Who’s Representing Your Brand?
Over the last few weekends, my wife and I have been visiting colleges with our son as he seeks to get a better sense of where he may want to go to school after graduating from high school. And, as we went from campus to campus, a glaring difference stood out with each. The people representing them.
Prior to going on these visits, my son had a clear perception about each of the schools(some positive/some negative), based largely on their website, brochures, ranking info and/or general word of mouth. However, an in-person visit has the power to either validate perceptions and/or change them. And, most of that comes down to the people representing the school/brand.
So, for those who are interested in making positive impressions for your brand (school or otherwise), here’s a few tips:
- Demonstrate interest. In some cases, the representatives seemed happy to have us there. They greeted us with a smile, asked questions and seemed genuinely excited to welcome us to their school. In other cases, it seemed like they were doing us a favor by letting us visit. Which do you think is more attractive?
- Exude Energy. Not everyone is a dynamic presenter or great in social settings. But, I’d recommend against having those people be the ones representing your school/brand. The energy you give is often equal to the energy you get. And, while the recent heat wave could have had something to do with it, there were cases when we walked away drained of every ounce of energy (and not likely to be submitting an application).
- Share your pride. School pride is obvious (and contagious). You could very much tell which students (and admissions officers) were there for the job/pay, and which were there for the school. If you love your brand, show it.
- Make it real. You can get facts and information on the website. You visit the school to feel and experience it. This is a great opportunity for admissions officers and guides to share personal stories so prospective students can see beyond the data. These first hand experiences not only provided a better feel for life at the school, but also created more authentic connections with the representative.
- Enable a sense of belonging. With many decisions like this, you want/need to feel a sense of belonging. Several schools had multiple tour guides, each of which shared a bit about themselves so you could choose the one that most aligned with your situation. Others simply divided the guests into groups based on where you sat in the info session. Which do you think was more effective?
The people representing your brand matter (not just for schools). A great ad campaign, website and collateral may peak their interest and get them to the table. But, it often takes people to validate the promise(s), bring it home and close the deal (and continually nurture the relationship — but that’s a whole other blog). It’s not an easy job — and certainly not one that anyone can do. If your representatives are not representing your brand accordingly, your brand is at great risk.
Who’s representing your brand?
As always, I hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to share with others who you believe may find it of interest. And, please share your thoughts and comments here.
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