Build Brand Reputation NOW!

“A brand is what a business does, reputation is what people remember.”

Ted Rubin

I heard speaker Ted Rubin share that statement at a conference last year and I think his comment is a needed focus for business leaders in our current climate.  Businesses are working hard to remain relevant and top of mind, yet some are missing the mark and not making the decision to strengthen their existing reputation.  While brand building is important, brand reputation is more vital to success, especially as we move on from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One aspect of brand reputation is telling a story, sure, but an even more vital component is the link between marketing and sales and how these important departments coordinate and build that reputation.  Quite simply, reputation building is the responsibility of your marketing team and the onus of generating growth lies with your sales team. 

Marketing and sales are symbiotic, and that relationship will be monumental for businesses as they return to a normal state of engagement with customers.  With that in mind, demand for reputation building will grow as the pandemic subsides and businesses look to regain their footing.  As that occurs, the main job of marketing and sales is to help customers make decisions through a reliance on several reputational items – listening, engaging and connecting. 

Listen 

When the stay at home orders came, ad sales plummeted, and social media activity increased.  As this phenomenon continued, companies began listening to their customers and sharing value on their various channels.  The important aspect is that companies took the time to listen to their customers and respond accordingly on a monumental scale. 

Engage 

Listening then led to engagement.  At Atlas Marketing we saw a sizable increase in engagement activities for our clients by encouraging the listen phase.  This led to unanticipated growth such as being added to future projects and invitations to open bids on ‘stalled’ projects that were placed on hold due to the pandemic.  This is where the internal sales teams came in and nurtured opportunities. 

Connect 

Connecting with any audience is the result of active listening and effectively engaging.  A true connection requires flexibility and forms a strong promise that companies deliver upon.  In the instances that I refer to, the marketing and sales relationship blossomed and, in each case, strengthened new and existing relationships. 

These reputational building blocks collectively solidified strong reputations that were based on decisions company executives made to invest in themselves.  Investments in marketing, whether it be marketing automation, advertising, updated collateral, new websites, improved social media, etc.; and strengthening the relationship between sales and marketing lead to a strong reputation and opportunity in a challenging time.   

Now is the time to make the decision to successfully grow your business.  To achieve success, invest in your brand reputation and help your sales team grow opportunities.  We all know that your customers are making the same decisions based on listening to, engaging with and connecting to your company.