Aligning Your Brand With Customer Values

THE SITUATION:

77% of consumers purchase from brands that share the same values as they do.

(Source: Havas)

THE OPPORTUNITY:

When consumers see their own values reflected in a brand, it creates a strong emotional bond. This bond not only encourages repeat purchases but also fosters deeper connections with audiences – transforming customers into brand advocates.

As seen in The Situation, most consumers are actively seeking this type of values alignment and it has become a key purchase decision driver. So, incorporating customer values as part of strategic brand building is a meaningful opportunity. One that can strengthen relationships, solidify competitive differentiation, and increase ROI.

Seizing this opportunity starts with understanding customers on a personal level. In doing so, brands can further develop their positioning and communication strategies in ways that truly resonate with target audiences.

THE CHALLENGE:

While The Opportunity has a lot of potential benefits, aligning with consumer values also presents several challenges. Brands must navigate these obstacles carefully to avoid pitfalls and unintended consequences.

Authenticity and Sincerity

One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that values alignment is authentic and sincere. Consumers are quick to spot and call out insincerity and pandering. Brands must genuinely embody the values they promote, which requires a commitment that goes beyond marketing campaigns to encompass corporate culture, policies, and actions.

Understanding Diverse Values

Each audience and consumer base are unique. Their values can vary widely based on their different demographics, geographics, and individual experiences. This diversity means that brands need to carefully research and understand their target audience to effectively align with their values. Furthermore, it’s important to identify which specific values are most relevant or of highest priority. Ultimately, bottom-line goals need to be met. So, connecting the dots between consumer values and purchase decisions will help ensure it's a win-win situation.

Balance and Consistency

As we all know, markets and consumers are in a constant state of flux. If brands are constantly shifting their identity in significant ways, it can disrupt their overall positioning and come across as disingenuous. There needs to be a sense of balance and consistency when it comes to values alignment where brands are flexible and willing to adapt while staying true to the essence of who they are.

THE SOLUTION:

As I mentioned in The Opportunity, values alignment through brand building starts with understanding customers on a deeper and more personal level. These efforts produce the data-driven insights needed to make informed decisions about when, where, and how to bring those values to life. It’s also a great way to establish a sense of authenticity and sincerity. By actively bringing customers into the brand building process, brands can be clear with their intentions and establish a sense of trust.

To accomplish those goals and address the related challenges, a great place to start is going directly to the source with market research.

Gathering customer feedback will actively bring them into the brand building process and provide that first-party data needed to make informed decisions. But there’s more to this than simply launching surveys and gathering data. Like anything else, these efforts need to be tactful, focused, and intentional.

Here are a few ways to efficiently and effectively leverage market research in support of brand building and values alignment:

?

Set Clear Objectives & Expectations

Customer feedback can provide an array of valuable insights and interesting information. But, at the end of the day, these insights need to be actionable and results driven.

One of the most common pitfalls I see when it comes to market research is lacking clear objectives and expectations. Brands jump straight into survey development and deployment without first clearly defining what they hope to accomplish and how results will be used. This step is critical to success because it establishes guardrails to keep ensuing efforts on track and goal oriented.

In terms of values alignment, how will customer feedback be applied toward specific decisions or initiatives? What are the internal expectations and desired outcomes of the project? Why is values alignment important to begin with? At first glance, answering these questions may seem easy and obvious. But, in walking through them together as a team, achieving internal buy-in and consensus on these matters often proves more difficult than initially thought.

?

Take a Strategic Approach

Efficient and effective market research has three key components – the right people, the right questions, and the right timing. This requires a strategic approach, ensuring each component is addressed within project planning and survey development processes.

As previously noted, diverse audiences will hold diverse opinions, beliefs, and values. So, choosing the right people to include in your market research project will help produce targeted insights for segmentation, personalization, and customer persona development; each of which are brand building essentials.

Then, there’s the matter of asking the right questions based on your overarching goals and objectives. Sending a catch-all survey with a broad scope will produce broad and high-level insights. Those may be interesting and thought-provoking, but we want them to be fully actionable. Instead, digging deeper with a narrow focus will create more detailed understandings of consumer values, why they matter, and how they relate to your specific brand.

Lastly, there’s the timing component. This goes beyond survey scheduling in terms of morning versus afternoon, or weekday versus weekend. This is considering where audiences are in their general life progression. Where they’re at long the sales cycle or journey map. Thoughts, feelings, and values are largely shaped by our surroundings and experiences. So, being mindful and strategic regarding when you ask certain people certain questions will help ensure the insights you gather are viewed within the appropriate context.

By asking the right people the right questions at the right time, you will be taking a strategic approach to market research in support of strategic brand building decisions.

Continuously Monitor & Adapt

Consumer values are not static. They evolve over time. So, it’s important to commit to continuous monitoring of these changes through regular market research. With an ongoing flow of insights, brands can identify shifts and react accordingly. They can uncover emerging trends, benchmark performance, and keep updated customer personas for targeted marketing. Equipped with this information and knowledge, brands can determine how to grow and evolve along with customers while staying authentic and genuine.

Furthermore, continual market research strengthens relationships, fosters loyalty, and reinforces a customer-centric identity. It keeps audiences engaged and involved with the brand’s development, establishing a sense of connection, commitment, and community. These intangible benefits of market research can be just as impactful for brand building as the resulting insights.

HOW WE CAN HELP:

When it comes to leveraging customer insights for brand building, taking a strategic approach is the best approach. It helps ensure resources are optimized, insights are actionable, and goals are achieved. However, the steps and processes can seem complex or feel overwhelming. As a result, many brands skip through strategy development, which ultimately costs them in the long run.

To help brands jumpstart or enhance their strategic brand building approach, we’ll be hosting a free webinar next month covering many of the topics from this article. If you’re looking to maximize the impact and increase the ROI of your brand building efforts, we’d love for you to join us!

?

Free Webinar:

The Power of Customer Insights for Brand Building

Thursday, July 11, 2024 @ 10AM-11AM(PT)

Details and Registration: Click Here

?

YOUR TURN:

I’d love to see your thoughts and ideas on brand building and values alignment. Is this currently a priority for your brand? How are you leveraging customer insights to support decision making? Do you have any tips or advice for someone working toward establishing a strong brand identity?

By sharing your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions, we’ll foster a collaborative community where actionable insights are the foundation and collective success is the outcome.

Do you have a stat, trend, or topic you’d like me to write about? Send me a message or share it in the comments. I’ll add it to my ideas list!