Your brand’s core values are one of the most important, powerful, and versatile items of your brand. {Yep, read that again.}
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They are more than words on paper. ⁠
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They should be felt each and every day in your business, internally and externally.⁠
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And they make every element of running your brand easier. #seriously⁠
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“Ummm ok, but how and why?” I hear you say…⁠
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Like this…⁠

INTERNALLY:

They guide your internal actions, your decisions {especially when at a fork in the road}, your recruitment, your onboarding decisions, your product/offer development, your pricing, and how you run things day-to-day. They are the foundation on which you build your business, and your guiding compass when you need direction.⁠
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EXTERNALLY:

They make your brand human. They help people understand what it feels like to work with you. They draw in your ideal customer. They help with your marketing {creating pillars for things to talk about and share}. They show what you stand for. And what makes you different or unique compared to others in your industry.⁠

Now if you don’t have brand values – or you have some but you know they are just words on paper that don’t mean much – never fear!

I have you covered. Your brand values already exist. It’s just about you uncovering them. So pull up a rug, grab some pens, paper and your team (if you have one) and complete these steps to craft your own compelling brand values.

HOW TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND VALUES:

STEP 1: BRAINSTORM

On scraps of paper or post it notes write down this:

• All the things that are important to you as people in your company.
• All the things that you stand for as a brand, or that are your ‘non-negotiables’
• Then write down the things you want your customers to say about you.

Don’t be shy. Write as many as you can think of. That is the secret to this formula.

STEP 2: COMBINE THESE INTO THEMES

You will see some similarities in the words you have put up. There should be *lots* of them. Now let your organised brain take over and start to group them together by looking for ‘themes’.

As an example, things like “Our customer say we are a blast to work with” and “It’s important our customers feel like friends” and “we always have fun” could go in the one group.

Keep grouping these into their themes. Some themes you may want to look out for to group include:

• The way in which you interact with other people and customers
• The things that you believe in or stand for
• The way in which you produce or deliver work
• The ethics you have and stand by always
• The things that make you different from your competitors

 

STEP 3: TIME TO CHOOSE THE TOP4-5

Once you have your ‘themes’ of things, start to look at them and ask yourself which are the most important. Which are the ones that matter the absolute most. They are all important but you need to detemine the *most* important. A good number to aim for is to reduce this to the top 4-5 themes you could not live without.

This is because you need to live these strategies every day, as well as communicate them! So more than that can become overwhelming or watered down.

STEP 4: NAME YOUR VALUES

Once you have your top 4-5 themes, you now have your brand values (CONGRATS!!). These are the things that are most important to you as people, your customers, and you as a brand.

Now you need to name the themes. This is normally just a word or a few words to summarise what you stand for.

Using the example before where you grouped “Our customer say we are a blast to work with” and “It’s important our customers feel like friends” and and “we always have fun”, this value could be named something like:

• ALWAYS A BLAST
• NEVER A BORE
• WE FEEL LIKE FRIENDS
• RELATIONSHIPS
• FUN + FRIENDLINESS

It is up to you and your brand voice/person to choose what name you give your value. Keep it short and simple but add life to it if you can.

{Psssssst: want to see some examples from the ‘big players’ as to how they name their brand values? Check it out here: https://inside.6q.io/190-examples-of-company-values/}

STEP 5 : CREATE YOUR VALUE STATEMENTS.

Once you have your brand value names, and you know what they are made up of (all those post-it notes or micro-ideas), you can write a statement that explains the value to everyone!

To use the example above again, this could be…

WE FEEL LIKE FRIENDS.

At Brand Name, we value relationships and want to ensure that the time we spend with other people is enjoyable. It’s why we aim to make every interaction feel like one with a friend. We are professionals at what we do but we also love to laugh, to have meaningful (and sometimes hilarious) conversations, and really care about your outcomes and life.  

Another example could be this…

Let’s say you grouped “we always research before we work” and “we believe that all good outcomes start with consumer insights” this value could be named something like:

• THE POWER OF INSIGHTS
• RESEARCH = REWARD
• INSIGHT IS EVERYTHING
• INFORMED
• CONSUMER INSIGHTS

And then you could write it out like this: {NB: This is one of our values here at This is Co.}

INFORMED BY CONSUMER INSIGHTS

We are informed by the real truths about customers through consumer insights and in doing so, we do what we do *without* the guesswork.  We immerse ourselves in the data gathered on human behaviours, consumer drivers and perceptions to enable our community to deliver impactful messages that compel and drive audiences to action.

STEP 6: GIVE IT A DAY OR TWO.

Once you have your statements, let them sit for a day or two. Then come back to them and assess them critically asking the following questions:

• Are the meaningful and unique to us? (e.g. don’t just put ‘communication’ or ‘quality’. Stand out from the crowd)
• Are they easy for your team to remember?
• Are they actionable? This is SO important. Are these things that can be lived, seen and/or felt every day?
• Are they going to work long-term? A business is always growing. Ask yourself if your values can stay long-term. For example, if you are flexible now because you are in start-up stage, but in the long run your plan is to be structured, don’t make flexibility your value.

STEP 7: TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK

Now that you have your values, it’s time to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Like noted before, your brand’s core values are one of the most versatile and important parts of your brand.

You should be guided by them each and every day – internally and externally – in everything you do.

• They will make your business decisions easier.
• They will create a culture and a benchmark for your work.
• They will attract your ideal customers to you – the ones that share your same values.

So, these babies? They should *not* be filed away for later use or just thought of as something that sounds nice on your website.⁠
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They should be front of mind, and utilised to their full potential, always.⁠ So get them up. Get them out there. And reap the multiple rewards. 

WANT A HELPING HAND WITH YOUR BRAND VALUES {AND MORE}?

Here at This is Co. I {Carinda} help brands every single day master their content marketing – including their voice, vibe and values – so they can stand out online, get seen and loved and SELLING.

And if you want a hand in your business {suitable for a small biz budget who wants BIG support and BIG results}? Then head over and check out the Content Mastery Club; the mentorship + membership where I can support you to take your social media presence to the next level {in significantly less time each month}, but to get people off your platforms, into your business, and converting to loyal lovin’ customers.

Click the link HERE to find out more for more.