Great Brands That Compete On Value: Celebrate Their Successes

Happy New Year! Many of us have spent the last few months celebrating the holidays with our family and friends as well as our employees, coworkers, and clients/customers. It’s truly a blessing to live in a community where we all celebrate each other’s successes and I consider myself thankful for that support and fellowship. And really, who doesn’t like a good celebration?

Looking back on the ground we covered last year, I discussed each of the components in our magazine and exactly what’s behind their effectiveness individually and collectively. More specifically, I advised on their purposes and the different ways they could be strategically utilized to support a well-balanced, high-impact content marketing campaign.

While I plan to present more ideas and tips related to branding your business/organization in the coming year, in the spirit of celebration, let’s talk about how that very thing can in fact also elevate your brand.

If there’s a good reason to celebrate, there’s likely a good reason to share your accomplishments. The following instances are good examples of newsworthy celebrations: anniversaries, expansion, awards, endorsements, certifications, industry recognition, notable business and/or employee achievements, completion of a major project, bringing a new product or service to market, the success of a fundraiser or major event, non-profit partnership, etc.

Without celebration and acknowledgment, there’s little to no time spent reflecting on what went right in a way that fosters passion and enthusiasm to continue pressing on towards the next benchmark ahead. There’s also no sense of appreciation that accompanies the hard work and investment you’ve made for that outcome, from within your organization or from the general public outside of it. It’s so easy to focus all of our time and energy on how we can improve and what we can do better for our customers, to grow our businesses, for greater efficiency, to generate more revenue, and the list goes on from there. But taking the time to recognize and celebrate what we’ve done right that’s got us to that point is truly just as important.

For a brand to be relatable there has to be a personal connection. When we see others doing great things around us, and are able to share the great things we are doing with others, it’s a means to that end. It’s encouraging to be in good company and also motivates us to do business with those who are just as dedicated to excellence. Celebrating the relationships we’ve established and fostered is also an important part of doing business as it shows continued appreciation and helps grow our mutual networks even further.

On a related note, I’m so proud to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Strictly Business in 2018. To reach that milestone, there have been many accomplishments that have paved the way. I’ve not only been extremely proud to share ours with my readers, but those wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my clients and a great team of employees. So in turn, I’m also grateful and honored to have been able to shine a light on their many wonderful accomplishments over the years.

This is an exciting year for us, and we plan to share and promote throughout 2018, so stay tuned!

All told, especially this time of year, it’s so exciting to think of the possibilities and maintaining forward momentum, forging ahead to make this year even better than the last. What’s the next big meeting tomorrow, what’s our plan for the year, what’s the five-year outlook…we’re so forward-thinking and the only reason we oftentimes look back is to help us formulate our strategy to keep progressing.

For myself, with the rigorous schedule of our monthly publications, it’s easy to switch gears the instant one month’s magazines go to press right into the next month’s magazines. As fellow business owners and professionals, I’m sure you can all relate. However, I’ve found that it’s important to take the time, even if it seems like there isn’t any to spare, to focus on what’s just been achieved by the team within the body of work that goes into producing two publications each month.

“Treat Yo’ Self” (It never gets old!) is all well and good when you’ve accomplished something you take pride in, but it’s always so much nicer to be recognized by others for your accomplishments. Encourage employees to be proud, incentivize them to do great things, and also share that with the community so that they are recognized by their peers in the industry, their professional network, and extending out to the business community at large. We should all aspire to great things, and when greatness is attained, be sure to celebrate!

Elevating your brand is all about capitalizing on opportunities, and just about any reason to celebrate is a prime opportunity.

To learn more about how Strictly Business can help you, contact me directly at (402) 466-3330 or visit strictly-business.com/connect. (You can also click on our Staff Letter tab online to view past articles)