100 Reasons Why Businesses Fail: #6 You are not following your brand ideals

A brand ideal is a higher-order purpose that goes beyond the functional benefits of your products or services.

It’s the core belief that your business is founded on and the reason why your employees and customers connect with your brand.

Companies that fail to follow their brand ideals can become disconnected from their customers and employees, leading to decreased loyalty and revenue.

Over time, businesses that do not follow their brand ideals can lose their competitive edge and become irrelevant, ultimately leading to business failure.

To avoid this failure point, businesses need to stay true to their brand ideals and ensure that all actions and decisions align with the brand’s purpose, vision, mission, and values.

This requires a commitment to consistency and a willingness to make difficult decisions that prioritize the brand’s long-term success over short-term gains.

Here are some steps to help you get started:

1. Know Your Why:
Understand the fundamental reason for your business’s existence beyond making a profit. Identify the change you aim to bring to the world or your industry and the values you cherish.

2. Craft a Brand Manifesto:
Create a clear and concise manifesto that encapsulates your brand’s ideals, serving as a guiding light for your organization.

3. Internal Alignment:
Ensure employees understand and resonate with the brand’s ideals, acting as ambassadors for the brand’s mission and values.

4. Training and Education:
Provide continuous training and education to align your team with the brand’s ideals, encouraging incorporation of these ideals in daily work.

5. Alignment Test:
Assess significant decisions against your brand’s ideals, including product development, marketing, partnerships, and more.

6. Ethical Considerations:
Prioritize ethical decision-making that honors your brand’s values.

7. Open Communication:
Maintain transparency about your brand’s journey and challenges in adhering to its ideals.

8. Authentic Storytelling:
Share stories demonstrating your brand’s ideals in action, creating deeper audience connections.

9. KPIs Aligned with Ideals:
Establish key performance indicators reflecting your brand’s ideals and regularly evaluate your adherence to these values.

10. Customer Feedback:
Gather customer feedback on their perception of your brand’s alignment with its ideals and adjust accordingly.

11. Tough Choices:
Prioritize your brand’s long-term health when faced with conflicts between ideals and short-term gains.

12. Engage with Like-Minded Communities:
Collaborate with organizations and communities sharing your ideals to amplify your brand’s impact.

13. Evolution, Not Deviation:
Adapt strategies and tactics as necessary, ensuring they remain aligned with your brand’s core beliefs.

14. Content and Marketing:
Develop content and marketing campaigns that showcase your products or services and inspire your audience through your brand’s ideals.

By consistently adhering to your brand ideals, you can create a brand that resonates deeply with both customers and employees.

This alignment fosters trust, loyalty, and a sense of purpose that can help your business thrive and withstand challenges, ultimately leading to long-term success.