Meaningful connections can help grow your consumer base

Over recent years I have witnessed first-hand the rapid increase in the importance of good corporate citizenship in business however very few NZ businesses are suitably resourced to give reputation the focus and ongoing attention it deserves.

This is supported by the 2016 Senate Reputation Reality report which found that 96% of NZ & Australian corporates agree that corporate reputation is one of their primary assets, yet less than half are assigning budget to protect it. Many still do not regularly discuss reputation as part of formal meetings and some still only audit customer, shareholder and employee satisfaction as opposed to wider public perception.

In talking amongst my own networks, both personal and professional, I am both surprised and excited by how many organisations are looking for opportunities to deepen and improve their relationship with their wider community and stakeholders but the common cry is “but I don’t know how”.

The great news is that it might not be as hard as you think. The key for a start is to make sure that your connections, big and small, are both meaningful and authentic so that consumers and the community at large get to see the real you – the people and values behind the brand or organisation. This is something that is becoming increasingly important in our purpose lead age – consumers are empowered, they are taking more control and they expect more from the brands they support now than ever before.

Knowing what your stakeholders think about you is essential to building and protecting your reputation. If you do not have regular conversations with them, and you don’t take time to understand their different perspectives, you will be running blind folded when it comes to reputation and your communications. You wouldn’t make assumptions about your sales forecasts, employees and product innovations so why would you do it with your reputation?

There are no surprises with the names of the organisations that continually come out on top in reputation surveys like this. Air NZ, Z Energy and good old Toyota all seem to be regular stand out performers so what is it that they are all doing so well? The common tread seems to be their proactive, open and authentic approach to managing their reputation. They are front footing things, doing good everyday as opposed to sitting and waiting or only responding to issues. They have a more direct relationship with all their stakeholders and the NZ public in general – they are not just a brand or a business, they are “one of us” and they share their journey with us day in, day out.

So what can you learn from all this?

Take five on your daily grind – make some regular time to Take Notice, Take Action and Connect.

After all – your community are your future consumers so understanding who your they really are and what matters to them is more important now than ever before. As Richard Branson said “If you can make people’s lives a lot better you’ve got a really good business”

Email me today to find out more about how Seen&Heard can assist you on this journey.