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How to Build Your Business from the Inside Out

June 24, 2019 By Suzanne Tulien

Internal BrandingMoving from a ‘push’ to a ‘pull’ strategy.

I read a white paper entitled Internal Branding; What is that exactly? By Allan Steinmetz, CEO of Inward Strategic Consulting, Inc. And felt compelled to add to his insights and hit on a couple of key overlooked areas of the process.

First, I’d like to begin by addressing one of his opening comments in the paper where he says “Everyone knows what a brand is, and everyone knows what advertising is.” Unfortunately, many companies are out of business because they don’t understand the differences between these two efforts. Yikes!

Knowing the difference is essential to aligning your internal brand building strategies with your external messaging and ultimately earning employee and customer trust by being able to walk your talk. All too often that effort is not happening with many small to mid-sized companies. And what’s even worse is many attempt the marketing/advertising function without even embarking on an internal brand development process. Skipping or overlooking the internal development piece can cause a lot of employee and customer confusion, indifferent customer experiences, unmet expectations, and the need for a lot more marketing dollars!

The other piece overlooked in the paper was the need for an actual brand definition process itself. Companies just can’t change the culture without knowing what to change it to. Sure, vision and mission statements are good, but they are limited in providing a robust range of detailed actionable elements. Without having a clearly defined brand foundation to springboard new ways of being, and having the support and backbone to back up the change, the efforts aren’t sustainable long-term.

So, what is internal branding? Our definition is this:

“Internal branding is the process of identifying, and defining, who you say you are as an organization (collectively), and then implementing (becoming) those attributes through your leadership, systems & processes, and employee culture.” – Brand Ascension Group

Why internal branding? Consider these statistics…

  • 85% of a company’s market value is now calculated on intangible assets, defined as knowledge, reputation and human talent.
    (Source: Brookings Institution)
  • 70% of customers’ brand perception is determined by experience with people. (Source: Ken Irons, Market
  • Higher than average levels of employee engagement also realized 27% higher profits, 50% higher sales, 50% higher customer loyalty levels and 38% above-average productivity. (Source: Gallup )

Small, medium or large businesses become more self-actualized through the process of internal brand development. It is transformational. It is clarifying. It is directional. It helps to create:

  • a strategic brand positioning blue print,
  • brings the blue print alive through tangible actions and behaviors that:
    • elevate the customer experience,
    • create clarity in the mind of the employee and the role they play in the success of the brand,
    • and solidify the brand value position in the mind of the customer and stakeholders, and
  • establishes meaningful, brand-relevant content for market messaging and promotion.

Internal branding is focused on the organization and it’s development, how it does what it does, how it is different in every way, and how it delivers consistently on its brand promise.

Marketing, on the other hand, is externally focused. It is primarily concerned with increasing the bottom-line, what it thinks the customer wants, and disseminating the message to all reasonable targeted audiences through multiple channels. Notice I didn’t say anything about the employees, the company processes, or building a memorable customer experience? Marketing doesn’t focus on the ‘doing’ of those things, but rather just the telling/selling of those things (consistent to the experience or not).

Here’s the dilemma. When it comes to business building activities, many companies spend most of their time focused on external marketing/advertising efforts (telling customers how good they or their product is) rather than on strategic, internal branding efforts (those efforts that help to keep the customers coming back and telling their friends.)

Now, internal brand building and external marketing efforts can co-exist and build a fabulous, synergistic friendship that builds business through a symbiotic relationship. Walking your talk.

“How do we start the internal branding process?”

  • Identify and define your top four core Values.
  • Identify and define your overall brand Style.
  • Establish key Standards of Performance that reflect your Values and Style attributes, then map out supportive actions needed to live up to those standards.
  • Brainstorm your authentic Differentiators (those quantitative differences that your competitors cannot claim) and market them, and train your people to leverage them.
  • Craft an inspirational, employee focused, brand mantra to capture the essence of the brand’s DNA
  • Compose a purposeful brand promise that cites what the brand promises to deliver day in and day out to all stakeholders
  • Now, get these elements into the hearts and minds of your employees, engage them, empower them to action it!

It is time to take a step back and ask, “Are we fully walking our talk, consistently?” “Do we really know who we are compared to our competitors?” “Are we the leader in our industry?” “Do we have high employee retention rates?”

