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Last Updated on November 19, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas
The expectations of your audience are always a hard thing to work around. On the one hand, they can set a standard by which you’re expected to perform, pitting you directly against your competitors and their accomplishments.
However, there will be times when going against these expectations can allow you to deliver something much better, muddying the waters. Trying to work out how this dynamic plays out across your entire business can be difficult, so it might be best to first focus on how you can relate it to your business operations.
Technological Expectations
The technology your business uses can directly impact the quality of your output, meaning that expectations put into place by your competitors might lead to you making some changes in this regard. For example, if you’re working with a team of software developers, they might feel they’re afforded a much greater degree of utility and flexibility through a Kubernetes migration. If your employees are given the opportunity to provide their best work, it’s inevitably going to have a positive result on your business and its standing in the eyes of audiences. The two factors of technology and audience approval won’t always be linked so closely, but it can get you looking at ways in which the tools you use can be positive or negative.
Expectations of Treatment
It can be disappointing for customers who feel a connection with a certain brand to learn that this brand isn’t everything that they hoped they were behind the scenes. If it comes out, for instance, that this brand fosters a toxic or negative work environment that treats employees poorly, it can do a lot to damage their reputation in the future.
Obviously, fear of damage to your brand isn’t the only reason why you should treat your employees properly, but it can provide a direct financial incentive for improved methods of managing your team. One of the main areas that you can improve on right away is cutting down on micromanaging and instead letting trust develop between you and your employees, allowing them to work independently.
Expected Communications
There will also be certain expectations about how your brand communicates with your employees and audience. Big changes in your business can threaten to unsettle your team and create disruptions, meaning that being consistently communicative with your employees can help them navigate this time without impacting their productivity.
When it comes to your customers, being clear about changes to your operations or projects can help you manage broader expectations. For example, if something has been delayed or canceled, it’s important to release a statement that clarifies why and what comes next. Leaving your audience in the dark might lead to them distancing themselves from your brand and turning to your competitors, which could be a disaster for you.
There are also expectations from new audiences, who might come to investigate your brand via your social media output. If they discover your communications have been sparse or insubstantial, they might leave as quickly as they arrived.
