I was mentoring an intern today and he asked me to define culture within a brand and what that means to me. That was a great question and it sparked some thoughts for me. A great marketing strategy is one that integrates the culture of your business, philosophy and customers into your assets, branding and marketing channels. But what does that really mean? How can I as an Entrepreneur know what is needed for me to incorporate culture into my strategy? Here are a few tips that can help.
Let’s first start with what the word culture means. To different people the culture of your company and brand can mean many things. In the context of this blog, culture will mean how we as Entrepreneurs, interact and exchange communication with customers, the community, our peers and partners. A very integral part of what I just mentioned was this notion of exchanging communication. When we exchange communication, we not only talk but we listen. We hear the feedback of our consumers and we paraphrase their needs and wants by integrating acceptable pieces of their feedback into our business strategy. Part of the culture of your business is how you operate, how your clients receive your services, how you resolve conflict or disputes but also how you communicate to the world what your branding stands for and who you are as an organization. Part of your culture is your mission, vision, brand positioning and your voice.
So as an entrepreneur, how can you integrate culture into your marketing. Let’s start with photo and video. Giving your target audience an insight into how your product is produced, used by other clients and how it is beneficial to society is a great way to weave your culture into your marketing. There are so many avenues where you can use video today to share your culture story. Instagram and Facebook offer stories to share up to date relevant happenings in picture or video format to your fans, followers and the community. You can also integrate video into your website. Give your fans a tour of your office. Show them your product or service in use. Allow them to see how you interact with your teams, other customers, the community or business partners. That level of interaction all supports a cultural marketing strategy. As an aside, video is the highest performing media channel in terms of Impressions and engagement. It’s definitely something you want to take advantage of in your business.
In general, having a social media presence is a very strong indicator of culture. From your social media page your fans and customers can see the tone of your business. Is it serious, is it fun? How do your customers, staff, teams and partners perceive you? Captions and posts can also tell a lot about how your brand interacts and communicates with various constituents that have a stake in your success either as a consumer, employee or community interdependent.
Email and other print materials are a great way to show your business culture. Think about it. Your emails and print pieces will not only communicate in words your brand, marketing and sales strategy but the images, symbols and content that you use are a reflection of your brand. They express how you want to communicate and partner with your audiences. Print or email allow you to expand more. Part of your business culture includes the benefits of your products and services. So, remember to share those aspects. While Direct Mail can be a costly way to illustrate your culture, email is more affordable and easier to manage.
Another way to integrate culture into your marketing strategies is by offering opportunities for patients, staff and others to leave reviews about your products or services. This is where we integrate the listening component of exchanging communication. People can leave reviews on Facebook, Google or Yelp. You may even want to take snippets of those reviews and integrate them into your marketing materials like brochures, flyers, your website or even social media.
As a small business, can you participate in Events in the local area? Depending upon the type of business you have this is a good way to show your cultural presence in the community. Take the time to showcase your products and services at events and invite event participators to buy into your culture and potentially become a client of your brand. Remember to listen to their feedback and give them an email, phone number of ways to communicate with you post the event to ensure you create a culture of continuous connection.
Are you looking to create the aura of a winning culture in your marketing strategy? Don’t worry, we can help. Email us at [email protected] and let’s build something amazing together!
