What are your guiding principles?

Finally, let’s determine your brand’s core values and guiding principles! Your brand's core values are about how you do things. They are the compass that points you in the right direction. This is how you want to be perceived by your customers and the feeling you want to provide your customers.

Your brand values are the foundational part of your brand and should encompass everything that you do, from your customer service to the way you communicate to your customers through your website to what kind of suppliers you work with. Having strong brand values will help you stand out amongst the competition and help give you a key differentiation point.

Let’s look at an example…

E.L.F Cosmetics

Delight our consumer

Our consumers inspire and inform us. They are the reason we’re here and at the heart of everything we do.

Do the right thing

In our actions and words, we lead with honesty and integrity. We don’t take shortcuts.

Work together to win

We treat each other with respect and leverage each other’s strengths. We are open, honest and direct in the spirit of helping the team succeed.

Execute with speed and quality

Consumers know us by what they see, touch and experience. Execution matters and we are passionate about doing things well and with speed.

Now it’s time to start defining your brand values! Let’s start by answering these few questions…

• Think back to a time you had a negative experience with a brand in the same category as yours. How did this make you feel? What was the experience? Why was it bad?
• Now think of a time you had a positive experience with a brand in the same category as yours. How did this make you feel? What was the experience? Why was it good?
• Finally, consider your customers, what do they want from your products? What do they want from the experience they get from you? What are they not getting from other brands? How do you want to make them feel?

Apply these findings to find 3-5 core brand values your brand will live by.

<aside> 📌 Think outside the box more here. Think about what your competitors are NOT doing, that you CAN do. Make your values actionable, use phrases such as ‘operating with integrity’, or ‘to always be learning and growing’, rather than vague words such as ‘Honesty’ and ‘Growth’.

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