It’s easy to underestimate the power of values when it comes to building a powerful brand.

I believe this is because there are two different types of value.

The value of that which we can measure and that which we can’t.

Brand values are part of brand affinity. They are the thing that keep people coming back to our brand time and time again.

Brand values are anchored in feeling. The feelings we create for our customers. The experiences we give them that fit within their view of the world.

And feelings are always hard to measure.

But it’s these difficult to measure things that are central to the story we create within our brands.

Your brand values are what you believe. What your brand stands for. What defines it.

Let’s explore why brand values are so important, and how you can help your customers choose you by getting clear on what your brand values are.

Love is something we cannot measure with numbers.

Love is not quantifiable. It’s something we feel.

And the same feeling can apply to brands.

Think about a brand that you love… one of mine is Apple. Yep – I have 100% drunk the Koolaid.

Why do you love this brand? For me, I love Apple because the products are intuitive and well designed. They tend to be creative, artistic, and are at the forefront of innovation. And their customer support is pretty great.

But how do I quantify this to myself? How did I decide that they were innovative? How did I decide that they had the best design? How did I decide that they were a creative brand?

It’s because these are things that Apple values. They use these things they value to influence the decisions they make about the products they create and the customer service they provide.

Through these difficult to quantify brand communications, I was able to identify that Apple values things that I value too. That’s how I chose Apple. That’s how you choose brands that you identify with – even if you don’t realise you’re doing it.

When you’re clear on your Brand Values, you help your customers choose you.

This is because shared values are the key to building brand loyalty.

In a 2012 Harvard Business Review study, 64% of consumers who said they have strong brand loyalty to a company cited shared values as the primary reason.

The PRIMARY reason. Shared values are the PRIMARY reason for brand loyalty.

In addition to building brand loyalty, being able to clearly communicate and act on your values will also help you:

Set an expectation and benchmark to live up to
Find the right customers
Work with the right suppliers
Make good marketing choices quickly
Make good business decisions
Create products your customers actually want
Build culture

How to Work Out Your Brand Values

Think you know what your brand values are? Then this exercise will help you make sure they’re the right values. Values that can be shared by your ideal customer.

Don’t know yet what your brand values are? You know more than you think, and this exercise will help you get the awesomeness in your brain out onto paper so you can take action to turn your values into a valuable brand asset.

Brand Values Activity 1
What do your customers value?

The first thing you need to think about is your customer.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know I keep coming back to this point. The more you know about your customer, the better position you’ll be in to create a brand they love.

To help you get into the heart and mind of who they are so you can align your brand values with things they values, I want you to write down the keywords or phrases that answer the following questions –

When you receive feedback from your clients, what do they say was the best thing about working with you?

What do your clients love most about your product or service?

What are the things that help you to win your clients?

What do your clients value about your product or service that keeps them coming back again and again?

What words do your customers use when talking about you in testimonials?

As you’re thinking about this, I’d like you to think about clients that weren’t happy with your product or service. Why do you think this might be?

I suspect that in many cases it was because of a misalignment of values. This often happens when people think they didn’t get what they paid for.

This is an example of why knowing what our brand is, means we can also be clear what our brand isn’t. If you can know who you aren’t for, you can choose to strategically focus your attention away from them, and instead focus on the people that matter.

Brand Values Activity 2
If your brand was a person…

The next activity on the road to clarifying your brand values is to think about your brand as though it were a person.

I want you to write as though you’re describing your brand to somebody you know.

If you ARE your brand (that is, you’re building a personal brand), you might find this activity a little easier.

Start with your brand name. Then write in a narrative way as you describe the personality of your brand.

Here’s an example…

Heart Content always has creative and insightful solutions to my problems. They are great at seeing the bigger picture, noticing things that haven’t been noticed, and then pushing me forward to take action on the things they know will help me make a difference in my life.

They are happy, positive and practical. It’s fun to be in their world. They’re generous with their time and I always learn something new.

They want me to succeed in my business and lift others up with the things that I do.

Do you notice some possible values in there? Creativity? Generosity?

When we write in this way, it brings out other things we haven’t thought of before. It bypasses our need to dot point everything, and taps more into the feelings.

How do you want your brand to make people feel?

Remember – this doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s an exercise to help you find your brand values. Just give it a try.

Brand Values Activity 2
What do YOU value?

The next activity is about looking for things that YOU value. What are the things you’re not willing to compromise on within your business?

It’s time to make a list of these things in two columns.

In the first column write the value. In the second column, write why this is important to you.

Perhaps you value fun or maybe you’re a little more serious?

Maybe you like to take a few risks and stay on the cutting edge?

Maybe you like to play it a little safer?

What about compassion? Quirkiness? Accessibility? Family?

A great way to approach this activity is to think about the things you look for in others or in the brands you love to use. Why do you love to use them? Could it be that you have shared values?

If you work with a team, you’ll want to involve them in this process. What does the team who steers your brand, see as its core values?

Identifying Your Brand Values

Once you’ve worked your way through each of these activities, it’s time to use the work you’ve put in to uncover your brand values.

Take the three activities. What stands out to you the most across each of the worksheets?

Grab a highlighter and look for things came up in all three worksheets – were there things that you, your clients and your brand have in common?

Are there words that come up over and over again?

Are there different ways of expressing a similar concept? If so, which one sits most comfortably with your brand?

Once you’ve narrowed it down, write each of your values on a new piece of paper.

Then, outline how you demonstrate this value and why it’s important to you.

Here’s some examples…

Brand Value Examples

COLLABORATION

Great things happen when great people work together. We have long term, ongoing relationships with the best professional trades in the business and we collaborate with you and them to deliver the renovation result you deserve.

CUTTING-EDGE CREATIVE

True customer engagement starts with a truly great idea and truly great ideas are often risky. Our creative sits on the cutting edge - pushing boundaries, making waves delivering results.

ACCESSIBILITY

Yoga in our studio is accessible to everyone. Beginners or advanced, for fitness or relaxation. We warmly welcome feedback so we can consistently live up to our values.

RELIABILITY

We know how important it is for stuff to just work. We’re committed to ensuring the reliability of our team, of our software and of our support. You can count on us.

COURAGE

It takes courage to ask for help. It takes courage to ask the question that needs to be asked or have the conversation that needs to be had. I’ll be challenging and courageous in the way I work and I’ll help you find the courage to get to where you need to be.

Tips on Making Your Brand Values Work for You

Keep the value description short and sweet
It needs to be memorable. If it’s too long, it won’t be.
Choose a Maximum of 5 Brand Values
Aim for between 3 and 5, but no more than 5 if you can. Remember we want these to be memorable and shareable. If you have too many, they become too hard to act on.
Make sure they’re all expressed as an action or outcome
Say “Collaboration” not “Collaborate”. Say “Reliability” not “Reliable”. Say “Innovation” not “Innovate”.
Use Your Values Actively in Your Day-to-Day
Brand Values are more valuable if you take action on them. How are you going to take action to demonstrate that you can live up to you brand values?

If you’d like ideas on how to take action on your brand values, you’ll find those here.

Alignment of Values leads to Alignment of Brand

Brand Values are a key part of using Brand Story as a strategy in your business.

They help guide your decision making, and show your tribe that they’re in the right place, with a brand that thinks and feels the same way they do.

But it’s not enough to simply hang your values on the wall (on put them on your website). The step that is often overlooked is taking ACTION on your values.

How are you doing that in your business? What more could you be doing to live up to your values?

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