Most businesses look at growth in terms of gaining new customers, increasing product range, developing services and expanding the geographical distribution areas in which they are marketed. Those businesses who are most successful, tackle Brand, Strategy and People as three interconnected components at once and consider the impact that each element has on their business growth in a holistic sense.
What do we mean by Brand?
When it comes to focusing on Brand it’s important to understand, who you are, your values and what value you offer clients. How do you want them to think and feel about your business when they come into contact with you, your product or your service?
Are you able to clearly articulate this to your clients and potential clients?
I have recently worked with clients who had both credibility and integrity about their service to their customer, all evidenced and demonstrated by customer feedback. Yet, their real value was not effectively articulated through, what is deemed the media of choice these days, their website.
There are many ways to test how well you articulate and present your real value and we recommend to our clients that this becomes part of their regular “checks and balances” processes.
Strategy
Once we are clear on the Brand Promise, we need to develop a plan, a strategy, to ensure can deliver on the promise we make to the customer.
Many people switch off when it comes to strategy and, perhaps, this is because of previous experience of days on end locked away with post-it notes and flip-charts. It does not have to be this way. Developing practical, imaginative and effective ways of developing a fluid, dynamic strategy should form part of a successful business culture.
You may have heard the quote from Brian Tracy:
Those businesses who involve their people in developing strategy will perform to a much higher level than those who don’t. As well as improving employee engagement, it will generate fresh ideas and solutions from the people who are after all at the “Coal face” of your enterprise.
Years of research has proven that giving your people a voice and an opportunity to provide input on how the business achieves success, seems such a fundamental given these days. Yet, we meet numerous business leaders still who ask the question: “How do we do that?”
Take a check on how you develop your strategies. What’s working for you right now and what could you change for the better?
Connecting People – having a line of sight
More and more, people want to feel engaged at work, that they have a purpose. They crave to feel happy and involved in the work that they do and have an impact on the values of your business.
Again, research has proven that the way your clients think and feel about your business, your brand, is significantly impacted upon by the interactions they have with the people you employ to engage with your clients.
How connected are your team to your Brand, Purpose or Vision? A well-connected team will be your best PR and that connection will ultimately have the greatest impact on how your people engage with your clients.
In challenging times, there may be difficult decisions to make between spending on marketing versus investing in the development of the team. When we consider the advocates we can potentially create through an engaged team, the impact they can have on the customer experience and the difference that makes when delivering on the Brand Promise, it proves that investing in the development of your team is not a separate consideration but is also the single most important element of your Marketing strategy.
In our next post we will take a look at how we should take the principles of connecting Brand, Strategy and People and apply them to how we can help you to Attract, Engage and Retain the right people for your business.
