Research is an amazing thing, not just because it provides us with facts, but because it often reveals the truth about facts. I hear stories often about companies performing research, and leadership being surprised at the results.
One business, for example, discovered that their customers thought of them as conservative, rigid and intimidating. Leadership was stunned. They were nice people, and their team was filled with nice people. They were not trying to be intimidating at all. It wasn’t in their culture. But customers didn’t know that because their image from the outside looked different than from the inside. When they heard that their prospects consider their competitors more accessible, it was almost too much to bear. They immediately started measures to change their corporate image.
If you aren’t telling the world about your company culture, you are counting on your employees (and ex-employees) to do it for you. You are relying on third party entities like the press or government officials to tell your story.
Messaging about your culture is too important to leave up to others.
You’ve worked hard to build a culture to be proud of, one that people want to be a part of. Now spread the word on your terms. Controlling that narrative isn’t as hard as it sounds. It’s all about purposefully crafted communication. When you buy radio commercials for your big hiring campaign, do you leave it up to the radio DJ to write to script? Are you taking advantage of social media like LinkedIn or YouTube to celebrate your culture? Does your on-boarding process show that culture to new employees? How often are you updating your website with news and events?
When you take the time to ensure that your messaging is consistent and on point, your overall brand benefits tremendously. People outside of your company think of you in a positive way because they have heard about the positive things you do.
In short, challenges with your culture might actually be challenges related to your messaging. Put work into both aspects of your business and success will surely follow.
About The Author
Greg “Hal” Halliday is Anchor’s managing partner and also serves as an account manager, putting 25 years of sales and marketing experience to work for Anchor’s clients. Originally from a small town in southeast Minnesota, Hal is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth with a degree in business and an emphasis in marketing. He also serves as the president of the Highway 2 West Manufacturer’s Association.