The importance of image to business

The old adage that image is everything is truer in business today than ever before.
In these days of websites, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the need to have a sharp professional image to professionally promote your business is critical.
The good old days when a business card was all you required are long gone. Customers expect more - and rightly so.
There have been numerous studies demonstrating how businesses with a strong brand and image are more appealing and generate more confidence with customers than those without.
With advances in modern technology, a professionally-designed logo to help establish a brand isn't an exorbitant cost these days - even for a small business.
A logo or brand doesn't have to be an exotic creative masterpiece from a Parnell or Ponsonby design house. Good professional design is available in provincial centres.
It is, for example, possible to get a logo professionally designed and set up on a business card, letterhead and a website for between $1200-$1500. That more than covers the marketing basics for a small business.
Once you have a logo, you need to use it to maximum advantage. This is particularly true for smaller businesses.
Signage is critical and the old saying "a business with no sign is a sign of no business" has some merit.
Signs don't click off at 5pm. They don't ignore potential customers, require a pay rise or a KiwiSaver contribution and they work for you 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Take, for example, a landscape gardener. He has his - or her - business card and vehicle signage, but a billboard sign on the fence where the landscaper is working is another promotion of the business. It promotes the landscaper's work.
The key to all branding is to have a professional look to your brand.
Cheap and cheerful may be cute temporarily, but it never pays off in the long-run. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People says: "Start with the end in mind."
No one really wants an amateurish brand or sign for their business. The interesting thing is, when a business invests in a professionally-designed brand, the benefit is immediate. Not only for recognition by customers, but importantly for the business owner.
I have seen many examples where a business - particularly a small business - has bitten the bullet and had a professional brand developed with a resulting positive impact on the business owner's approach.
They develop a spring in their step and are proud to go out and promote their business more enthusiastically and positively, confident in the knowledge their business looks professional.
- Michaela James is the owner of Ready Set Business, an online branding and marketing consultancy