How to build and keep a positive image for your business

If image is everything, entrepreneurs have their work cut out for them in this Internet-first world. As soon as you publish a well-written blog on your website or Facebook page, a critic may step in to undermine it. The same goes for Twitter feeds and other social media platforms as well as old-fashioned media outlets. Establishing a solid brand identity and maintaining a positive reputation is challenging at a new company's launch, but there are ways to make sure you build a foolproof strategy. Here are ideas on doing it right.

Covering all the channels

Posting a press release announcing your company's debut online is not enough to let the community know about your business's arrival. In fact, a full offensive both online and offline should be in the offering when you want to make a new company's presence felt. Whether or not you are an active social network user, the process should include a widespread campaign across these platforms in addition to networking among your business contact.

A good place to start is an announcement to members of your LinkedIn network. LinkedIn offers a forum for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to discuss movements in the industry among people who are career-oriented. Your business needs a strong presence on less formal social media outlets as well. Every business — from gourmet pizza to specialized crafts — ought to have an ongoing dialogue with the public online on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

A business image for the long term

When establishing an identity for your business, think of the long-term implications of every post. The Internet does not allow things to disappear. Old sayings about "all publicity being good publicity" never anticipated the type of firestorm a negative viral sensation may cause. As you launch a website and social media pages, imagine the principles you establish blossoming over the course of 10 years. Claim your business listings on customer review sites so you have the credibility to respond to all feedback. Businesses can change elements of an identity over time, but the long-term strategy should be durable as well as promising.

Having a social media marketing team like Vionic (available in The UPS Store) manage Facebook and Twitter accounts to set and maintain a positive image for you takes the stress out of the equation and lets you ponder the big ideas for your company's future. At the end of the day, a reputation is only a reflection of your larger business model. Your company's foundation must be strong enough to support the publicity you send out to the world. Before publicizing a business for all to see, make sure you have your brand identity and overarching goals in place.

Managing a reputation when times get tough

There will be times when you find a reputation dinged, often through no fault of your own. The Internet has a way of magnifying negatives out of proportion. Once a negative story goes viral, it can be difficult to stop. Today's publicists and social media experts believe (as doctors do) that early detection is the key when it comes to negative publicity online. Fortunately, there are analytics designed to catch a wave of bad publicity so you have time to build a response. Always address it promptly instead of hiding from it.

Protecting your online reputation doesn't have to be a mysterious effort when in the hands of the right professionals. On top of responding to bad press and crafting an alternative for Web visitors to encounter, reputation experts can court the bloggers and brand advocates who guide conversations in the right direction. By posting your own positive content such as blog posts, helpful how-to videos, and testimonials, you can help balance any negative content online. Steering the conversation back to a fair place is not manipulation per se, but rather a way of controlling what can become lasting damage for a business when the Internet does its bidding.

Perception is everything, but you can manage perception by crafting a positive image for your business from the start. Use the modern tools at your disposal to get it right.

Business planning — identifying goals and defining a direction for growth

In thinking long term, you have to maintain a business plan that identifies your business goals while defining a road map to the next stages of your business. Business planning is essential to your business growth. You should regularly review your business plan to ensure it continues to meet the changing market environment.

Prepare a business plan for growth

The blueprint for today's small business owner is still a business plan. There are several reasons why you have to ensure your plan is up to date:

Your strategic plan needs to be realistic and achievable.
If you will need outside investment to bolster your operations, most potential investors will require that you show them your business plan to help them decide if and how to fund your business.

A good business plan helps you allocate resources appropriately, whether you are reinvesting your profits or using a bank loan for expansion.

A dynamic plan can help you monitor whether you are on track and achieving your business objectives. It gives a clear indication of where you are now and what needs to be prioritized to maintain the desired growth direction so that you meet certain key targets.

You should state the time frame on your plan, typically the next 12 to 24 months. The document should ordinarily include elements about what your business does, the direction you want it to go, and your strategy for sales to achieve your desired growth. Consider the following when drafting your plan:

Marketing objectives. You should have a clear picture of your anticipated customer base's size at the end of the period. Define a marketing strategy that enables you gain the extra customers.

Operation and management. This component should describe how your business functions on a continuing basis by highlighting your logistics such as where your business is based, the premises and equipment needed, who your suppliers are, management responsibilities, specific tasks assigned to each department within the company, and capital and expense requirements for business operations.

Financial information. The three financial statements that are integral to your business plan — the income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet — will provide forecasts for sales, profit and loss, and cash flow, as well as audited accounts.

Further, your business plan should include a summary of your business objectives, including targets and dates. Include an exit plan if yours is an owner-managed business — this may include planning the timing of your departure due to circumstances such as sale of business, family succession, or closure.

Strategic planning

Whereas your business plan will concentrate on establishing short- or mid-term goals and defining the necessary steps to achieve them, a strategic plan will focus on your business' mid- to long-term goals and explaining the basic strategies for achieving them.

For a small business, the focus will typically be on a particular product, service, or program. You will need to set your overall business goals and develop a plan to achieve them. If you need help getting started, companies like Wise Business Plans can help. Strategic planning typically involves three key elements:
Where your business is now. This encompasses reviewing and understanding your internal operations, what drives your profitability, and how you compare with the competition.

Where you want to take the business. Set out your top-level objectives for the next five or ten years: vision, mission, values, techniques, and goals. Determine what you want to be the main focus of your business and your competitive advantage.

What you need to do to get there. Determine how you will deliver on your strategic objectives. Do you need to make changes, and what is the best way to implement those changes?

Aim to balance the vision for your business against the practical realities of your present position as well as resource changes such as increased capital investment. Your strategic plan needs to be realistic and achievable.

Set goals and objectives

Goals establish where you want to take your business and will usually tell you when you get there. Carefully defining your goals will likely ensure you do the right things and achieve what you needed to accomplish in the first place. Objectives specify what must be done, and when. They are the specific steps your business needs to take so that you reach each of your goals.

Long-term goals should have a degree of measurability. They should be directional, reasonable, inspiring, visible, and eventual — meaning to be fulfilled at a future date. Short-term objectives lend more precision to your overall business planning activities. They are specific, measurable, attainable, and rewarding.

With these tips, you should be well on your way to creating a successful plan for your small business.