When we talk about culture, we are referring to values, beliefs, behavior and attitude. The combination of these sets of standards translates into how internal (employees) and external customers feel and communicate about your brand. This culture impacts all levels of communication, brand identity, and brand championship.
In financial uncertainty, these are the little things that make a big impact in your business.
Having a culture that is identifiable, communicated on all levels of the organization, and constantly evaluated to improve upon creates a team and partnerships that are tied to that culture. It deepens the relationship with your audience.
At the end of the day, people want to be by your side when their systems of values, beliefs and attitude align with the culture.
The 4 C’s – Love Your Customers
When we talk about Marketing Strategy, we talk about knowing and loving your customer, which breaks down into the 4 C’s of understanding how to love your customer, and that involves a deep dive into:
- Customer
- Company
- Competition
- Channel Mix
The Company part of the 4 C’s is a dive into the core values, brand identity, the why (story), and the core messaging. Your Culture.
Build A Foundation – Define Core Values
If you haven’t identified your core values, this is where you are missing out on an opportunity to define your culture. Defining this value system is often driven by your why, the story of your identity and what drives you as a business owner or steward of a company.
It is your foundation, and without it, the business will fly by losing valuable employees, opportunities and customers.
This impacts your business exponentially during periods of recession and financial insecurity.
Values, when aligned and integrated into the business’s organization, allow every person that is connected to experience those values and connect with them on intimate levels.
Your culture is directly connected to your business’s success. It impacts your revenue and profits, your ability to attract top talent and retain that talent. It influences your team’s level of productivity, leadership engagement and creativity.
This commitment and dedication from your team in connecting to and communicating your culture extends to your customers exponentially. They will feel the love and connection to these values from everyone they work with in the organization. When there are problems, they will be handled with more care and a better outcome from the source of a solidified company culture.
It carries so much weight in the space of growth, it can’t be ignored. If you haven’t identified and defined your culture, this is your first step in understanding your Marketing Strategy.
If you don’t know what your culture is, how can you hire new talent that is a strong culture fit? At Webfor, that is one of the defining factors, along with skills and experience, that we look at when hiring across any department in our organization.
This applies to working with new clients too. When we are evaluating and bidding on a new opportunity, one of the areas we explore relates to whether this client is a good culture fit. The reason is, this alignment relates to the success and longevity of this partnership opportunity.
Growing Your Company and Brand Culture
You need to be open to suggestions and updates to your defined culture. Offering transparent feedback from the internal and external customers currently connected to your organization allows a business to be growing and expanding its understanding from the people who are already a champion of your brand. Listening to them fosters growth and a deeper, long term relationship.
Recognition and acknowledgement of alignment with the company’s culture is a way to reward and reinforce the importance of the culture in the first place. Recognizing contributions, rewarding teamwork and collaboration as it ties to your company culture is critical to success and deepening everyone’s connection to the culture you have defined and desire to deepen.
Nothing is perfect, and everything is changing and growing, as should your business’s culture (and marketing strategy). Visiting your defined values, beliefs and attitude at least once a year (or more) is key to staying relevant and capitalizing on the growth creating a company culture provided in the first place.
The Webfor Culture
At Webfor, we:
- are nerds who found their niche.
- give back to our community and partners through volunteering.
- are dedicated to inclusion.
- stand and deliver. No fuss, no excuses – just results.
Our Purpose is to help people succeed by understanding how their goals align with organizational objectives and utilizing our passion, people and processes to develop and implement creative solutions to reach those goals.
Our Vision is inspiring people and brands to grow, while creating positive ripple effects in our communities.
Our Values are:
- Gratitude
- Innovation
- Fun
- Transparency
- Knowledge
- Empathy
- Dedication
This is our current defined culture. We challenge ourselves to live up to these goals everyday, we reward and encourage each other to be stewards of this defined culture.
We identify when we are missing opportunities to be better and we course correct. We take input, anonymously and directly, from every member of our team to identify areas where we can better align with this defined culture and improve.
Webfor Marketing Strategy Services Help You Grow Your Business
If you haven’t identified and documented your current company culture, this is designed to inspire you to get going. If you are interested in growth as a business, having a marketing strategy is key to growth and development of your company’s culture is a great place to start.
Webfor offers a full range of Marketing Strategy development services, contact us if you are interested in aligning with a partner that is experienced and excited to grow your revenue and build your brand champions.