We can thank Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for many things including his succinct definition of branding – “what people say about you when you are not in the room”.
It’s true that your brand is ultimately defined by others – your target audience must buy into the image you are trying to project. They must see it and believe it. If they do not, no amount of money or integrated branding efforts will bring the results you want.
Your Brand
Your brand image is shaped by many things including your external communication and branding efforts. Logos, USPs, clear messaging, visuals and consistency do matter and influence how your company or organization is perceived.
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External branding is the sum of all marketing activities created to influence the mind-set and purchase behavior of customers and prospective customers.
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Brands are not shaped solely by external marketing, however. Every communication and interaction that your employees have with customers, prospects and suppliers contributes to your brand image (i.e., “what people say about your organization when you are not in the room”)
Consistency between what you communicate externally and what people experience in their interactions with your organization is important.
Imagine how your brand promise could be compromised if your employees come across as rude or unhelpful when dealing with customers.
Those who are the face of your organization are the key to your success. If employees aren’t invested in your brand or engaged with your business, they cannot deliver on your brand promise.
Internal Brand Alignment
Everyone connected with your organization needs to know what you stand for and how to deliver on the brand’s values and promises. This is commonly referred to as internal branding, internal brand alignment, or simply, alignment.
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Internal branding focuses on bringing your organization’s core culture, identity and promise to employees as well as consumers. In other words, you are aligning your employees’ actions to that of the brand and what the brand uniquely offers your customers.
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Why is internal brand alignment so important? Lack of clarity makes it difficult to define expectations for employees. And when employees don’t understand what is expected of them, it translates into a confusing and diffuse brand experience for your customers.
Unfortunately, most organizations struggle to achieve alignment. A 2012 Gallup survey of 3,000 randomly selected workers discovered that only 41% agreed with the statement “I know what my company stands for and what makes our brand(s) different from our competitors.”
Similar results would undoubtedly be found if this study were repeated today. Internal brand alignment is hard work, but that does not mean it is impossible to move the needle and see real results.
Gallup suggested that employees of any organization must (a) know what the organization stands for and what makes it different from others in the marketplace, (b) understand the brand promise and be able to explain the most important elements of the brand identity, and (c) be empowered to deliver on the brand promise.
How can you facilitate employee understanding in your organization? According to Gallup, these are actions you can take:
• Acknowledge that all employees play a key role in bringing your brand to life.
• Audit your internal communications to ensure that they are consistent with your brand identity and promise.
• Articulate what your brand represents and what you promise to your customers. Use these elements to also define how you manage, coach, and treat your employees.
• Regularly assess how well your employees know and understand your brand promise.
• Ensure that new employees understand your brand identity and promise.
• Make sure that every employee understands how his or her job affects the customer experience.
• Recognize employees who deliver your brand promise to your customers.
Of course, these are not the only steps you can take to strengthen your internal brand and facilitate alignment. Other ideas can be found here and here. Or, contact NWI Business Solutions and discover how, together, we can impact “what people say about your organization when you are not in the room.”
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