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Your brand is your business. When the brand fails, the business fails. That’s why you need to not only create a captivating, engaging brand, but also one which stands the test of time and holds strong against obstacles or attacks which may come its way. Either through your fault or something else’s, there are so many things which can damage your business’ brand image and, as a result, ruin your relation with customers. If you want to make a stand and protect your brand, here are some suggestions as to things you should keep in mind.

Keep the brand genuine.

If you want your brand to stand up against criticism, it needs to be real. Getting caught out for false advertising is going to completely shatter any illusion your organisation was trying to create, so it’s important that you’re completely transparent and open about the nature of your business so as to ensure that all branding is accurate. If you want to put out an extravagant marketing campaign which shows off wonderful things that your business can achieve, then you should be striving to ensure that your business can do those things.

On another level, the key to ensuring your brand is real is to not only put on a smiling face for your customers but your employees too. The people behind your brand are your brand. Customers will be communicating with your business’ staff when they need help or when they’re being sold products and services, which means your staff need to project the image that your brand projects.

Maintain a good reputation.

Companies make mistakes, but it’s all about how you handle those mistakes. If you mess up a product, misjudge an advert or your website experiences downtime, you need to address the issue and apologise to your audience. You need to show that you’re still a professional and dedicated business, but you simply made a mistake. Of course, your reputation might not always be damaged through a fault of your own, and such an unexpected turn can sometimes come as the result of an attack from another individual or organisation. There are potential legal options out there if you feel your business has suffered a defamation of character, as long as you can prove such an attack was based on false claims.

Whatever the case, the point is that your business needs to always be on the defensive with regards to its reputation, as a sterling image is the cornerstone of any brand. You don’t want to be associated with values or adjectives which reflect badly on your company, whether they are justified or not. It’s your job to work hard to change any negative associations your brand may have.

Get social media right.

Online marketing is a crucial way to make a real connection with your target audience, but your business still needs to draw a line even when engaging in casual, humorous conversation. You need to ensure that you’re not promoting ideas or messages which mock or discriminate against certain kinds of people. Alongside alienating portions of potential customers, you’ll also paint a poor picture of your brand.