By Martha Bartlett-Piland, MB Piland Advertising + Marketing
The starlet (insert name) was stunningly beautiful—until she opened her mouth and became a devastating disappointment to her fans. Her foot will be removed from her mouth with the help of a good PR agent.
Branders: it’s harder for you. You have numerous people who can make your brand look dazzling—or like Hollywood’s biggest trainwreck.
If your people are all pointing in the same direction, with a unified vision and purpose to serve customers, your job is easier. But are they unified? Do they know who all the customers are?
Besides the textbook definition of customers, you and your employees have others:
their peers Is there a culture of mutual respect and appreciation? Do they treat peers like internal customers or underlings?
suppliers andn prospective suppliers Do employees send out bid requests then treat the hopefuls with courtesy and commitment to promises—or do they simply treat bidders like lackeys? Worse, do they just ignore bidders completely once the bids are received?
prospective employees Are interviews held on time, with decisions made when promised? Or do the hopefuls get strung along at your mercy?
find out now Your employees have the power to damage or build your brand from every interaction with others. If your purpose and passion are infused all throughout your internal culture, you’ll easily create ambassadors. You'll have brand-aligned touchpoints all throughout your organization... and exponentially extend your marketing efforts.
Be sure you’re investing in your brand from the inside out.
Don’t let employees taint your brand. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous the shoe: if it’s in your mouth, you have a very difficult challenge extricating it.
Martha Bartlett Piland
MB Piland Advertising + Marketing
approach While most agencies focus primarily on a brand's outward effects, we start with the inside. A brand that's well understood and executed internally is exponentially more effective. It attracts and retains the best talent—and is more profitable. It's head and shoulders above its competitors because everyone in the organization is living and breathing the brand. They're "drinking the Kool-Aid," not just putting on a name badge and going to work.
thinking NO SILOS. We firmly believe HR, marketing, operations and sales must be in step and working together. We look at processes, sales channels and the referral base. Who are the fans? The detractors? What do they need? We analyze all internal touch points of a brand—and make sure they're aligned with the external. The result is a powerful, enviable internal culture because the brand essence permeates every touchpoint.
model We EXPERT SOURCE. Our team leaders strategically use open source, world-class creative talent: the best and the brightest for every client every time. We aren't limited by a staff with a finite skill set. We're nimble, flexible and scalable.
clients Our clients improve the health of individuals or communities. Many are rapidly growing companies. They're entrepreneurial thinkers who have mission and purpose.
- See more at: http://mbpiland.com/our-thinking/brand-alignment/228-3-kinds-of-hoarding-that-smother-your-brand#sthash.m6sb4LzA.dpuf