“If you’re not willing to accept the real pain values incur, don’t bother going to the trouble of formulating a values statement.” You’ll be better off without one. One should understand the importance of core values in business.

Core values can set a company apart from the competition by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for employees. But coming up with strong values—and sticking to them—requires real guts.

So what are core values? They are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization that differentiate between right and wrong. They help companies determine if they are on the right path and fulfill their goals by creating an unwavering guide and forming the foundation on which they perform work and conduct themselves.

We have an entire universe of values, some of them so important to us that despite the ever-changing environment around us, they remain still and relevant and are values we will abide by.

Company core values are constant. They are not working methodologies we employ to accomplish our mission but instead, values that underlie our work, interact with people (employees and customers), and strategies employed to achieve the goal.

The company’s core values are the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do. They are essential behaviors that form your organization’s backbone and behavior that you want to be held accountable to.

At Monarch Web World, we follow 5 core values

Purpose

Passion

Commitment

Integrity

& Persistence.

We strongly believe in – “Focus on the user, and all else will follow.” We look for these behaviors when we hire, how we work, in our interactions with clients, and how we engage the world.

This brings us to marketing.

Importance of incorporating core values in your business marketing strategy

No Core Values = Ineffective Marketing

Core values are the nucleus of effective marketing. In the absence of undefined core values, it becomes almost impossible to form effective strategies and market them. Ultimately, marketing core values are critical to creating a long-lasting, successful, and motivating campaign.

By marketing from your core values, the connections you create will last longer because they aren’t based on just money and shared values. This extra layer of connection will help people remember to buy from you instead of others.

Your company core’s values tell customers that you stand for something, and they would want to support positive values and are likely to spread the word about these values you adhere to, which in turn will help the business grow.

Core values are important in an organization as they help give the company employees a clearer vision about the company and their roles and expected behavior to treat customers. Managers could also design their training programs around these fundamental values, which are an additional benefit that comes with using your core values in your marketing. 

Core company values shape your culture & inspire your employees

Core values are important in the workplace. They ensure that employees at all levels in the company understand and share the organization’s goal and see the bigger picture, and direct and synergize their efforts towards attaining a common goal.

The purpose or a reason for doing a particular task is very crucial and critical for employee satisfaction.

According to the 2020 Workforce Purpose Index, by LinkedIn, 73% of people were satisfied in their jobs, compared with 64% who were not purpose-oriented.

 Purpose, apart from improving employee satisfaction, translates into growth and profitability.

The survey also found 58% of companies clearly articulated and understood. Purpose experienced growth of +10%, compared to just 42% of companies that don’t prioritize purpose. Core values are crucial in creating a long-lasting, rewarding, and inspiring place to work.

What are your brand’s core values?

We have observed that the management often overlooks the importance of core values in a business, which are the building blocks of any organization.

They are behaviors that hold everyone accountable. They should drive every aspect of your business and provide meaning to your efforts and explain what a prospective customer should experience and expect when engaging with your brand.

We will continue to see a shift in how businesses utilize their values to drive their digital marketing strategy. Here’s how. 

Create consistency

Consistency sets a standard and enables your customers to expect a certain predefined quality in terms of product or service when they engage in business with you.

Consistency should be seen in terms of how various marketing and branding arms combine to create similar feelings across various media and not as frequently as most new marketers do.

The aim is to create an image in your prospective customer’s mind that whenever they encounter your brand, they recognize it instantly, even if your logo isn’t present.

Discuss your values and mission

Explain to your employees and community that core values are the fulcrum of your business, forming the basis of your actions. It is paramount that we explain to society and prospective customers about these values by bringing them to the forefront to build trust.

Align your tone of voice with your values

Your marketing message should be consistent in terms of the tone it is using to convey the message to your prospective customers, as it represents your brand’s personality and your company’s values to them.

Care should be taken to keep the likes and dislikes, the values, and the things that drive the people that make up your brand as the topmost priority because they are the most important to you.

Your company website, blogs, online videos, and social media content speak and convey the tone you want to share with people. Your office culture and how your employees talk about your company is an equally important factor as the ones mentioned earlier.

So, the tone that you use reflects your values to your ideal customers. Hence your marketing campaign should be carefully drafted and should be built based on in-depth research and should incorporate a few key phrases you can bind the company’s marketing efforts together.

Rethink how you respond: Though it may seem small, this is one of the crispest and potent ways to incorporate the core values into the digital marketing strategy.

Rather than being reactive to online reviews, one should be proactive while handling them. It requires a careful approach and a well-planned plan regarding how you reply to both positive and negative online reviews.

Let’s say your core values include community and passion. How do you convey that building a community of people who engage with your business online is a priority when it comes to responding to social media comments?

While responding to a negative online review, your reply should be very carefully drafted. The language and tone of your response should not be confronted, but be drafted so that it initiates further conversation to rectify the issues offline.

Your response, in many ways, is a reflection of your core values.

Showcase real people living your values

There is no better way than your clients/customers endorsing and testifying your core values. Online video is currently one of the highest drivers of digital marketing engagement. It can be used to create content designed to showcase the personalities of the people who personify your brand values.

Many other tools like Facebook Live discussions, product demonstrations, and tutorials can also help in this regard.

Your company core’s values enable you to navigate and guide you to make decisions in your life. If you compromise on these, you go nowhere. If you have these rights, most of the other things take care of themselves.

Make no mistake

Living by stated corporate values is difficult. After all, it is much harder to be clear and unapologetic for what you stand for than to cave into politically correct pressures. And for organizations trying to repair the damage caused by bad values programs, the work is even more challenging. But if you are willing to devote your time and energy to creating an authentic values statement, there is a good chance that the resulting values will stand your company out in the best possible way.

Read more: Marketing Funnel: How does it work during the Covid-19 situation?