This post first appeared in Anthony Bullick’s Daily Post column.
Many brands proudly display their vision, mission, and values on their website, yet it’s likely they have no impact on their key.
Whether an organisation has carried out comprehensive research including focus groups, or the managing director has simply cherry-picked words they think sound good, both scenarios mean nothing for either of the following reasons.
Firstly, if the company doesn’t act in line with the carefully crafted, or hastily assembled, statements, customers and employees will see through the façade, eroding trust.
Secondly, even if the business lives its values, failing to communicate its activity leads to large swathes of stakeholders making inaccurate assumptions.
The final result? The words have become vanity in a world where people are savvier than ever and make purchasing and employment decisions based on factors including a brand’s authenticity.
Involve your PR agency at the outset. They are the conscience of the organisation and can ensure the entire process to develop your vision et al takes the thoughts, considerations, and opinions of your stakeholders into account.
In addition, the PR team can challenge the C-suite to ensure the phrasing mirrors the business’ actual ethos and direction of travel.
Start with internal communications to roll out the approved messaging. The comms department will likely have been sharing updates throughout, so just a brief overview of the journey taken is required.
Tailor the roll out to your company’s workforce. For example, are you able to gather everyone for an in-person meeting? Can the topic be communicated via line managers? What considerations should be made for remote and field-based employees?
Within your strategic approach to external comms, take into account what information each stakeholder group would like.
For example, potential job candidates may wish to know the activity involved in arriving at the stated mission. Were focus groups representative? How did you ensure voices at all levels were heard?
In addition, customers may wish to know what you do to live by your values. If supporting staff development is one, are there examples on your social media of this? What about news articles on your site?
Think about different formats to capture as wide an audience as possible. Will news-style video interviews help convey certain messaging? What about visuals and infographics to display key data?
Critically, build relevant content into your plan to ensure a consistent and frequent touchpoint showcasing how your vision, mission, and values are embedded in your brand.