Be honest. Have you ever glazed over while someone talks about the importance of branding, brand culture, missions, visions and values?
We understand where you’re coming from. Amid the day-to-day challenges of meeting your sales objectives, managing cash flow and achieving business growth, you’d be forgiven for perceiving brand culture as a long-term investment that doesn’t deliver immediate, tangible ROI, or even as an unnecessary luxury.
But the truth is that brand culture is a crucial element in the success of any small business.
What do we mean by brand culture?
Brand culture refers to the values, beliefs, and behaviours that define how a company’s employees and management interact with audiences (and each other) and conduct business. A strong brand culture not only influences internal operations but also shapes customer perceptions and drives business growth.
Here’s why brand culture is essential for small businesses:
- Differentiation in the market
For small businesses, standing out in a crowded market can be challenging. A well-defined brand culture helps differentiate your business from your competitors. When your company’s values and mission resonate with those of your potential customers, they are more likely to choose your brand over others. A clearly defined brand culture can create a loyal customer base that identifies with your ethos, leading to repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.
- Employee engagement, retention and recruitment
A strong brand culture fosters a sense of belonging and purpose among your employees. When they feel connected to your mission and values, they are more motivated and engaged. This engagement leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Moreover, a positive brand culture can reduce employee turnover, as people are more likely to stay with a company that aligns with their personal values, and offers a supportive work environment. It also helps with recruitment, as potential employees can understand whether your values align with theirs before they join (and, just as importantly, you can assess how good a ‘fit’ they are for you).
- Shaping a consistent customer experience
When your company’s values and behaviours are consistently reflected in every interaction with your customers, it creates a cohesive and reliable brand image. Consistency in customer service, service quality, and communication builds trust and credibility. Your customers are more likely to remain loyal to a brand that consistently meets or exceeds their expectations.
- Attracting the right customers
Communicating a clearly defined brand culture through your branding and marketing attracts customers who share similar values and beliefs to yours, and who are genuinely interested in your services or products, creating a deeper connection between you and your clients, leading to stronger relationships and loyalty.
- Strengthening your reputation
A strong brand culture enhances your reputation in the marketplace. For example, clearly prioritising ethical practices, social responsibility, and customer satisfaction could help you to be viewed more favourably by your target audience. A strong brand culture can even help small businesses navigate crises more effectively, as a solid reputation helps to maintain customer trust.
Why your brand culture has to be authentic
Possibly the most crucial thing to understand about brand culture is that it must be real and authentic. People sniff out a ‘smoke and mirrors’ act really quickly. As an example, consider recent backlashes against social media influencers who peddle a ‘lifestyle’ but fail to live up to it in reality (vegan influencers spotted wolfing down a hamburger, spring to mind; or fitness gurus whose svelte figure turns out to be down to surgery, Ozempic, or Photoshop).
It’s a waste of time (and potentially damaging) to define a brand culture that doesn’t reflect reality. But you can define the brand culture that you aspire to – the mission, vision and values that you want your business to embrace, and then start to make the changes that will move you towards that aspiration and help you to achieve a competitive edge.
In a future article, we’ll talk about some of the strategies we use to help our clients define a powerful brand culture.
In the meantime, to discuss how we could help you to get in touch with your brand culture, get in touch with us.
tabitha@themarketingassociates.co.uk or call 01233 720379
At The Marketing Associates, we specialise in strategic freelance marketing support for professional service practices, providing excellent quality advice on your marketing strategy to develop and grow your business on a retained basis.