What do you know about brand values and their importance to your business?

So here we are, sitting on the precipice of a jargon-filled blog hoping that we aren’t going to be scared off by what we see. We know the feeling as well as you do believe us! But that’s why we want to explain the meaning of Brand values, so next time your marketing specialist mentions them, you’ll be well prepared.

Firstly, when thinking about branding, you must have heard about the rule of seven? Even if you haven’t, it’s still worth knowing nonetheless. To the point, consumers ideally see your brand seven times before buying from you. This can potentially be more or less due to over-exposure on social media; however, let’s run with it.

It’s easy to get caught up on those figures of cold hard cash and conversions, meaning that overlooking brand awareness occurs pretty frequently. Brand awareness is hard to analyse and can often lead to businesses spending their money in the wrong place. The more people who know your brand, the more likely they will convert.

The only apparent way of assessing the effectiveness of your brand is to make sure that your efforts align with the key Brand Values of your business. If these two factors don’t line up, you’re likely wasting your time and money. Make sure people know who you are as a brand and shop from the marketing that you put out there.

So, what are brand values?

Embarking on the treacherous journey that is building a business is no easy task. We’ve been there, and we have also helped countless others take those cautious first steps; trust us, it’s never easy.

You’ll likely face numerous bumps in the road and stumbling blocks, but the war wounds your business wears are all a part of the process. However, what would you say if we told you those troublesome decisions could be made far easier? By establishing and understanding your brand values from the start, you can make sure you’re always on the right path.

Your brand values are the beliefs of your business and everything it stands for. They are the moral fibre that holds your business together and are far more critical than you may initially realise.

Business morals

Coming off the back of what has been a difficult two years, there is nothing a potential customer wants more from a business than honesty. Consumers are also far more likely to engage with a company whose beliefs align with their own. Understanding the core reasoning behind your business helps you become relatable, and you can’t put a value on that.

Your employees will buy into your brand the more they understand the driving forces behind it. If you’re eco-friendly, you should be highlighting it front and centre whilst also allowing your employees to immerse themselves in greener decisions in the workplace. Happy employees are productive ones, so make sure they understand your beliefs and feel involved in the company’s ethos.

As it grows, your business is like your child; you have to nurture and understand it in every way. If you have championed your brand values and made decisions based on them, it’s far easier to build something you’re proud of. You don’t want to be sat looking back on a decision you made, wishing that you had made a different one, stay true to yourself and your business.

Branding at Create8

At Create8, we live and breathe branding. Building unforgettable brands is what we do.

Whether you are looking to create something from scratch around the brand values of your business, or if you want to invest in a brand refresh, we’ve got it covered. The beauty of using us for your project is that you benefit from the skills of each member of our team. At Create8, every project we embark on is given the attention of our team so that you receive the most complete service and get the most bang for your buck.

Understanding your brand values!

Your brand values are the reasons you started your business journey and the driving force of why you’ve gotten this far. Before you begin to analyse what the brand values behind your business are, it’s essential to spend some time reflecting on yourself and removing any preconceived ideas of your business you or others may have.

Here are some processes that can help you to understand your brand values:

Analyse your favourites – When it comes to brand interaction, your favourite existing brands are the ones that resonate with you the most. Therefore, if you think about why those brands make you feel the way you do, take note of what they do and then cross-compare each of them. All of the running themes you discover are ones that your brand should recreate.

Opinions – Round up your team and get your heads around what makes you great. When you ask what makes you special, you should be able to gauge the most prominent answers from the data.

Why are you doing what you do? – One of the best ways to get your head around what makes up your brand values is to assess what you’re already doing. For example, if you pride yourself on being eco-friendly, then the environment matters to you; therefore, being environmentally conscious is one of your values.

Taking note

Once you have decided on the key values of your business, you should make notes before actioning them; those notes will form a branding document. Whilst putting together this document, you should think about building something replicable for any member of staff or agency you use.

Avoid semantics as much as possible and to include short, memorable and catchy phrases that can be worked into your marketing efforts. Whether it’s ‘sustainable’, ‘environmentally friendly’, or ‘NetZero’, think of all the eye-catching descriptions that sum up your business that will best resonate with your consumer.

Benefits of brand value

You’ve made it this far, so here’s where we share the much-loved benefits of understanding your brand values. The beauty of having an ethos and values is that it allows your business to reinforce its connection with your customers, meaning that deeper, more valuable relationships can be formed.

These sorts of relationships keep people coming back and encourage return custom to your business. For example, if you make the best burgers in the world but you serve them with a scowl, it’s likely that the consumer will remember the experience negatively and may not return.

Knowing your brand values also helps boost your employee engagement. Your staff are integral to your business in every way, especially when it comes to creating a memorable experience for your customers. If your employees know what your company stands for, they can implement that ethos into their day-to-day work. Meaning everyone wins, including you as the employer as your staff want to achieve on behalf of your brand as they feel engaged and valued.

Having a true understanding of the driving force behind your company helps to improve your brand authenticity and consistency. At every opportunity, your brand should be championing all the things that make it great. Doing so will help create an unwavering bond with your potential customer and make every brand touchpoint as memorable as the last.

Your brand values are what makes your business unique. They are the underlying factors behind all interaction and are primarily responsible for the character that your business is perceived to have. The great thing about brand values is that they are independent to you and they drive what lies deep in your stomach, meaning that your ambitions and those of the business will always align.

Think of it this way; you wouldn’t want your potential customers thinking that you didn’t stand for something. Soulless brands are often found out and fall out of favour with their clients incredibly quickly. You need to nurture your relationships and build meaningful connections with all those around you. Think of your favourite brands and then take note of how you feel about them, then take a moment… because some people you may never have met feel that way about your brand. It’s a great feeling, right?

If anything you have read in this blog interests you, or if you want to know how we could work together to create a mind-blowing brand package, visit our site today. Follow the link below and leave a message, or if you’re old-school, give us a call! We can’t wait to hear from you.

Take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:

• Finding Your Food and Drink Company Branding – Tips
• Brand Touchpoints
• What Are Brand Guidelines?

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