In other words, your company’s brand promise represents your pledge to customers—a pledge that can never be broken.

Here at Baillie Lumber, we work hard to build long-lasting relationships with our clients. This effort helps us maintain a laser focus on our company’s mission (and brand promise): “To Help Others Succeed.”

Have you been looking for ways in which you can deliver on your brand promise? Here are a few tips we found helpful to keep in mind.  

Understand why so much depends on your brand promise. In case the importance of a brand promise seems vague, keep in mind the tangible benefits. According to Deloitte, a strong brand promise “can translate into lower cost of sales because selling products and services to loyal, emotionally connected customers is less expensive than winning over new customers.”

The flip side of this equation is what happens if and when a brand promise is broken: “Look no further than product recalls or negative social media attention to see how not delivering … can adversely affect a company, both in terms of reputation and market value,” Deloitte adds.

If you make a promise to your customers, stay vigilant about any factors or circumstances that can hinder fulfilling that promise.

Ask your customers for feedback. Whether through surveys or interactions with key customers (in person, via Zoom, etc.), it’s vitally important to be sure your brand promise reflects what they want and need. Take time to determine if the buying experience matches their expectations, where it might fall short and need some tweaking, and how relevant the brand promise remains over time.

As market conditions change, it may be necessary to alter the wording of your brand promise (though it’s not beneficial to undertake a complete change, since that can weaken your overall brand messaging).

Be sure your employees are on board. A brand promise counts for little if there isn’t full-scale support throughout the organization. Internally, everyone must understand and support the brand promise without hesitation.

For example, says EMM Group, a marketing consulting firm, if a company’s brand promise “includes a low-price factor, the Purchasing and Manufacturing departments need to keep costs down so that promise can be fulfilled.” If high-quality customer service is part of the brand promise, then the Customer Service department must have “systems in place to ensure customers are served quickly and courteously.”

Strive to set your business apart. If your company’s brand promise is essentially the same as your competitors, it’s understandable if prospective customers don’t flock to your business as their first choice.

In the hardwood lumber industry which has an abundance of suppliers, it’s important to be mindful and look for ways in which your business can stand out.  Many times Hard Maple, White Oak, or Walnut from one supplier can sometimes be similar to that of another supplier. By paying close attention to what competitors promise you can see where you can introduce one or more differentiating factors about your business that make you unique.

A good thing about being different “is that it helps those that are not good prospects disqualify themselves,” says Forbes. The clarity of your purpose and offerings means having “fewer conversations that waste your time.” Your company’s “close rate will go up and your sales cycle will go down—two great marketing metrics.”

Companies thrive or fail depending on how well they fulfill their brand promise. If fulfilling that promise remains a top priority for your business, you’ll likely see better sales and longer-term customer retention.

In what ways have you been effective in delivering on your brand promise? We would love to hear your insights! 

Brett Del Prince
Baillie Lumber
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