Many companies still believe that “brand” is simply an external promise that has nothing to do with internal company culture, processes, or mission. They could not be more wrong.
The United Airlines debacle from earlier this year is a perfect example of what happens when a company makes a customer service brand promise, yet their internal policies don’t back up that claim. The backlash from customers is significant, and the work required to rebuild the company’s reputation is costly. Organizations could avoid this disconnect by reinforcing the direct link between brand and company culture, and by ensuring that employees know and champion company values and promises. But, far too many cling to the belief that brand strategy is simply saying all the right things in slick ads or poignant videos.
Employees are the company’s most important brand assets.
They serve as brand ambassadors through the products they create, the services they deliver, and the interactions they have with customers. If a company’s brand is built on “excellent customer service” or “innovative, cutting-edge solutions,” internal processes must be constructed to support these claims. The right employees must be hired and given the right tools and support to deliver the promised experience.
If employees are not aligned with your brand, then your company cannot align with your customers. Here are five ways to authentically connect your employees to your brand.
Related: The 5 Must-Ask Interview Questions to Determine if Someone’s a Fit
1. Define, articulate and share the brand promise.
What is the company trying to be? Whom does it serve? What value does it offer? The brand strategy should include the organization’s mission, vision, and values. Ensure that this is clearly defined and articulated and most importantly, shared with everyone from new recruits to seasoned executives. Otherwise, how can employees be expected to connect with something they can’t describe?
“Your brand promise, mission, vision, and values should be grounded in reality but can still be aspirational,” says Rebecca Rodskog, co-founder of FutureLeaderNow, a culture change consulting firm that works with companies to innovate in the workplace and foster employee engagement. “Ask yourself, ‘Is this who we already are?’ At least 80 percent of it should be. Yes, aim high but you also have to walk your talk. You can’t say you’re ‘innovative’ if you haven’t had a new product in 10 years.”
Splunk, a B2B software company based in San Francisco, California, started out as an irreverent and innovative startup and has since grown into a global brand with over 3,000 employees and 13,000 customers. But, as they scaled and grew, they did not want to lose the cultural DNA that makes the brand special. A few years ago, they went through an exercise to define, articulate, and share the brand internally so that new hires could embrace the culture right from the start.
“Growth is wonderful but if you’re not careful, your company can quickly forget its roots,” says Sherry Lowe, Splunk’s vice president of marketing. “We knew that it was important to ensure every single person — from experienced old-timer to newbie — could quickly articulate what Splunk stands for and make the right external, as well as internal, decisions to keep that culture and brand strong.”
2. Engage employees in the process.
Make sure employees help determine how the brand comes to life day-to-day. For example, a CEO or head of marketing can’t decide in a vacuum that, “Our brand is fun,” and then simply install ping-pong tables and check it off their list. “Fun” needs to be defined by what employees have to say. “They…
