BrandKnew September 2013 September 2013 | Page 25

groupisd.com 24 2. What is your business’s purpose? C. Strategy Taking stock of your business and taking stock of its market go hand in hand. You need to understand your market, but you also need to truly define why your organization exists, what your business’s goals are, how big you want the business to grow, and what the business needs to look like to be successful. For people to embrace the destination as something they will help you achieve, they have to believe that the destination is achievable. Employees need to know management has a plan to get there. It is OK to say that you know what steps A and D look like but you need help defining steps B and C. The key here is giving the organization the confidence that comes with a thoughtful plan. This element of purpose-driven marketing is especially important in small business growth because each is so very different from others. Two organizations can look at the same market data and same insights, and they could be the same size and in the same industry. But they should have an entirely different purpose and goal. D. Participation need a fast-paced, quick-changing environment to thrive. Now is the time to help the employees see how their jobs will be better if they help the organization work toward and reach the destination. This part of the message will need to be modified for different functions in the organization. Helping people understand how they can be a part of something bigger than themselves or their specific jobs can unleash the power of the purpose. 3. How do you articulate that purpose? 4. How do you implement your vision? This is probably the most crucial step in purpose-driven marketing, yet it’s overlooked. You have to be transparent with your employees and explain why there might be a shuffle in the organization, why you’re asking them to do a job differently from how it has been done for the past several years, and why this small change will help the company overall. After following these guidelines, it’s time for the final element of purpose-driven marketing: Be precise in rolling out your new product, changing the way you do invoicing, or rebranding your company. Are you and your employees still working toward the same purpose? Some companies are more profitable staying small to efficiently manage the business, while other companies Think about it this way: You can pay someone to do exactly what they are supposed to do, but if you want your employees to think for themselves and use their own skills and strengths to the company’s advantage, you have to explain th H