Branding is about people. And it's with your people that your brand really builds long-term value.
Your employees are taking your brand wherever they spend their time outside the office. Whether you like it or not, a single negative experience can cause you to lose your most loyal customers. If not handled with empathy and care, it can have a lasting impact on your brand’s reputation.
Four Practice Takeaways to Protect Brand Reputation:
- Get and maintain strong buy-in across a broad spectrum of employees. Not just the investors or key executive stakeholders.
- Confirm whether your people identify with and understand the actions tied to your brand's value system. Does your brand even have a value system? If so, does each value have defined behaviors?
- Put upholding your brand values at the top of everything else in the company: do this by forming a Brand Committee to defend the brand's values, essence and promise. Allow that committee to institute a rewards system for the best brand ambassadors. And follow-through with publicly awarding each one on a regular basis.
- Conduct routine workshops and training on your Brand Strategy. Ensure your people are well versed in how to leverage the power of your Brand Strategy, Message House, and Usage Guidelines.
By maintaining strong Brand Values, you’ll have happy employees and loyal customers, which ensures longtime success and a highly valuable business.
