Being distinctive seems like a big challenge when there is so much choice for the consumer. Yet a select number of organisations manage to stand out from the crowd. I am thinking of Triodos Bank, Coolblue and Knab, among others. Why? They convey a clear vision and focus. But how do you ensure that your organisation is distinctive? What makes your organisation special and where do you want to go?
Organizations that succeed convey a clear vision and focus. One puts sustainability and people central in campaigns such as ' How to become filthy rich? ', another does everything for a smile by constantly surprising with even faster service and commercials in which employees and humor predominate, and yet another puts personal service central with an accessible director and video messages from webcare employees .
In the book 'Het MerkMenu' the author Paul Kruijssen helps small and large organizations in the search for their corporate story and the dissemination thereof. With the employee as the central brand carrier and the connecting factor with your customers. "A team can make the difference if it has its own culture with a clear vision and focus, the dot on the horizon as a common goal" states Paul Kruijssen, author of ' Het MerkMenu ' (aff.).
Working on your brand
In his book, the author discusses the chile telegram number list method he developed with which organizations can put themselves on the map. The method consists of 11 steps that are divided into four phases, the disk of 4:
Research: does your identity match your image? What are you good at and what do you stand for? In addition, you research what customers and employees think about you.
Develop: get a clear picture of the why of your organization and set a point on the horizon. Based on that, you develop a creative concept as a starting point for your internal and external communication.
Implementation: structure your communication, put together the communication tools and put your employees at the centre of it.
Monitor: measure in between and afterwards on brand items to know where you stand. Evaluate and adjust completes the circle.
The book provides useful tools for all steps to get started yourself. For example, sample interviews, checklists, but also practical assignments to give direction to your brainstorm or workshop. In addition, the author shares inspiring examples that help you use the method within your organization, to really put the organization on the map together with your employees.
BrandMenu
Disc 1. Soul searching – exploring who you are and how you come across
Before you can build a strong brand, it is essential to know what the identity of the organization is. In the first steps, according to the book, you must search for your distinctive value.
To be special, you have to choose or know who you are (and what you are not), what you want to radiate and how you want to do that.
The methodology opts for a thorough, broad investigation in which management, employees and customers are intensively involved. Using assignments, you will search for the core values, the values from which you operate as an organization, your core qualities and the qualities that you possess. To dig even deeper, you interview management, customers and employees. Interviews give you the space to really listen to people and at the same time create the space to turn your employees into brand owners. After all, your people make the brand. That is not necessarily a new approach, but for many organizations it does require a cultural change. By paying attention to your people, you will learn more about what keeps them busy and therefore what you can excel in as an entire organization.