How to Cancel Proof your Brand

“I’m giving my business all that I’ve got, but I’m afraid I could lose it in an instant.”

I’ve been there too! It’s perfectly normal that from time-to-time we catch our breath worrying that one day a mistake or unforeseen event (hello, cancel culture and COVID-19!) will wash all of our hard work down the drain.

It could happen. 

Or we could start an intentional process of protecting it by building an Everlasting Brand.

What is an Everlasting Brand? It goes way deeper than marketing and PR.

The difference between brands that are still standing and those no longer here comes down to these six ingredients.

Activated Mission: Everlasting Brands set out to achieve something bigger than themselves. They serve others and get their customers involved by using their products to do good and leveraging their public platform to raise awareness for needs and social causes.

Values-driven leadership: Leaders of Everlasting Brands are setting and championing a set of values reflected in their mission, products, customer experiences, company culture, processes and policies.

Customer-first products and experiences: From products to customer service, Everlasting Brands anticipate needs and set expectations for what the client will experience. Even if the products and operations are not perfect, managing expectations can still create happy and loyal customers.

Humanized communications: Everlasting Brands communicate directly to stakeholders at the right place, at the right time, with the right message that is crafted through the lens of the customers’ needs and expectations. 

Proactive crisis management: One of the easiest ways to proactively manage a possible crisis is by aligning our operations and culture with our customers’ expectations  – that we’ll conduct safe operations, that we’ll treat our employees well, and that our actions align with the message and mission that the brand is built upon. (Check out these tips on the art of the brand apology.)

Accountability for actions: Humans lead brands, and humans make mistakes. Mistakes don’t have to result in damage to the brand. In fact, being accountable for our mistakes can be an opportunity to show our commitment and to recognize and fix our vulnerabilities.

An Everlasting Brand is the kind that can withstand the tests of time, adversity, and failures by providing the type of credibility you can’t buy. It touches every aspect of our businesses, from developing our products, building our company culture, communicating our purpose-driven mission, and values-checking and risk assessing our operations and policies.

Alright, deep breath! If that seems like a lot to navigate, you don’t have to go it alone. 

At Positioned, we help purpose-driven companies and high-profile executives build Everlasting Brands through impactful leadership communications and proactive crisis management that help you lead and influence your mission, teams, and industry.

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