It amazes me time and time again why Marketing and Human Resources are not tied at the hip in most organizations. We, as marketers, can create the most amazing strategies filled with videos, websites, brochures, promotional marketing and other pieces of Tangible Evidence, but if we do not have buy in from those within the company, it is all for naught.
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A brand MUST be a living thing! It must radiate from within those within the company, from the CEO to the paid intern and everyone in between. In short, company culture must believe in and live the brand.
An example is customer service. If marketing says that we as a company believe in superior customer service and when you phone in you are ignored and the person you are dealing with is not empowered to make a change to help the client, then your company is not living the brand.
If your delivery drivers just drop off the materials at reception and do not ask if they can help your customer store them properly, then your company is not living the brand.
If sales and marketing goals are not in alignment, then you are not living your brand.
If the CEO says that the company is a family and does not know your name after a year of being there and having multiple interactions, then your company is not living the brand.
Your brand has to be consistent no matter the touch point and those within your organization are touch points. Every single person reflects either positively or negatively on who you are as a company and what you believe in.
This makes hiring, training and on-going communication of goals and values so much more important as an organization grows.
Take the time to look at your brand from a personnel point of view. Do they understand the brand? Are you communicating its value? Is it something they can believe in?