7 Ways to Implement Company Values Into Your Brand

Today, culture is about more than just a pingpong table in the breakroom. Bridging the gap between culture and your brand requires some work — but where do you start? You could hire a dedicated brand consultant or attempt to stitch the two together on your own.

If your company's values don't align with your brand, it could spell disaster. Today's customers are smarter than ever. It’s not difficult for them to get a peek behind the curtain to see what your company is really all about, so make sure that your company values are reinforced throughout your brand. 

First, let’s look at some different types of brands. 

Company Branding 101

Let's explore some of the more popular branding types and how they behave in their niche or target market. 

• Disruptive brands challenge the current status quo and attempt to break through with new concepts or tactics. They may come off as confident or even rebellious. 

• Service branding aims to offer unmatched customer care at every corner. They're humble, friendly, and may even come off as predictable. 

• Conscious brands look to attach themselves to environmental or social stances that impact their core demographic. They're extremely transparent and may look to inspire. 

• Value branding is all about offering products or services at a lower price point than their competition. They're often straightforward and practical regarding their value. 

• Innovative brands aim to stay ahead of the curve with new technologies or products that change the game. They take risks and value progressive thinking. 

• Luxury branding is all about bridging the gap between high-price and high-quality. They're refined, sophisticated, and may even come off as snobbish. 

• Performance brands thrive on longlasting products or services that customers can rely on. They're detail-oriented and informative, doubling down on their competence to create a better option.

• Experience-based branding focuses heavily on customer experience. Customers' voices are heard loud and clear here. They're imaginative and energetic about their customers.

• Style brands concentrate their efforts on how they're products look and feel, which plays a significant role in their culture. Creativity and exploration are at the heart of these brands. 

Connecting Brand and Core Values 

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome is fusing your brand's position with the culture you want to embody. Here’s an example: You can't state that your brand is innovative or disruptive if you discourage risk-taking at every turn. 

Let's explore some steps you can take to implement your company's values into your brand. 

1. Day-To-Day Management 

You can't just proclaim your brand as stylish or service-based and then go about your day. You have to use your core values every day. Whether it's using core value phraseology in everyday language or praising employees for their commitment to these values — it should be a foundational element of your company. 

2. Recruitment and Hiring 

One of the best ways to ensure your company's values stay strong within your brand is with your employees. When interviewing a potential fit, make sure they're beneficial to the workplace culture you're trying to cultivate. However, it's also about their willingness or flexibility to adopt values as well. So, ask them about how they've utilized some of your values in their everyday life, past work, or ideas they can bring to the table regarding your company. If you have staff who are unwilling to adopt your company values or are actively going against them, it may be time to look for a better fit. 

3. Orientation 

From the very start, you should be implementing company values into your work culture. Whether it's showing personal stories from employees, using value-lingo, or illustrating what your values mean to your brand through various orientation materials — it should be apparent from the get-go where your values lie. 

4. Praise Value-Based Employee Actions 

Social media has been a great tool for highlighting employees and helping your audience get to know your brand on a more human or personal level. If you're a conscious brand that focuses on environmentally friendly products or services, you have some opportunities — especially if your staff has the same values. Use your platform to boost stories about how Daisy from accounting spent her weekend cleaning up pollution in her neighborhood. While social media isn't the only way to show appreciation for employees who align with company values, it's a fantastic way to showcase a genuine connection to these values. Creating actionable social media strategies are a way to ensure employees play a role. 

5. Employee Recognition 

If you have employee rewards, you can name them after some of your core values. If you give out bonuses, you can make sure to connect the dots between the reward and the values that got them there. Sharing positive client feedback can also be a great way to show employees how their value-based actions affect the company as a whole while also giving them a nice pat on the back. 

6. Newsletter Love 

If you have a company newsletter, either external or internal, this can be a great place to showcase company values. Whether it's highlighting employees' actions, value-based verbiage, or an overall consistency with your company values — newsletters can be a fantastic platform to hammer it home. This can be done with email newsletters as well and gives you a lot more freedom and flexibility with showcasing company values. 

7. Quarterly Reinforcement 

Every fiscal quarter brings about reflection, new challenges, and goals. You can use this time to create quarterly themes that reflect your company's future objectives. If your brand is all about the customer experience, you can aim to craft goals based around reviews, testimonials, or even new streamlined methods for the customer journey. 

Company Values Matter

Ultimately, companies need to be transparent about their products and services while also showcasing their values. These are important for employee retention and workplace culture when done right. They're also important to your customers as they showcase an honest look at how your company operates. Utilize values throughout every step, offering a consistent approach to service or products. Your content will ring that much more authentic when you do.