Now, stop and consider what’s in your BRAND DNA?

Filed Under: brand building, Brand Culture, Brand Definition, Brand Strategy, Branded Customer Experience, Internal Branding, Living the Brand Tagged With: brand culture, Brand DNA, Brand Strategy, business branding, Internal Branding, livin the brand

Testimonials

“Suzanne is personable, precise in her communications, and extremely professional. Her concept and methodology of brand development is simple and powerful, and it’s already reaping great results! Her vast experience and impeccable integrity make her a powerful member of my business team. I highly recommend Suzanne to any business owner seeking greater impact and a bigger bottom line! Great Results, Expert, High Integrity!”
Chevy Chevallard, CEO, Conduct Your Life!
Tonya-round-BW-web“Building on a lot of prior soul-searching and “inside work,” the Personal Brand Presence DNA process has helped me to step into an image that is consistent with who I know myself to be. It helped me to articulate what it really means to walk my talk in a way that’s visible and tangible, not just to me but also to others, and I will forever be grateful for that.”
Tonya Henderson, Ph.D, Gly Solutions
VW-Round-BW“I’m more clear and consistent in my actions and communication across the board. I’m more mindful about what I do – and even more importantly, how I think – and have more clear direction of what actions to take next and why. Identifying, defining, and stepping into my authentic self was exactly what I was looking for and needing to kick-start my next level of success! Because I am “Uniquely Wise, Deliciously Inspired!” Thank you Suzanne!”
Veronica WirthOwner + Creative DirectorDesign BistroVermont
“For years, I have been the gerbil on the wheel, trying with all of my energy, to be all things to all people.  It is so liberating to focus on the strengths I bring to the table and not worry about who that will line up with.  I love what you said about how when you let go of those who don’t line up, it only opens the door for more of those who do.  I am totally seeing that happen in my life and especially in my business!  I shared this with my business coach and he said that you were rig… Read more
Lisa Gross, Sr. Mortgage Lender, Peoples National Bank
“When I first came into the Personal Brand Mastermind program, I felt like my business was in a good place (just landed my biggest client to date) and wasn’t sure if it was for me. After JUST Module 1, I realized how much MORE my business can be and everything I have missed or currently am missing. What a powerful program by Suzanne and the Brand Ascension Group! Can’t wait for Module 2! Check her out if you are looking to take your business to another level and find YOUR BRAND DNA!” … Read more
Nathan Darrington, CEO, ND Total Web Design

SarahRyals-Pic“Suzanne creates a wonderful experience to build an understanding of brand, especially for those who are new to brand basics. Her teaching modules are clear, well organized, thoughtfully explained, and she does a great job coaching teams through the work. The final outcome is an actionable foundation for delivering a consistent, meaningful brand experience for all the brand’s stakeholders.”

Sarah Ryals, Women's Resource Agency Board Member
  JanePeck“Suzanne has facilitated training in our organization to bring the branding basics to our team.  She is dynamic, entertaining and engages all the senses in her training methods.  If you are looking to elevate your brand and engage your team in the process, I highly recommend her.”
Jane Peck, MBAAdministratorEndodontic Specialists of ColoradoColorado Springs
“By participating in Suzanne’s Personal Brand Mastermind Group I revealed my true, distinctive brand attributes which has allowed me to actively live my true brand self. It has been a tremendous value for my networking and branding of my consulting practice. Her program was professionally crafted and delivered with personal support and guidance. I would recommend Brand Ascension’s programs for any person or organization looking to elevate their brand presence.”
Mark ShadlePresidentSpeed2ResultsColorado Springs
DeniseWhitaker-BW-Round“Taking the Personal Brand Presence course was like going through a re-birthing process for myself. It was truly enlightening to have that alone time with ME, and rediscover who I was. The course and consulting sessions were empowering, and added so much confidence to my state of being!”
Denise Whitaker, Realtor
“Suzanne is a fantastic brand expert who makes an immediate impact to the bottom line. Her efforts helped me successfully launch a small business venture (fitness gym: dynamic-gyms.com) into a very competitive market achieving break even revenue goals within three weeks of opening! Simply unheard of in this market segment. This would not have been possible without her direct efforts to help us succeed.”
Larry Solecki, CEO, Dynamic Training & Fitness Gyms

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