When building a brand, it’s common for the first thoughts to go to the visuals. There’s almost this infectious intrigue around what the brand could look and feel like, and of course everyone gets excited about it because it’s inherently tangible and not as abstract to grasp. However, when it comes to branding, the visuals are far from being everything.

The visuals are only half of the entire brand, with the verbal messaging is arguably the more important one of the two. Why? Because while you can’t have either without the other, the verbal messaging sets the tone for how the visuals communicate effectively—especially when you get to one of the core building blocks of any brand’s strategy, the brand values.

From a top level, a strong set of brand values can help to build a deep connection with consumers, differentiate the brand from competitors, and create a clear vision and purpose for the organization. When a brand’s values are clearly defined and consistently communicated, consumers are more likely to feel emotionally connected to the brand, trust its message, and be loyal to its products or services. In addition, strong values enable a brand to establish a unique identity that sets it apart from competitors and resonates with its target audience. This helps to build a strong reputation and establish a competitive advantage.

So how do you go about writing effective and exciting brand values? Let’s dive into a few methods.

Give Them Meaning & Relevance

No matter how brief or catchy they sound, nothing will matter if the brand values aren’t meaningful or relevant to your company, its culture, and especially the audience.

One way to ensure this is by conducting thorough research and understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviors of your target audience. Once you have this information, you can then articulate your brand values in a way that resonates with your audience's values and beliefs. Your communication strategy should focus on demonstrating how your brand values align with the audience's needs and demonstrate how your brand can help your audience solve their pain points. If you’re able to create connections between the audience and the brand story through your values, then you can build a loyal customer base that advocates for your brand and helps you achieve your business goals.

Make Them Easy To Own

All it takes is a Google search to see how varied brand values can be. It really can differ across the board. Some brands make certain words or descriptors their values, while others write phrases or (short) sentences.

However you go about writing them, they should not only feel strong and invigorating within your brand’s culture, but they should be written to be ownable. When your team reads them, the values should feel like they make sense to the culture and they can embody them authentically.

Take Zenefits for example. If you go to their Career page on their website, they have all six of their brand values in a really cool slider with awesome illustrations. Their values are pretty simple, but effective phrases that are actionable and ownable. Under each value is its guiding principle, which gives more context to the value itself. Right off the bat, you can see that not much else has to be said for each one. They’re confident, optimistic, and they help bring the culture together.

Make Them Solutions To Yesterday’s Problems

Just like people, brands screw up too. Especially in the past few years, we’ve seen a ton of brands make some pretty big mistakes. What matters most is how brands resolve those mistakes for both short and long-term.

Can you guess one of the most powerful ways do this? Yup, brand values.

By identifying the areas where the company struggled in the past, brands can then create a set of values that address those specific shortcomings. For example, if a company once struggled with transparency, a brand value of honesty and openness could be written to ensure that the company is always transparent with its stakeholders. These values can serve as a constant reminder of past mistakes and the company's commitment to doing better in the future. Strengthen those values with guiding principles, and you give employees a North Star to follow.

Embodying solutions through brand values allows companies to demonstrate to their customers and stakeholders that they are dedicated to righting past wrongs and moving forward in a positive direction. This not only helps to rebuild trust but also strengthens the overall brand and its reputation.

Guiding Brands Into The Future

At their core, brand values are ideals that guide the brand’s public-facing behavior and service towards its audience. They are essential for creating real connections with prospective customers, partners, and especially employees. Whether a brand is just starting out or has been in operation for years, brand values are essential for maintaining consistency and fostering long-term loyalty. By staying true to their values, brands can build a strong and meaningful brand that stands the test of time.