In the business world, image is everything. Business owners must always be cognizant of their company’s image and the reception of that image by consumers. Though it’s often been said that all press is good press, this is not always the case, and one wrong step can significantly impact a company’s brand perception. Therefore, knowing your company’s brand perception can help you decide when it’s time to change your business and marketing strategy or when to take calculated risks with your company. Consumers can be quite fickle, however, and ascertaining current brand perception will require a bit of research and analysis. The following ways to measure brand perception will help you better understand the state of your company’s image in the eyes of consumers.
Conduct field research
Some methods for measuring company image are a bit more assertive than others. One of the most forward ways to measure brand perception is by conducting field research. There are several avenues a company can take to conduct field research and the methods you choose will often vary depending on the size, industry, and overall goals of the company. For companies that focus on experiential and engagement marketing, it’s often best to
conduct field research at an event where they will be face-to-face with customers. Other popular approaches for field research include focus groups and structured interviews. Surveys are also a popular method for conducting field research, as they allow consumers to share their honest perceptions of a company anonymously.
Go digital
Thanks to the increasing prevalence of technology in our society, it’s now possible to gauge brand perception with the simple click of a button. Consumers are quite keen to share their opinions with the digital world and will frequently take to social media to share their perceptions of a certain brand or product. With the added level of anonymity that many social media and online review sites offer, consumers are often more likely to share their honest opinions of a company. Start by reviewing reviews of your company on popular sites such as Yelp, Glassdoor, and Angie’s List. This will help provide you a baseline for where your company stands with overall brand perception. From there you can hit the social media sites. Search these sites for posts that mention your company or direct messages that have been sent to your business’ account. Communicating directly with consumers over social media is not only a great way to gauge current brand perception but is also a good way to improve your company’s overall image.
