KPIs and…Branding? Encouraging a Different Approach
I recently saw a post on Linkedin…that I actually enjoyed. What was that post about? Key Performance Indicators. Yeah, the super boring topic that is KPIs. Except…it wasn’t about CTRs, ROAS, or Bounce Rates. It was speaking the language of Branding. The thought exercise that was posed was to think about the measurement component of a KPI and completely replace it. Blasphemy, you might think? Well, it depends on what you replace it with. Here were their suggestions, along with some additions:
KPI = Key Performance Indicator.
KPI = Keep People…
Interested
Informed
Involved
Inspired
Invested
If you’re in the world of building and maintaining brands, I think I now have your attention. So before someone says ‘yeah, but there has to be ROI in my Marketing efforts, otherwise how do we justify marketing’? I 100% accept the premise of Marketing impacting ROI of a company/organization, but that is not the one and only function of communicating with your audience. If you approach your Marketing efforts with a laser-like focus on ROI, you will create a purely transactional relationship with your audience, and nothing more. That’s not the recipe to build a brand, that’s merely a way to generate short-term gains in lead generation.
Let’s go back to our list above: Interested, Informed, Involved, Inspired, and Invested. The reason that short post resonated so strongly with me was because that’s the way we strategically approach our Marketing and Branding efforts. All of those words treat our audiences with respect (instead of a lead to be gained) and focus on exceeding their expectations. Let’s dig a little and explore content that supports each of those “new I’s”. Here are a 5 different client strategies in action, along with what we ARE and AREN’T aiming to accomplish.
Interested
We Aren’t:
Pushing our audience to buy BBQ right now
We Are:
Showing how Hanks’ approach to BBQ is the same way an artist approaches a canvas, so whether you are interested in serving yourself or catering an event for 500 people, this is their (amazing) approach
Informed
We Aren’t:
Asking our audience to sign up for Speech and Occupational Therapy
We Are:
Giving a peek into an ABA Therapy Session (something rarely done) demonstrating SLC’s insanely talented team at work while simultaneously informing parents of how an ABA session flows…AND…potentially inspiring other to get into Speech and OT field and perhaps one day aspire to work for them
Involved
We Aren’t:
Telling people to simply NOT to purchase animals from Puppy Mills
We Are:
Showing how involved the RHSPCA community is, why they are passionate about stopping Puppy Mills, telling them how to get involved with their organization, and how much of an impact they can make in their community if they do in fact get involved
Inspired
We Aren’t:
Simply giving people a form to fill-out to sign up for payroll services
We Are:
Inspiring our audience to think about the ripple-effect a company like MoneyWise Payroll can have in their community by supporting local businesses and non-profits, allowing them to focus on their operations instead of payroll, and if these organizations trust them, then maybe my company can trust them, too
Invested
We Aren’t:
Instructing cyclists to sign up for an SVBC membership
We Are:
Demonstrating how invested the cycling community is in the Shenandoah Valley, how much respect cyclists have for safety, visibility, and predictability, signaling how both cyclists and drivers engage in a symbiotic relationship in our community that both parties should be invested in, all in an effort to enjoy the outdoors on a bike, safely
In Sum
Start with how you’re planning on building your brand by exceeding your audience’s expectations, work through how you’re going to communicate that message with your audience, create as many methods as possible to track ROI, and plan to pivot as time marches on. Again, it’s not that we should ignore ROI, it’s just that you should put Brand first, then focus on ROI, not the other way around.
