Ideas + Insights
September 26, 2017
Tess Robinson
I can safely say that my team would rather have their teeth ripped from their mouths with a rusty knife much sooner than they would allow me to sit them in grey cubicles wearing stiff corporate attire on crazy deadlines with a strict no-laughing policy.
Actually, I think they’d probably think I’d finally lost it entirely and ship me off to the funny farm.
The thing is, I’ve built this Smack Bang dream on a strong foundation of love, loyalty, and lols. Our brand reflects our values and our personality — a totally strategic decision that has been the top of my list and front of my mind since day one of opening this biz. I place a huge emphasis on using our branding to not only sing our song to customers, but also to our employees because I believe that what starts within, spreads throughout.
When a kick-ass brand gains alignment, both externally and internally, it’s like a campfire at one of those awkward personal development camps. It brings everyone together to unify and get on the same page to better understand one another and the greater vision they are working towards. By investing in your branding early on, you allow your people (both internally and externally) to fully understand the ins and outs of your business, the overarching vision and rally together to achieve the mission. By enabling everyone to ride the same wave from day dot, every person who connects with your company and its products will have the same understanding of who you are and what your business stands for.
Of course, ironing out your processes, fine-tuning your customer journey, pitching to those investors, purchasing that new software, negotiating a better deal with your suppliers and all those ‘elbow grease’ tasks are important. But unfortunately, they don’t set the tone for your employees or your customers. Elbow grease simply isn’t enough. Elbow grease doesn’t tug at the heartstrings, create a gut feeling or brand loyalty. Elbow grease is necessary, but it doesn’t rouse emotion or stir action.
Branding, on the other hand, does all of the above.
Strong internal branding is the magical key to growing brand superstars from within, keeping your best peeps on side, by keeping them in the loop of firstly, what your values are, and secondly, how to deliver excellent service to your external audience.
The talk among my 15 caffeine-high crazies is generally a younger, more jacked-up version of the cast of Friends at Central Perk. They are a young, energetic, change-minded bunch and they totally get what I set out to achieve. As a team, we’ve infused our company values into all aspects of our company culture, and as one delectably delicious result, my employees have become true representatives of the Smack Bang brand. And I can safely say that it is by far my greatest achievement.
The thing is, you can’t really think about your customers unless you also think about your people. Branding starts from the inside. Your team must understand: your values, your place in the world, and your ‘why’. They have to get what you stand for, who you stand with, and why you’re flipping standing for anything at all. This will then seamlessly be carried on to the audience.
Even the most creative business leaders I know recognise that success is not just about coming up with more flashy product enhancements, more eye-catching ads, more aggressive use of Insta Stories, or more dreamy-eyed models wearing your dreamy products. It is also, and perhaps more importantly, about giving a damn. Giving a damn about your customers, your employees, and about how the company conducts itself among many who are willing to settle for mediocre and not put their customers at the tippy-top.
So how do you go about setting the structures of your internal branding walls?
The goal is to give your employees the tools they need to live the brand. Make it clear and easy to digest. Comprendo? Here’s the 411:
Image Credit: Ice Cream Books
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