The value of VALUES…

“It costs nothing to be kind.”

It’s never been more obvious, than in 2020, how important it is for a brand to have VALUES. A business with values is able to grow customer loyalty into longer term BRAND loyalty, no matter what they’re selling. Is there really a difference between customer loyalty and brand loyalty? You bet! Customer loyalty is built based on price/product/offering – basically, they are selling what you want at a price you are willing to pay for it. But brand loyalty evokes emotion, a feeling, trust, a sense of belonging to a community that resonates with you and you can relate to them.

Have a think about what you’ve spent your money on the last year…..from big things like buying a car, a new phone or choosing a healthcare provider - to those everyday decisions of your preferred brand of coffee, the news outlet you hit up each day or where you go to exercise? What motivated you to choose them in the first place?

For example….. I buy my skincare products from an online store that has the brands I like at prices I can afford that delivers them to my house quickly. I’m a loyal customer but I have no attachment to that retailer at all. So if I saw somewhere else that was advertising those same products at a better price, there is a large chance I’d probably give another retailer a go. On the flipside, I bought some kids t-shirts during summer for a Christmas gift from a #ladystartup small biz Confetti Rebels, a brand that I know is doing good things with their profits to help disadvantaged women in Australia. It certainly wasn’t the cheapest option (there are loooots of cool T-shirts out there for kids these days) but giving to others is one of their core values which resonated with me, especially given the time of year. I went to this brand because of what it stands for and because it made me feel good that in some small way, my purchase was helping another mother at Christmas time.

So when competition increases or say, a pandemic throws the world into a spin and forces us all to think a little differently about who/what/why we are spending our money in the way that we do, consumers will move forward with a business whose BRAND VALUES align with their own personal values. So having clear brand VALUES really is a valuable piece to your brand puzzle.

So, I encourage you, as a small business owner to share your brand values with your community and your audience. What do you stand for and why? It shouldn’t be a secret. Values matter. So shout it from the rooftops because it just might be the reason a future consumer chooses your business to engage with, over another.

And by the way, our brand values at The Brand Dance are really clear and one of the first thing you’ll see on our website – Kindess is cool, Quality counts, Community is key. You can read more about them here.

Until next time, have a happy day,

Michelle x

P.S Be sure to reach out if you need help with identifying your brand values, you can get in touch with me at michelle@thebranddance.com