Branding Plays a Role in How Much Customers Like You

Good branding increases your likeability factor before you even talk to a customer
Branding Plays a Role in How Much Customers Like You

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It’s true that people do business with people, but that phrase doesn’t go far enough. People do business with people they like.

Being likeable may seem like the least of your worries on stressful days, but modern-day customer service demands it, and it can ultimately affect your bottom line. There are ways you and your employees can improve interactions with customers in order to appear more likeable. That is only one part of the likeability equation, though. Your brand can appear friendly, approachable and likeable before a potential customer ever speaks with someone inside your company.

Branding in the very base sense of the word is just the name you put on your services, but unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that branding in the 21st century is practically an art form. It’s so much more than a name and a logo. It’s the essence of your company — the very personality that your organization projects.

A likeable brand is really powerful in the pumping services realm. Just like with a person, you want your brand to project certain likeable traits. These include quality, dependability and trustworthiness.

There are several elements that come together to create a brand. Consider likeability in the following areas of your visible branding:

  • Logo. What does your company’s logo say about you? Just by glancing at it, is it clear that you’re a septic pumping company? Is it projecting the same personality that people get from interacting with you and your employees? That can be anything from fun and charismatic to boring and predictable. Neither is right or wrong. It depends on who your ideal customer is.
  • Color palette. Colors are a language all their own. We have emotional reactions to colors. Some give us anxiety and amp us up, like red and orange. Others are soothing and calm us down, like blue and green. Think about how you want customers to feel about your business while looking at your logo.
  • Typography. Some fonts are playful, while others are traditional. Font goes beyond your logo and into webpages, ad copy and more. If all of your ads are written in Comic Sans, your customers may not perceive you as a professional. But something devoid of personality like Times New Roman might seem boring.
  • Photography and graphics. Are the pictures on your website and social media of happy people or just equipment and trucks? Think about your customer and what they relate to, the outcomes they desire, and what they’re looking for when they hire you.

Your brand is a projection of your business personality, so don’t be afraid to make it feel human and relatable. Look closely at these areas of your branding and more. If you need inspiration, look at Southwest Airlines Co. They have a likeable personality to their branding, yet still remain professional enough that you trust them to fly you across the country in a metal tube. That’s pretty impressive branding.

About the Author
Anja Smith is managing partner for All Clear Plumbing in Greenville, South Carolina. She can be reached at anja@acpupstate.com.



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