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Do you know what set of muscle groups affects every activity
you do? Your core. Biking? Try lifting a pedal without your core. Golfing? Your
core is at the heart of every swing.
It’s not just related to sports. Try standing up without
using your core. Or sitting down. Getting in or out of a car? You can’t do it
without your core.
Say it with me… “Your core.” It is so simple and so
foundational that it’s often overlooked. The fact that it rhymes should help,
yet so many of us forget it until we get back pain or other joint issues that
can be directly attributed to an underdeveloped core.
Attributed? Underdeveloped? What the heck does that have to
do with your brand? Everything. Too many brilliant ideas and branding campaigns
are put together in the shrouded secrecy of marketing departments and then
revealed to target markets without ever even being shared with the internal
teams.
Are you surprised that this backfires every time? Think
Kelly Ripa, people. An internal strategy revealed to the public before sharing
it with the team produces the most incredible result imaginable – it made
Kelly Ripa a sympathetic figure.
And it made everyone on their internal team look at best disorganized
and at worst, dishonest.
No marketing or branding program will ever be successful
unless the people behind the brand are aware of it and buy into it. These
people are the key touchpoints of any brand. They are the living, breathing and
customer-facing personification of any brand.
No matter how brilliant you are or how unbelievably
fantastic your idea is, it is doomed to a spectacular demise unless your people
learn it, know it, and live it. Couldn’t resist a Fast Times at Ridgemont High reference.
If you think that this only refers to consumer brands, think
again. In fact, it is just the opposite for B2B. Since you have less paid
media, you have an even stronger emphasis on your people.
How can you build your brand’s core muscles? Plan an
internal marketing campaign to launch before the public ever gets wind of it.
Unveil it to your team. Listen to what they say and what they don’t say. Don’t
just pay them lip service. You are all in this together. Pay them ear service.
Remember your brand’s true core strength… your people.
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