17 steps to align biz marketing strategies with company core values

In the growing world of misinformation and declining B2C trust, companies must remain vigilant to ensure the messaging their brand is communicating internally and externally is exceeding the core standards they truly represent and continue to live up to.

Keeping employees educated about their role and stake in demonstrating their company’s mission and goals through their daily work practices is essential to ensure alignment and engagement across the entire establishment. If your digital and traditional messaging strategies are not consistent with what the company stands for, 17 leaders from Fast Company Executive Board each offer one step to preserve the authenticity of marketing practices and company core values.

1. BE PROACTIVE ABOUT YOUR BRAND’S EVOLUTION.

Striking the right balance between brand consistency and brand adaptability is essential. To do so, companies must first align programs to corporate goals to ensure follow-through. Next, base brand claims and statements that can be achieved with available resources and capabilities on real data and evidence. Finally, evolve their brands deliberately and publicly as they expand to remain credible. – Christine Alemany, i2c Inc.

2. KEEP YOUR BRAND AUTHENTIC TO ITS CORE VALUES.

Companies must embrace radical transparency, aligning all actions with core values and actively engaging with customers. Employee advocacy and ethical practices aren’t optional—they’re essential. Ignoring these principles isn’t just a misstep but a betrayal. Authenticity is a non-negotiable imperative for survival. Brands must live their values or face irrelevance—and consumer and employee backlash. – Cliff Jurkiewicz, Phenom

3. DEMONSTRATE TRANSPARENCY ACROSS ALL AREAS OF THE BUSINESS.

4. PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS’ SENSITIVE INFORMATION.

Focus on security. In an era of mistrust and unending data breaches, customers need reassurance their data is safe with you. – Elizabeth Green, QuSecure

5. SHARE BEHIND-THE-SCENES CONTENT ABOUT REAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES.

One step companies can take to preserve authenticity is to engage in transparent storytelling. Share behind-the-scenes content, highlighting your journey, ethical practices, and real customer experiences. Consistently communicate your mission, values, and positive impact to build a narrative that resonates with consumers and reinforces trust and authenticity. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure

6. CONNECT WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN PERSON.

Even as tech scales, business is still about solving people’s problems. Therefore, business is inherently human. But you cannot fully execute any of that separately from connecting in person. If business is inherently human, then we need to meet in person, build in person, and connect in person. This is how human problems are best solved—eye to eye, smile to smile, and handshake to handshake. – Dan Bowling, The Genesis Company

7. KEEP YOUR WORD.

Say what you will do and do what you say you will do. You earn trust by setting the right expectations and then making sure the experience you deliver matches the expectations that were set. – Pooja Vijay Kumar, Autodesk

8. CREATE A DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY.

Companies can preserve the authenticity of their marketing practices and core values by implementing transparent communication strategies. Utilizing blockchain technology for verifying claims and openly sharing behind-the-scenes processes can build trust. Engaging directly with customers through social media and addressing concerns promptly reinforces credibility and authenticity. – Francis Hellyer, tickadoo

9. IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND’S UNIQUENESS.

To build brand trust in today’s rapidly evolving digital world, brands need to consider all of the three guiding principles: What is your unique brand value-add to your consumers? Is your communication strategy consistent across all consumers’ touch points? What makes your brand identity unique in the world of sameness? – Steven Moy, Moy Advisory

10. RELY ON DATA-BACKED RESEARCH.

Marketers need to rely on data-backed research to be trusted messengers as consumers want information that is fact-based and verified by reputable sources. Selecting influencers whose values align with the brand will ensure the message fits the messenger. This “trust but verify” approach fosters transparency and credibility, reinforcing marketers’ commitment to authenticity. – Bryan Whitaker, Statara

11. CONSIDER WHAT THE CUSTOMER NEEDS.

Focus on the customer experience and flip the script by thinking from the outside in.  Thoughtfully examine where you can address customer needs promptly or, better yet, proactively at a personal, contextual level. Make accessibility a core value. Be easy to reach and easy to do business with and customers will reward you with trust and loyalty. – Collin Cohen, Registria

12. ADMIT YOUR FAILURES AND FOLLOW UP ON HOW TO IMPROVE.

Be candid with donors and customers when you fail. Owning up to mistakes in private and public communications is critical. We hear a lot of calls for transparency in marketing but not so much about candor around marketing failures. A true commitment to transparency applies to good and bad news; sharing follow-up steps to improve is also an essential part of establishing and sustaining trust. – Kendra Davenport, Easterseals

13. CONSULT WITH THE EXPERTS TO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.

To build trust in a digital world, companies should establish boundaries, build credibility through transparency and data, and maintain consistent messaging. For key sectors like health, ensure claims are backed by experts, not just influencers. Trustworthy brands stay true to their identity and values, aligning all communications with their core mission. – Kerstin Recker Alexandre, Peli Health

14. BE RESPONSIVE TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.

Companies can preserve authenticity by embracing radical transparency and being honest about their values, practices, and mistakes. Sharing testimonials, engaging with customers regularly to give updates, and being responsive to both positive and negative feedback can all demonstrate a company’s reliability. Open communication builds trust and reinforces core values like credibility and integrity. – Evan Nierman, Red Banyan

15. EDUCATE YOUR STAFF ABOUT THE COMPANY’S VALUES.

Start by having a conversation with the team about the values. Are they even aware of them? Are they bought into them? Values will be owned by the team if they have a hand in developing them. Next, alongside each value, have the team identify two to three behaviors that exemplify the value or that violate the value. This will shift the conversation about values from conceptual to concrete. – Amy Radin, Pragmatic Innovation Partners LLC

16. ENGAGE AND COLLABORATE WITH YOUR NONMARKETING PEERS.

When we get overly focused on “what needs” to happen (sell X), we can lose sight of the who, how, and why. Engage nonmarketing peers to collaborate content with outcomes and values. While simple, this practice aligns actions and forges continuity and relationships cross-functionally. – Dr. Camille Preston, AIM Leadership, LLC

17. CLOSELY MONITOR UNDERPERFORMERS AND BAD BEHAVIOR PATTERNS THAT IMPACT BOTTOM LINE.

Employees are our greatest asset and the key to providing customer information and experiences consistent with our company values. Therefore, rigorously screen and hire talent who exceed expectations for credibility, integrity, creativity, and trust. Ruthlessly manage out talent who underperform or engage in marketing practices (or any practices for that matter) that could erode customer confidence. – Steven Kowalski, Creative License (TM) Consulting Services