Company image: what is it and how to form it?

In modern conditions of business development, the image of the company is one of its relevant and effective tools necessary for successful work. When choosing a partner for a commercial transaction, they primarily pay attention to his business reputation. Creating a favorable opinion about the organization is a painstaking process that takes years to complete. With the growth and development of the company, its image undergoes a change, which should always correspond to the current state of affairs and be directed to consumer requests.

The concept of the company's image implies the prevailing opinion of partners, customers and the public about the reliability of the enterprise, the quality of its services and the good business reputation of its management. In forming the image, management style within the company, interpersonal relationships of employees, as well as how external business contacts are built are important. In addition, the image includes the name of the company, its logo, motto, trademark and other official paraphernalia.

The perception of the company is formed as a set of its characteristics and properties that have developed naturally or formed purposefully. To maintain their positive image, they are working through which the image is endowed with additional values. Depending on the activity of introducing such values ​​into the public consciousness, the company promotes itself among competitors. Thus, the image is also a rather strong instrument of competition.

Correctly formed perception presents correlation of the company's mission with customer needswhat helps the organization in a favorable perspective to position itself and its services on the sales market.

A positive image is not only a high-quality advertising and PR campaign that distinguishes an organization from the general mass of competitors in the services market. For this, the image has certain functions. The duties of specialists working in this area include the task of compiling an annual action plan, all parts of which reflect this functional process. The organization should be introduced to the public as a good partner, a responsible producer of quality goods and a loyal employer.

The work plan is a working tool, but its effectiveness is high only if all its parts are carried out with equal attention. The composition of the plan must necessarily reflect the image functions.

• Disclosure of company core values. This part of the image implies a clear formulation of the direction of its activities.
• Development of business creation goals. This function consists in the pursuit of high standards of activity that will benefit not only the company, but also society as a whole.
• Formation of corporate philosophy. This feature reflects those features of the company that are unique. It has a deep meaning that determines the basis of the entire life of the organization.
• Selection of long-term development plans and ways of their implementation. Knowing the direction of movement, the company is easier to navigate in the market space, which means that the achievement of its goals will occur clearly and quickly.
• Creating a concept of behavior and appearance. This part of the image determines how the organization will achieve compliance with its chosen philosophy, goals and loyalty to its corporate values.

A clear vision of the functions of their image gives the company the opportunity not only to position itself among other market players, but also to assess the situation within itself.

Elements of company perception mainly have a social orientation vector. With their help, it becomes possible to achieve mutually beneficial work with clients and establish an emotional connection with them.

Besides, A positive image in the business environment allows you to create an equally positive corporate spirit among employees. However, the constituent links of the image will have some features characteristic of a particular sphere of entrepreneurial activity. For example, for an educational organization, the ability to transfer knowledge and take care of the moral education of students will be important in its reputation, and for a corporation that produces cars, the image will be the reliability and prestige of its products.

Public perception of the company can be called the external side of the image, which consists of the following components:

• corporate visual style - brand, trademark, logo, company colors and symbols;
• opinion formed by customers about the quality of goods or services;
• social orientation of the company;
• business reputation.

The external side of the image should be attractive and comprehensible. Marketers believe that the decision to interact with an organization is 80% dependent on how attractive its external message is.

The situation inside the company determines the internal side of its reputation. On how well-coordinated and friendly atmosphere prevails in the organization, its commercial success directly depends. This part of the image consists of the following components:

• the company's mission and its values ​​for employees, uniting in such a concept as corporate culture;
• reputation of members of the management team;
• norms of behavior, appearance and interaction of employees with each other.

It is impossible to improve the external side of the image without taking into account its internal component. In the process of evolutionary development, reputation can undergo various changes. An organization’s image can be traditional, desirable, real, idealized, updated, positive and so on.

The company's image model has a clear structuring, where all the elements are distributed in terms of hierarchy and ordering.

• Business image. Consists of business reputation and indicators of commercial activity.
• Social image. Includes aspects of the company's social activities.
• External perception of the organization. It contains elements of corporate identity, the appearance of employees, the design of the premises.
• Image of employees. It is determined by staff competence, communication culture, socio-demographic characteristics.
• Internal reputation. It implies a corporate culture and psychological climate within the team.
• The reputation of the head. It consists of its appearance, behavioral characteristics, socio-demographic characteristics, education, psychological characteristics.
• The image of the consumer of goods and services of the company. It is determined by the lifestyle of the client, his social status, psychological characteristics.
• Image of goods and services. It consists of the declared value of the goods and additional services.

