The summer of
2016 has already passed and now it is time for some serious work again.
Although to be honest, the work was there all the time, we were only a little
less outspoken about it than we usually are. But taking some distance gave me an interesting
‘summer-job’.
Every year
during the summer I take up some bigger background task within our firm. Because
new information and/or requests drop in at a considerably lower pace during the
July and August months so there is a little more time. Time to reflect and
review, refine or design the larger question marks in business life. This time
though it feels like I took on a complete summer-school. The topic? All about “branding
your brand”.
At the end
of 2015 we decided as a team to take 2016 to ‘sharpen our saw’ a little (to speak
with Covey). This meant for starters reviewing the activities we actually
perform on a daily basis in our services versus the activities we are known for
(I can recommend doing this because I think most firms will be surprised on the
differences, but more about that at a later time). After that we refined the
portfolio which we actually want to be performing and be known for. Now, finally,
it is time to design some updated clarity on the positioning we fill with our
brands in the marketplace to fulfil that
portfolio (LAKRAN Procurement Professionals / AGAIN by LAKRAN). All results
were interesting, but you will be updated on that from our company-blogs and
other communication in due time. This being my personal blog-spot (aiming for a
zoom into the entrepreneurs lessons of things and the driving forces behind our
brands) I thought it would be most interesting to share my most important
branding lesson.
There is
one topic that hangs with me as being still very undervalued in today’s
businesses: Archetypal Branding
Basically
this branding method handles about giving a recognizable personality to your
brand and let that be guiding in every marketing effort you do. But even more,
let that personality be the recognizable value that drives your colleagues
attitudes towards clients. That last one is of course very complex because they
are personalities themselves that ask for certain space to act and room to
grow. The challenge is combining the two, making sure that the people you
employ actually fit the brand personality by heart, let them grow together and
as such grow your brand.
This
alignment between workforce- and brand- personality can naturally be achieved
in more than one way, where selecting the right colleagues or selecting the
fitting brand type are the most theoretically logical ways. But the business
world is never as synthetic as that, allowing you to organize all these things
the theoretically correct way. So all efforts of branding your brand start with
internally branding your brand. This gives reasons, other than filing your
business plan with an investor or bank, to get your mission statement and
corporate values defined. Even more so, get them plastered on walls, discuss about
them every meeting not only to be defined, but to be lived by!
Build a culture and work on that 24/7. Only after
that, the commercial branding can start.
When I take these new insights (for me they are
new, not being a marketing specialist I worked my way through books, interviews
and all kinds of related information) and start analysing my competition and
every other brand I come across, it becomes clear that many of those are not
managed along these lines. Which I think is a shame, because much interesting
value drips away from within our marketplace because branding efforts go to waste
just after spending the money. I would love for some more competition that is
clearly positioned on this knowledge, because I think that sharpens positioning
for all of us, making the market place a more fun place to work for all.
Curious to your thoughts!
Doede van Haperen
ceo LAKRAN.
www.lakran.com
www.again.nl
www.ehiring.nl
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