Believe it or not, this piece isn’t anything to do with certain world leaders, or even elections of any kind – I promise a politics free zone. That said, I do believe that the ‘peoples vote’ is more important, and resonant than ever – and again, still a politics free zone.
A vote is a choice, and every day consumers have the choice, possibly too many – a choice of what to read, what to watch, where to shop, what to eat, what to drive, where to send their kids to school, coffee or tea? The list is endless for all of us.
Many consumers ’vote’ based on price – some ‘vote’ based on location, with no real loyalty beyond convenience and budgetary measures. We can’t forget those who make a choice based on customer service, quality and more pertinently, another V word – Values.
Do people really buy from companies based on their brand values? Aren’t those just fluffy messages pumped out via PR? Do people buy based on values they feel are aligned with their own, do they really care?
Yes, yes they do. If there is anything we can take away from consumer behaviour in the past 12 months it’s that they are voting with their feet.
Voting with their feet away from brands whose leader’s values they do not resonate with, or those whose actions have not befitted a world in pain as it navigates through one of the biggest crises we will see in our lifetimes. People want to give their money and time to companies that they like, identify with and trust.
Dramatic? Yes, but we also see this at a micro level right up to global entities and we feel, as marketeers ourselves that there really is nowhere to hide from your brand values, whether you state them publically or not.
The authenticity, empathy and care that shines through either messaging or customer service is driving loyalty from individuals and hitting the business bottom line.
As we’ve seen through the pandemic, it has shown the good as greater, and the bad for what they truly are. Nothing too new there, but now it is seen and it matters more.
Can you market via your brand or personal values? Is it possible to wave these values as a badge of honour and align with the consumer more effectively? We say yes, and we know it works.
People want to give their money and time to companies that they like, identify with and trust
It starts from the top
Governance plays a huge part in consumers aligning with a brand. With more leaders taking a ‘personal brand’ approach to business and ownership – this needs to align from the CEO down to the shop floor.
A badly placed message or quote from a leader can literally make or break a company. Make sure this resonates for your brand too. Think values, actions and beliefs.
Your buyer persona
If this is something you haven’t revisited for a while, now is the time to take stock and refresh. Incorporating these researched values into your buyer personas will serve you well.
You can start by taking stock of your social media followers and engagement. Who are these people? What do they like? What do they want?
Compliment – don’t change
A 360 about turn on your brands core values is both disingenuous and inauthentic and can be smelt a mile away. If your research means that you need to re-align, then do just that, but like anything, do not pretend to be something you are not, or never were.
Authentic marketing would see a re-introduction of your brand values, to match your customer’s needs, and for that they will be grateful.
Promote
Tell the customer about your brand values. Incorporate it into your messaging and marketing pillars. Re-train your staff to exude these values at every touch point. Humanise your brand via your content and messaging output.
One benefit to this is that your engagement will soar as well as the ‘know/like/trust’ factor we should all be working towards.
Profit
Is not the only thing to track. Incorporating culture and values into your marketing can lead to commercial success also, and longer term business benefits.
Short-term gains do not lead to longevity, and where is the profit is being seen out of the market by an agile competitor?
Everything you do in business has an impact. Good and bad. Value driven businesses lead to legacy businesses. You attract better staff, and more aligned customers. When your messaging shares this, everyone wins – from the top down.
Natasha Hatherall-Shawe is founder and CEO of TishTash Marketing
by Staff Writer
More of this topic
How values are playing a big role in the choice of consumers
If there is anything we can take away from consumer behaviour in the past 12 months it’s that they are voting with their feet, says Natasha Hatherall-Shawe
Natasha Hatherall-Shawe, founder and CEO of TishTash Marketing
Believe it or not, this piece isn’t anything to do with certain world leaders, or even elections of any kind – I promise a politics free zone. That said, I do believe that the ‘peoples vote’ is more important, and resonant than ever – and again, still a politics free zone.
A vote is a choice, and every day consumers have the choice, possibly too many – a choice of what to read, what to watch, where to shop, what to eat, what to drive, where to send their kids to school, coffee or tea? The list is endless for all of us.
Many consumers ’vote’ based on price – some ‘vote’ based on location, with no real loyalty beyond convenience and budgetary measures. We can’t forget those who make a choice based on customer service, quality and more pertinently, another V word – Values.
Do people really buy from companies based on their brand values? Aren’t those just fluffy messages pumped out via PR? Do people buy based on values they feel are aligned with their own, do they really care?
Yes, yes they do. If there is anything we can take away from consumer behaviour in the past 12 months it’s that they are voting with their feet.
Voting with their feet away from brands whose leader’s values they do not resonate with, or those whose actions have not befitted a world in pain as it navigates through one of the biggest crises we will see in our lifetimes. People want to give their money and time to companies that they like, identify with and trust.
Dramatic? Yes, but we also see this at a micro level right up to global entities and we feel, as marketeers ourselves that there really is nowhere to hide from your brand values, whether you state them publically or not.
The authenticity, empathy and care that shines through either messaging or customer service is driving loyalty from individuals and hitting the business bottom line.
As we’ve seen through the pandemic, it has shown the good as greater, and the bad for what they truly are. Nothing too new there, but now it is seen and it matters more.
Can you market via your brand or personal values? Is it possible to wave these values as a badge of honour and align with the consumer more effectively? We say yes, and we know it works.
It starts from the top
Governance plays a huge part in consumers aligning with a brand. With more leaders taking a ‘personal brand’ approach to business and ownership – this needs to align from the CEO down to the shop floor.
A badly placed message or quote from a leader can literally make or break a company. Make sure this resonates for your brand too. Think values, actions and beliefs.
Your buyer persona
If this is something you haven’t revisited for a while, now is the time to take stock and refresh. Incorporating these researched values into your buyer personas will serve you well.
You can start by taking stock of your social media followers and engagement. Who are these people? What do they like? What do they want?
Compliment – don’t change
A 360 about turn on your brands core values is both disingenuous and inauthentic and can be smelt a mile away. If your research means that you need to re-align, then do just that, but like anything, do not pretend to be something you are not, or never were.
Authentic marketing would see a re-introduction of your brand values, to match your customer’s needs, and for that they will be grateful.
Promote
Tell the customer about your brand values. Incorporate it into your messaging and marketing pillars. Re-train your staff to exude these values at every touch point. Humanise your brand via your content and messaging output.
One benefit to this is that your engagement will soar as well as the ‘know/like/trust’ factor we should all be working towards.
Profit
Is not the only thing to track. Incorporating culture and values into your marketing can lead to commercial success also, and longer term business benefits.
Short-term gains do not lead to longevity, and where is the profit is being seen out of the market by an agile competitor?
Everything you do in business has an impact. Good and bad. Value driven businesses lead to legacy businesses. You attract better staff, and more aligned customers. When your messaging shares this, everyone wins – from the top down.
Natasha Hatherall-Shawe is founder and CEO of TishTash Marketing
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