, online reviews, and recommendations from friends and family all play a role.

The public's perception of a brand is known as its "reputation." It takes into account the brand's overall success and its previous and present activities. Reputation is harder to establish and keep up than mere appearance. Earning the public's trust and admiration is a process that requires patience and perseverance.

To illustrate this topic, here’s a table that summarizes the key differences between brand image and brand reputation:

To begin, let’s attempt to define image and reputation in relation to branding.

Brand Image:

Here are some brand examples:

Apple: Consistently cutting-edge innovation and high-quality manufacturing

Nike: the pinnacle of sportswear, motivation, and performance

Coke: represents joy, history, and patriotism.

This would be defined as how customers perceive your brand and would encompass perceptions from the past and present as well as considering how potential customers might view your brand. This would include the quality, value, variety and customer service a customer experiences when purchasing and using your product.

Consumers' actions can be affected by how a brand is perceived. When consumers have a favorable impression of a brand, they are more inclined to make a purchase.

Methods for establishing one's brand as trustworthy and reputable:

A company's brand image and reputation can be strengthened through the following strategies:

Create a brand identity that is distinct and recognizable. Having a memorable brand name, logo, and slogan all contribute to this. This includes crafting a brand voice and personality that is represented in all of the company's marketing and communication efforts.

Provide excellent service to your customers. This involves meeting or exceeding client expectations in terms of service quality, response time to complaints, and product range.

Take care of your community. This includes doing things like being environmentally responsible and supporting worthwhile causes.

Honesty and openness are required. To achieve this goal, employees must tell the truth about the company's offerings and accept responsibility for errors.

Reputation

Reputational Examples:

Amazon: Dedicated to its customers, dependable, and easy to use

Google: cutting-edge, reliable, and useful

Disney: wonderful with kids and adults alike

To what end are brand reputation and brand image important?

Reputation is built on a company’s corporate actions and how they affect public opinion. This could include charitable giving, the business’s potential to build community, their hiring and general policies and citizenship. Companies can be seen as good guys or bad guys in the eyes of the public.

So we see that brand image and reputation are two different entities. However, they are often directly related and can help companies in times of crisis. For instance, if a company does something that may affect their reputation, a strong branding image may help to reverse negative perceptions.

A positive reputation for a product or service in the minds of consumers allows businesses to command a higher price point, expand their customer base, and inspire greater brand loyalty. Companies with strong brand equity are better able to weather storms and bounce back from disasters.

Branding and Reputation Management:

Constant vigilance over the look and feel of your brand is essential. Methods such as social media monitoring, surveys, and analysis of market data can help with this.

Businesses need to have a plan for handling customer complaints and criticism. In addition, they need to actively promote their brand identity and brand reputation via public relations, social media, and other forms of marketing.

For instance, a company like Walmart may have made some questionable decisions in the past that puts them in a poor light as far as customer perception. However, they are able to keep their customer base by offering low prices irresistibly low prices. In this case, brand image has the ability to make up for reputation. However, quality may be a sticking point here, as the poor quality of a product is rarely able to be overlooked no matter what the company attempts to do in it’s branding and reputation.

So we see that both reputation and brand image are important and careful consideration should be paid to developing both. However, when a company starts out, it’s important to focus on brand image as reputation will be something that will be developed and paid more attention to as a company grows. Technology helps companies to grasp how they are being perceived by the public in regard to both brand image and reputation and can help companies take prompt action in controlling feedback. For more information on what you can do to show your company in a positive light, consult branding and graphic design experts at Lien Design. They will always make sure your company is being properly represented.

Conclusion

Companies should study the principles of brand image and brand repute. Brand reputation refers to how people feel about a brand, while brand image refers to how people actually feel about a brand.

Consumers' actions can be affected by both the brand's visual representation and its reputation. Having a well-respected and well-known brand allows businesses to command a higher price for their goods and services, as well as to attract and retain more customers.

A company can strengthen its brand identity and reputation by being transparent and honest with its customers, providing them with excellent service, caring about their community, and being socially responsible.

More suggestions for preserving a positive public perception of your brand follow:

• Get in touch with your clientele via social media to establish stronger bonds.

• Produce and disseminate excellent content tailored to your audience.

• Promote your brand by holding contests and giving out freebies.

• Cooperate with like-minded businesses and groups.

• Be fast to respond constructively to criticism.

• Keep an eye on how people see your company constantly.

• If businesses follow these guidelines, they will be able to establish and maintain a positive brand image and reputation.