How to communicate your brand values

It’s a challenge in itself to attract customers and clients. Why complicate this by blending in with the crowd? Even if your products or services resemble your competitors’, there are still many ways to blaze your own trail.

Maybe you cater to a particular type of individual. Perhaps you have an advantage in the way you deliver your product. Or your company could do something outside of work hours, like advocacy or service, that would resonate with your target audience.

All this to say you can stand out by defining your brand values.

I touched on how three recognizable businesses express themselves through their brand values in an earlier LinkedIn article. Patagonia distinguishes itself through commitment to environmental initiatives. Southwest Airlines’ improves customer satisfaction with its inside-out approach to employee culture. Gucci redefined its philosophy to match the personality and interests of up-and-coming generations.

Each company took a different approach to their brand values. And just because these are household names doesn’t mean you can’t perform the same strategies. Your company, regardless of size or age, can define its brand values in many ways.

To do this, I'm suggesting you take the time to write these values down. Doing so will bring focus to what’s most important, differentiate yourself from your competitors and attract your appropriate customer.

Taking the time to write down your brand values will help your company define its purpose and ideal clientele. Not only will you need to provide an in-depth explanation, but you’ll also need to sum it up in one sentence.  

It's brainstorming time

First, let’s focus on what you want people to know about your company. Note that these aren’t goals. Leave desired sales numbers and email subscribers for another time. This project is all about how you define your company and why you believe there’s a place for it.

• Why did you start this company in the first place?
• How is your business helping other people? Is it to make something new? Are you improving on something you think the market doesn’t address?
• Who is the ideal person you want to do business with?
• What are your customers saying about you? What do they like? Where do they say you can improve?
• Who is your perfect employee?
• What are you passionate about outside of work? Can you incorporate this into your business’ principles? Do you do so already?
• What is it you want to see in the world and why? Can you help in making this possible?

There are many more questions you can answer here. And their answers do not have to be broad or aspirational. What is important is you have enough conviction to answer these types of questions asking, “why are you doing this?” Because in this next step, that’s precisely what you’ll be doing.

Now write it down

If you’ve found answers that resonate with you, it’s time to get busy and start writing.

Here is a helpful exercise we took from The Ecommerce Marketing Handbook written by the eCommerce software firm Privy. To explain to potential customers what your company does, you must be capable of explaining this to yourself first.

Privy recommends writing the autobiography of your company. This story is what makes your business unique. You’ll be writing three different versions of this story in varying lengths—a one-page version, a one-paragraph version and a one-sentence version.

Be prepared to give this method some time. One might think the one-page version would be the hardest to do. But you might come to find the less room you have, the more meaning you’ll want to cram in. As I touched on in my LinkedIn article on content writing vs. copywriting, word choice becomes more crucial as you run out of space.

One-page document - Your About page

Treat this first part of the exercise as a way to process what initially brought you into business. Was it to make a new product or service? To improve something? What is driving you or why do you think there’s a place for you?

This document is also the place where you can list your ambitions. Do you want your business to change the world? Do you desire to be the best in your field? Feel free to elaborate. Take this as an opportunity to explain the steps you’re taking to make this possible.

Once you’ve finished, congratulations are in order! You just codified your brand values in a tangible creative piece. This new document can now become your website’s About page and can be used in promotional and sales material. You can also reference this document repeatedly when you feel yourself drifting off message. 

But your job is not finished yet. Get out your red pen because it’s time to edit.

One-paragraph statement - Your elevator pitch

You must now boil down your one-page document into a one-paragraph statement. Many people won’t have time or patience to read or hear you wax poetic about your business. You will need to get their attention quickly.

Think of this exercise as the proverbial elevator pitch. You know the analogy. You’re standing in an elevator and head honcho type has just made their way through the doors. After taking a big gulp and silently muttering positive affirmations, you get their attention. You must now propose your business as a compelling idea before they get off in two stops. Talk about pressure!

If you’re ever in such a situation, you’ll be thankful you wrote this one-paragraph statement beforehand. You’ve already discussed what makes your company tick in a one-page form. Now, revise everything so you can explain your entire business in three-to-five sentences. Cut out the fluff. Focus only your benefits to your customer and how your distinctive features contribute to benefits.

As the Privy handbook illustrates, this is the spark notes version. This paragraph is a clearly defined and dynamically presented description of your business. Tap into your customer’s pain points to describe what you are selling and how it can help. Keep it succinct. If they want to know more, consider your elevator pitch a success.

One-sentence headline - Your tagline

Next, it’s time to put your Madison Avenue hat on. You’ll be thinking like an ad agency copywriter now. How can you summarize your elevator pitch in an attractive way in one sentence or less? What is a way you can entice someone into learning more about your business in less than 50 characters?

Most of the 30-second ads on TV have a one-sentence tagline at the end. It’s usually a clever way to describe the product or service or how it relates to its target customer. This sentence is what you’ll be writing for your brand.

Here, you get no re-dos. You must be able to explain every single word and how it relates to your brand. Make sure your voice comes across in it. Is this voice helpful? Funny? Intriguing? Getting someone to chew on it is all you need. Hearing someone say it back to you spontaneously means you have a real winner.

Your story is still unwritten

Once you write down the benefits of your business in these one-page, one-paragraph and one-sentence formats, you’re on your way to communicating your company’s values.

With these written pieces, you can refine your audience and your marketing efforts. It makes it easier to focus on what you want to achieve while cutting out distractions. You’re on your way to creating engaging content that resonates and reaches people who need your help.

While we hope these exercises in brand values inspired you, I understand this can be a lot to take on by yourself.

New World Media Management can help. It’s our goal to help our clients communicate to the right people. We’re confident we can do the same for you. We’ll work with you to define your brand values and make sure people hear about them.

Email us at [email protected]. Together, we’ll unlock the hidden values of your brand. 

(This is a reproduction of New World Media Management's most recent blog post. View the original here.)