When it comes to business, the old saying “it’s not important what other people think of you but what you think about yourself” is totally untrue. Being able to make a good reputation is different from just leaving it to others to form opinions. Even though you cannot control individual personal biases, you can take action to nudge opinions in a more positive or negative direction.

Everyone has a reputation, good or bad and now this perception occurs in real life and online. Contrary to what you say, it doesn’t matter what other people think, because a business won’t last without people’s opinions. We are a social species and therefore, programmed to really care about what others think.

The fastest way to get a positive reputation, be it personal or business reputation, is to behave in a way that benefits those closest to you. These include positive traits such as kindness, honesty, generosity, charity and integrity. These characteristics can pay dividends for businesses, specifically. The psychology is simple. The threat of social exclusion is enough to prevent us from doing the wrong thing, even when we can easily do the wrong thing. In human history, exclusion can mean suffering and even death, so that’s why we are programmed to do the right thing to protect our reputation.

Brand reputation involves three elements – how people perceive business, who the business is, and how the business communicates about itself. Even if one of these factors is out of tune, it can affect the overall reputation.

Factors that shape brand reputation include visual cues, such as logos, names, and other images related to business. It also includes the values, mission and corporate philosophy. Staff behaviour also affects brand reputation. What they say, write, post on social media and review online.

Brand reputation is something fluid and often complicated to describe. The responsibility for maintaining reputation is often a shared responsibility, with marketing and communication departments, human resources and outside agencies joining together to foster a positive image. Professional PR companies have expertise in reputation management. For more information from a Cheltenham PR Agency, visit https://www.targetgroup.co.uk/

Creating and maintaining a good reputation for business is not an easy job. Consistency is key and many experts suggest a slow and steady approach. Customers value comfort and that they can trust, so businesses that are too quick to change their identity can lose traditional customer habits in the long run.

Reputation can make or break a business and a positive one signifies social inclusion, while a negative results in a feeling of being isolated in society. Such negativity can lead to loss of profits, staff layoffs and labour problems. The reputation travels far and wide in the business world, which affects many groups, including stakeholders, executives, customers and local communities.