What makes one brand stand out from its competitors? What about a brand that captures the customer’s interest and makes them want to learn more? What inspires brand loyalty, keeping customers coming back consistently? Many factors come into play when answering this question, and brand values are one of them.
In today’s hyper-competitive consumer landscape, more and more customers are looking to buy from companies that share their ideals, beliefs and values. They want to know that your company stands for the same things they do.
So how do you establish your own brand values and show them to the world? That is exactly what we will cover in this article. We’ll also show you some examples of brands that have mastered their brand values in the market.
What are brand values?
Brand values are what a company believes in and stands for. They are the core principles that shape the customer experience and how a company operates from a fundamental level, usually from an ethical and humane perspective. Brand values can affect all aspects of a company, including:
- Designs its business model
- Sources of production materials
- Produces products
- Distributes goods or provides services
- Hires and manages team members
- Uses his income
Inherent brand values may include more political themes such as sustainability, environmental protection and human rights. On a more relational level, brand values can include ideals such as teamwork, compassion, accountability, courage, creativity and respect.
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How to find your brand values
As you work to develop and integrate brand values into your company, consider these tips and considerations.
Think about what’s important
You can do a quick search online or conduct a few interviews to find tons of ideas for strong brand values. But the surest way to find your values is to turn inward and examine your personal values, then see what you can put into practice. Ask yourself questions like:
- What is important to me?
- What mark do I want to leave on the world?
- How do I enjoy helping other people?
- Who inspires me with their own actions?
- How can my company make a difference?
Collaborate with your team
The company’s core values represent the entire company. So if you have other people on your team, be sure to include them in the process. This applies to partners and co-owners, as well as employees who are on the front line, bringing your company to life.
When you include your team in the process of establishing values, you are better prepared to invest them in the core of your business and the day-to-day processes and practices that keep it running.
Be realistic
Maybe it’s important to you to be a carbon neutral company, but it’s not very realistic in terms of the materials, tools and processes you need to actually make it happen. In such cases, relax yourself. Perhaps you can work towards goals, such as a goal of becoming carbon neutral in the next five years, as opposed to jumping the gun right now.
Get inspired by other companies
There are some incredible brands doing some incredible things. There’s nothing wrong with starting some research. Dig into your niche and other brands in the industry, and even brands outside of your niche and industry to see what they’re up to.
You might come across some inspiring and motivational ideas that hadn’t occurred to you before, or learn some new strategies or processes for developing strong core values.
Implementing your brand values
Once you’ve established your brand values, it’s time to implement them. This requires some strategic thinking as they must touch every aspect of your business. Below are some tips to help you live your brand values.
Make them front and center
If you want to maintain your brand values for everyone, be sure to highlight them in digital and physical spaces. Highlighting them in commonly used channels helps keep them at the forefront of your business. Here are some places to consider.
- Company documents. Core brand values in a document accessible to all.
- Display of workspace. Consider displaying your brand values at the entrance to your central headquarters or in the boardroom.
- Ways of communication. Anchor your brand values to the most common channels in team communication apps like Slack.
- Openings of the meeting. Discuss brand values at the start of important meetings, such as quarterly team calls.
- Entering employees. Take the time to walk new employees through your brand values when they join the company.
Communicate them to customers
Effectively communicating your brand values across various marketing touch points is vital to attracting potential buyers and establishing brand loyalty.
Take a cue from Allbirds, a brand that reflects this approach, clearly demonstrating its commitment to sustainability in a variety of locations.
Here are some direct ways to communicate your brand values to customers:
- Website: Use your About Us page to communicate your brand values and explain what they mean to your business.
- Marketing. Consistently reinforce your brand values through email marketing and social media posts, ensuring your audience is reminded of them.
- Packaging. Incorporate your brand story into your packaging. Use icons and concise text that quickly convey what’s important to your company.
Invest them in your business
Do you want to integrate brand values into your daily life with maximum efficiency? You must then ensure that these values are ingrained in every action and decision you make. Here are some ways to incorporate brand values into your business:
- Operational integration. Think about how your brand values can be incorporated into your company’s day-to-day operations. This may include partnering with eco-conscious suppliers or implementing employee benefits, such as paid vacations, that align with your company’s goals.
- Customer-centric approach. Look at your customer policies and explore ways to align them with your business goals. If, for example, your brand values prioritize sustainability, you can include policies such as product repair services to minimize waste.
- Empowerment of employees. Identify staff who uphold your values and actively promote their implementation within the company. By nurturing such individuals, you cultivate a culture that radiates the essence of your brand.
Examples of brand values
Take a look at examples of brand values of a few companies that have carved a name for themselves in this industry.
4Ocean. ocean conservation
4Ocean is a purpose-driven business that seeks to reduce the ocean plastic crisis. The company uses proceeds from sales to directly fund volunteer work to remove plastic and waste from oceans, rivers and coastlines. 4Ocean directly manages the ocean cleanup operation, making it one of the few organizations with this level of hands-on involvement in a cause.
The company was founded by two surfers who saw first-hand the effects of pollution in our oceans. They decided to sell bracelets as a way to fund their conservation and cleanup efforts. Today, the company has grown, removing millions of pounds of trash from the ocean and expanding its product line to include other products such as apparel and subscriptions.
Pigeon. Self-esteem education
Hygiene and beauty brand Pigeon has been a long-standing example of an international brand that puts its values first. Her current campaign, The Self-Esteem Project, aims to help improve the self-image, self-esteem and body image of millions of young people.
The company partners with organizations and educators around the world to help achieve this, even extending the partnership to a television show. Steven Universe on Cartoon Network.
It smells like a boy. gender inclusiveness
The boy stinks is a brand that sells candles, fragrances and intimate apparel. One of the core values of the brand is gender expression and inclusion. As one of the founders says, a brand is “a license to use your power wherever you want.” The founders aim to help clients make it a daily ritual to love who they are.
The company was launched exclusively with candles. It continued to grow, eventually launching lines of intimate apparel and unmentionables, and entering the realms of fine fragrances and body care products.
Brand values are more important than ever
Today’s consumer is discerning and selective. Core values are becoming more important every day, especially as a new generation of buyers emerges. They are a key part of a strong brand strategy while being a shining beacon to attract and engage customers who share those values with you.
Just remember. One of the most important things you can do is stick to the values you set. It should be obvious that you follow through on the promises you made to your target audience. Not following through can be worse than not establishing brand values in the first place. But when you do it well, the impact can be invaluable.