Entrepreneurship Management

Does Your Business Have Core Values?

By Tayler Cusick Hollman

Why you should and how to incorporate them into your brand and marketing

When you think back to when you first started your wedding business, what were the first things you tackled? Did you file for your business entity? Decide on a name? Hire someone to design your logo? There honestly are a hundred things you need to take care of when you’re first building a business, but there is one that consistently gets overlooked (and is increasingly important)—deciding on and documenting a set of core values. So today, we wanted to make sure you don’t skip this important step, regardless of how many years you’ve been in business! Read on to learn why having core values is important as well as how you can use them to build a strong brand and in your marketing efforts.

 

Why core values are important

Whether you call them company values, brand values or core values, they all serve the same purpose—acting as a north star for you and your team in regards to how you work together, set priorities, and navigate through challenges and conflicts. They are both a reflection of and influence on the culture behind your business and help ensure that the time, money, and effort you pour into everything is pushing you in the direction you want. And, in addition to creating an environment where people are rallied around a set of goals, having a clear set of core values can help you create the path to get there.

But, more than, “The customer is always right,” your business’ values are about the ways you treat others in general—with things like inclusivity and diversity being increasingly valued by couples and pros alike. In fact, couples told The Knot they are looking for “allyship when selecting vendors who not only can offer products and services that will help bring their unique wedding visions to life, but who align with the values and causes they stand for.” So, as you sit down to put your core values on paper, think bigger than how you treat each other as a team—write about how your company interacts with all people—and infuse that in everything you do. 

Need some inspiration? See how Lily Roden Floral Studio puts her core value of giving back front and center.

Want to learn more about what couples told The Knot is important to them in 2021? Check out these 6 trends plus ways to address them in your marketing plan!

 

How to incorporate core values into your branding

Once you’ve documented (and communicated your core values to your team), there are lots of ways you can put them to work in a way that makes your brand stand out (and speak directly to potential clients who share the same values).

• Your brand voice – The values behind your business have a direct influence on how your brand speaks and you can incorporate them into a brand voice guide that directs how you might say certain things and with what tone 
• How you design styled shoots – Styled shoots are a great way to create branded content and you can build your team of pros with your core values in mind
• How you refer other pros – Similarly to how you might curate a team of vendors for a shoot, your core values can impact how you connect with and refer other pros to couples. This becomes especially important when you are building a brand that attracts like-minded couples
• How you refine your process – Your values are your north star so it should come as no surprise that they can affect how you go about providing your services! If reducing your environmental impact is one of your values, then your effort to plan green weddings is likely to influence how you go about certain things (as well as how you communicate your approach)

 

How to incorporate core values into your marketing

We often talk about ways you can build an authentic brand and letting your marketing strategy be influenced by your core values is a great way to do just that! Because, when your goal is to attract couples who are like-minded or share similar values, a sure-fire way to achieve that goal is to put what drives your business front and center.

 

• Your website – There are a few places on your website that are prime pieces of real estate when it comes to marketing your business with your core values and they are your home, about, and service pages 
• Your bios – Think about all the places on the internet you have a bio and then think about adding something (either explicit or a nod) about your values 
• Your Storefront descriptions – Your Storefronts on The Knot and WeddingWire are often where couples are first discovering you, so updating your descriptions to make a strong first impression about who you are and what you stand for is a great idea
• Captions you write for social media – If you have ever had a day where you felt stuck about what to write as a caption for social media, you can always fall back on something that communicates your core values
• Blog post – Have a lot to say about what you stand for? Write an optimized blog post about it
• Your email signature – Subtler than some of the other ideas but potentially just as impactful, you can add a line to your email signature so everyone you email knows a bit more about you

There are lots of ways you can get to work updating your brand and marketing plans to make sure your potential clients know where your head and heart stand. And, if you want to dig a little deeper into why these values are so important, be sure to read this piece about diversity in marketing!

 

 

Photo Credit: HAKINMHAN/Shutterstock.com