It’s critical for everyone to understand your brand strategy and brand system, which is where brand education programs come in. But what happens after the training? How do you keep the enthusiasm alive and the learnings actionable?
Here are five suggestions:
Reward successes. Are there people in your organization who took to heart the brand education program? Are they embracing the brand strategy with all their might and seeing great success? Reward them! Prizes, profiles, gifts: whatever works in your corporate culture.
Create brand champions. Some organizations call them brand ambassadors, some champions, but the result is the same: people within the organization whom you have deputized as brand experts. They will need a bit more training and tools to do their jobs, but having them in the field helps ensure access to answers. It reinforces the idea that the brand belongs to everyone, not just marketing.
Show them the data. As your brand and business grow, provide regular updates on how consistent brand execution is paying off. Conversion and bounce rates, customer and employee opinion polls, website metrics, and social engagement are all useful data points to make a case for the brand.
Share the spotlight. Even if you are responsible for the brand, share the credit for its success with everyone in the organization. Be certain to share the spotlight with the brand education program too!
Banish the brand police. Always put the focus on building the brand, not on adhering to brand guidelines. Instead of saying that something is off-brand, talk about the opportunities to make it a more powerful brand building tool!
Need some help getting started? Let us know. We can help.
— Douglas Spencer
