Okay, let’s talk a little bit about your business image. I know that for a small, home-based business it may seem silly to talk about image—after all, many of us get up in the morning and work in our pajamas! Image? You’ve got to be kidding! But, even if you do work in your pajamas, or at midnight, or without taking a shower or even seeing most of the people you do business with—your business still has an image, and paying some attention to that image is an important part of marketing and doing business.
It might help to separate “image” from “appearance”—we have been trained to think of our “corporate image” or our “business image” as being how we dress and present ourselves in a physical sense. But, our home business actually has an image or a “public face” that exists even if we aren’t wearing a three-piece suit and a sharp new haircut. Our business image includes things like whether or not our correspondence is error-free and professional looking, whether we go for a more casual style or want to look as though we are a bigger, more established operation, and whether we keep regular, predictable business hours or are more flexible.
I am not suggesting that there is one way to do business or an image that is “better” than another—it is just important to decide what you want your business image to be before someone else decides for you. You do have control and you can send a consistent image message by making choices and decisions that will let people know what your business is all about. In order to enhance your image, you just need to figure out what reflects positively on your business, what works with your market, and put some effort into keeping that image strong.
Also: Choosing the Right Words to Use in Your Marketing
What Makes You and Your Business Different?