Beyond the Logo: Your Company Culture is Your Most Powerful Branding Tool

Developing a strong company culture can be one of the most effective ways for small businesses to establish their brand and stand out in a crowded marketplace. A company's culture refers to its values, beliefs, and behaviors, and it plays a crucial role in shaping the way employees interact with customers, the way products and services are delivered, and the overall perception of the business in the minds of consumers.  

Forbes reports that consumers are willing to pay 10% more for excellent customer service and a Cox Business Consumer Pulse on small businesses found that 71 percent of people would spend more money with organizations that supported a positive cause, making it clear that leveraging culture can be a great way to drive business revenues.    

Here are some practical steps you can take to brand your business with company culture:

Define your Company's Values: 

Creating a top-down approach to culture by first defining your company's core values. These values should reflect what your business stands for and guide the behavior of all employees.  Developing a distinctive culture around strong company values will build your reputation as a stand out organization.    

Communicate your values consistently: 

Senior leadership should communicate the company's core values regularly and consistently through various channels, such as meetings, email, and internal communications, and these values should permeate through your marketing channels to become part of your company's identity, and thus it's brand. For example, if one of your values is "integrity," your business should have policies in place to promote honesty and transparency in all areas of the organization, including sales and customer service.

Measure and reward the right behaviors: 

Businesses should measure and reward the behaviors that align with their core values. This could include recognizing employees who go above and beyond in delivering exceptional customer service or demonstrating teamwork and collaboration.

Showcase your culture:

Through storytelling, content creation, community involvement, and leveraging customer feedback, you can showcase your company's unique values throughout your communication channels.  Use your website, social media, and other marketing channels to share your company's story and mission, highlight your employees, or create a video tour of your workplace.  Letting your customers 'behind the veil' can be an excellent way to build rapport and let them get to know (and trust) you.

Build customer loyalty: 

A strong company culture can also help you build customer loyalty by creating a positive and memorable experience for customers. When employees are passionate about their work and believe in the values of the company, they are more likely to provide exceptional customer service and create a positive impression on customers.

Matching values to value, it is clear building a strong company culture can drive success.  By creating an authentic, customer-centric culture, you can establish a unique brand identity that resonates with customers and fosters loyalty. By investing in your company's culture, you're not only investing in the well-being of your employees but also in the long-term growth of your business. 

Need help developing your business values or aligning them to your culture and goals?  Contact us!