Image Versus Identity

Why your brand image needs a reality check

We've all seen the commercials, and corporate about us pages: happy employees ping-ponging in a brightly colored office. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆?

The gap between a company's aspired 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 (what they want you to see) and their 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 (who they truly are) is often quite substantial. And guess what?

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁.

Here's why:

1️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀:
Consumers are savvy. They can smell a fake culture a mile away. A mismatch between your brand messaging and employee experience breeds distrust and disengagement. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲" 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁.

2️⃣ 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸, 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸:
Actions speak louder than social media posts. If your company culture doesn't reflect your brand values, it's all just empty promises. 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀. 𝗨𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆.

3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲:
People crave authenticity. They want to work for companies that stand for something bigger than bottom line profit. Aligning your culture with your brand purpose creates a powerful magnet for talent and customers alike. Attract the right people, the right way.

So how do you bridge the image-identity gap and create a culture that fuels your brand marketing?

👂𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 & 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗨𝗽:
Survey your employees! What's the reality of your company culture? Identify the disconnect and create a plan to bridge the gap. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲!

☀️ 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆:
Don't just talk about your values, embody them. Integrate your brand values into your daily practices, from hiring to performance reviews. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱.

📣 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Your employees are your most powerful brand ambassadors. Empower them to share their positive experiences on social media and through word-of-mouth. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱.


A brand image isn't just a logo and a tagline. It's the lived experience of your employees. Align your culture with your brand marketing and watch your company reputation soar!


P.S. Share your tips for creating an authentic company culture in the comments below.