The combination of all the elements in each organization is unique. Assessing its parameters from the point of view of a client or business partner, you can clearly see how the image of the company really looks like - what has been achieved and what should be sought.

To create a favorable impression about the organization, its employees and services, a set of various tools is used to work with the company internally and externally.

Creating an internal corporate image is achieved in the following ways.

• HR policy development. It includes the requirements for the education of employees, their professional skills and experience. The organization establishes a certain level of salaries, staff powers, professional growth opportunities, penalties and incentives, the possibility of improving the level of qualification through training.
• Staff motivation. The program implies a scale of bonuses and additional payments for labor achievements, payment for a certain set of medical services, sports. For employees of the company organize celebrations, sightseeing trips, team games. This approach improves internal communication between people and increases team cohesion.
• Focus on professionalism. Employees of the company are trained in customer service skills, conduct trainings to study the properties of the product they sell, instill informed loyalty to the brand and the company.

Work with staff plays an important role for the perception of the organization not only from the inside, but also from the outside. Seeing a friendly climate between employees, customers are much more loyal to solving many commercial issues, as their trust will be high. In addition, each employee performs the function of an external informant, communicating with his family, friends and acquaintances.

The external reputation of the company depends on a set of certain programs that are performed on a regular basis. It is important for a young organization to declare itself and from the first days of existence to create a favorable impression by performing the following actions:

• informing partners and potential customers about the goals and mission of the company, by inviting them to thematic events, exhibitions, presentations;
• advertising materials must necessarily emphasize not only the quality of goods and services, but also emphasize what target audience they are intended for;
• when communicating with clients and the media, it is important to strictly observe the rules of business etiquette, as the first impression is very difficult to fix subsequently.

After some time, when the company takes its place in the market and can gain a foothold there, it is necessary to increase the amount of financing aimed at creating an internal image. Such work includes the following main points:

• creation and implementation in the team of certain corporate standards that contribute to the maintenance of team spirit;
• development of a common style of office, clothing, communication with each other, which would be consistent with accepted corporate standards and the specifics of the company;
• conducting analytical studies of customer loyalty to the brand, trademark, product and company.

The complex of measures is carried out sequentially and takes at least 1.5-2 years from the moment of the organization of the company.

Financial costs and the range of measures taken increase as the company grows and develops. When its life cycle is on the path to becoming, the mechanisms that contribute to strengthening the image are as follows:

• the creation of short-term goals and plans to achieve them;
• according to development plans, a market segment is determined where further promotion is required;
• development of a brand name, logo and symbolism;
• personnel selection and placement of employees, their management to achieve the plans;
• conducting analytical research in the field of marketing to identify those parties in the work of the company whose improvement is necessary;
• creating a customer base and performing work to maintain its relevance.

In parallel with strengthening the positive external image, work is being done to increase employee loyalty:

• traditions are formed in the team aimed at cohesion and a friendly relationship between employees;
• office premises or retail outlets are made out with attributes made in accordance with corporate standards;
• expert research is activated to predict the external market conditions and the innovations required from the company in this regard.

When the organization got the opportunity to stand firmly on its feet and was fully integrated into the market space, her further positive external image is enhanced by the following actions:

• the emphasis in advertising materials is on the stable work and growth of the company;
• constant and close communication is maintained with customers;
• booklets or brochures are published in which the company’s technology or innovation is advertised in terms of its achievements;
• all types of communications use company logos;
• The first public contacts and socially oriented advertising begin.

When an organization becomes completely stable and resistant to market changes, at the stage of its maturity, the internal image is maintained by the following methods:

• new sales markets are being developed - the business goes to the regional level, subsidiaries are opened;
• innovative developments and testing of oneself in new directions are carried out, which fit into the framework of the concept of the company;
• Relations with customers are set up in a bilateral manner, that is, feedback is expected in the form of a public dialogue.

Steadily growing organizations having passed the main stages of the life cycle, they can afford to reduce the cost of advertising of a general orientation, since their brand becomes universally recognizable and there is no longer any need to promote it as intensively as it was done earlier. On the contrary, advertising will now need innovative directions.