They prefer to use different words to describe the strength, visibility and value of their companies and people. The B word feels off-putting and confusing.
I’m writing (of course) about branding. Outside of the marketing department, branding can conjure many images, not all accurate or helpful to company results. To confuse matters more, branding inside the company is often different from branding outside the company.
Call it your image, your reputation, your market position — whatever makes you more comfortable. The goals are the same: visibility, credibility and a competitive edge. So let’s look at some ways the B word can help.
Your internal B
Brands are an image, a promise and a promise kept. Your people need to understand exactly what they are delivering, and why it’s so important to deliver it consistently.
To get a sense of your internal brand, ask people what your company is known for in the market. Listen to how they describe it. If their comments are fairly consistent and aligned with the company vision, then your internal brand is pretty solid. If they give you a blank stare, then you have work to do.
Internal brands suffer from dilution as companies add employees and layers of management. Dilution also happens when companies merge and acquire new entities. It gets harder to translate the vision from owners to sales or production.
To keep the internal brand strong, there are several opportunities:
Develop action-focused themes around your brand that staff can share in their own words. For example, if your theme is “car care made simple,” your staff might use an example of how they make car care simple. “We provide oil changes in 15 minutes.” “You never have to worry about the right oil to use or whether your windshield wash is empty.”
For a service company, a theme might be “estate planning for the whole family.” Your staff could use that theme to talk about how they introduce solutions in estate planning and wealth transfer that could also support the grandkids, such as contributing retirement funds to a college fund tax-free.
Keeping these themes in mind while serving customers will help staff understand their important role in the company vision and competitiveness; understanding their role is a key factor in higher engagement and retention.
Speaking of which, your internal brand is part of talent recruitment, too. Your print and online materials should describe the experience of working at your company. Beyond pay and benefits, candidates want to know if they will fit in your culture:
Show photos of company team-building events on your Facebook and Twitter pages.
Create videos of staff enjoying their work and talking about what makes your company a great employer.
Share articles about volunteering and making a difference beyond the company.
Apply for workplace and service awards that showcase your company difference.
Satisfied and engaged employees will build the foundation for the image and reputation your company enjoys outside the firm, with all of those external shareholders.
Your external B
Branding for your customers is more than a pretty logo and business cards, but it’s a good place to start. Print materials should have a consistent look with your online presence, from your website to your LinkedIn company page. Settle the arguments on color and fonts quickly, though, because the power of branding comes from consistently delivering a distinct, positive experience to customers — and having customers believe it and share it.
Again, you’ll need a baseline of brand awareness in your marketplace. Interview owners and managers and compare their thoughts on your brand with customer perception. How are you different? Why do customers stay with you? What would make them leave?
Take a look at your top competitors. What are they promising to customers and how well do they deliver the promise?
Determine what you want to be famous for with customers. For a product company, you want to show that you’re the best provider of that product or you make a customer’s life easier through your product. For service providers, maybe you have the smartest people or the best processes or fast delivery.
The fun part of external branding is how you illustrate your fame:
Customer testimonials and stories
Ad campaigns
Videos and podcasts
Earned media and created content
Speaking engagements and hosted events
Giveaways and contests
Community donations and sponsorships
The possibilities are endless, but knowing your true brand and your ideal audience can help narrow down the choices and promotional channels you use.
Getting your Bs to buzz
As you build your internal and external brand, make sure they play well together. If your internal brand is about fun and quality, your external brand should demonstrate that same feeling. When the inside and outside experience clicks, your brand gains momentum and power. Not only are customers buzzing about you, but your staff also sings your praises.
Great examples of both internal and external branding include Mayo Clinic, Apple, Perkins Coie Law Firm, Allianz Life Insurance and Intuit. Look for companies lauded for their workplace culture and you’ll often find them doing well in the marketplace, too.
Nobody goes into business hoping it’s a drag. It’s about dreams, ambitions and growth. Keep your eye on the Bs, and you’ll make a lasting impression inside and outside the company.
Contact: Dawn Wagenaar is principal and COO of
Ingenuity Marketing Group, St. Paul: 651.690.3358;
dawn@ingenuitymarketing.com; www.ingenuitymarketing.com
