Promoting Your Culture in Your Emails

1.8K

Key takeaways

• Company culture = the shared visions, values and assumptions that shape how employees work and how the brand is perceived by customers.
• Customers and employees now expect an authentic company culture and 60% said knowing what a company stands for is the top factor in choosing a business to deal with.
• Authenticity is essential: if culture feels forced, people will notice quickly and trust will suffer.
• You don’t need culture-heavy emails: the culture message should come through clearly in small ways across campaigns.
• Easy email tactics: write from employees’ perspective, invite customers to help give back, add charity links and describe initiatives.
• Sharing culture in emails helps engagement: connected audiences are more likely to subscribe, share and purchase.

Introduction

In 2016, marketing is all about engagement. If you can connect to your target audience, they’ll be more likely to subscribe to your emails and social media feeds, share your content and purchase your products. The tricky question is always how to get customers motivated, connected and engaged with your brand.

What is company culture?

Company culture has evolved today as something that businesses want to strive for. Gone are the days of dreading coming to work, sitting in an isolated cubicle, putting in your time and going home. Many large corporations and small businesses have actively put work into developing a “corporate culture”, a set of visions, values and assumptions that define the workplace of that brand. Not only does it characterize what the employees of the company see and do each day at work, it intertwines with the brand, to give an overall picture to its customers. These shared values could include:

• Employee commitment
• Empowered employees
• Customer focus
• Commitment to something greater (charity, environment, fundraising)
• Innovation
• Strong trust relationships

Why is it important?

Having a company culture is no longer an option, as it is expected now by employees and by your customers. People want to see what your brand stands for, that you treat those who work for you well and that you are committed to something more than selling products. Examples of some large companies that have amazing cultures include Twitter (rooftop meetings, free meals and fulfilled employees), Adobe (challenges, coaching and goal setting) and Southwest Airlines (unified team, permission to do what they need to in order to make the customer happy).

In article in Adweek, Christoph Becker says that “companies are no longer judged on what they say, but rather what they do”. By putting your culture first, before your product or service, you’ll be better equipped to sustain your business. Becker says that culture is “the primary driver of long-term relationships”. A study by the Fortune Knowledge Group found that 60% of people said that knowing what a company stands for is the most important factor in choosing a business to deal with.

Here’s the thing though, a culture needs to be authentic and not forced. Becker says, “If it’s real, people will feel it, and quickly”. This means that you need to build your corporate culture based on the actual values of the company’s founder and hire your employees because they possess these values.

Why is it important to share your culture in your emails?

Because a great culture is an integral piece of your brand, you want your customers to know about it. While you may already know what your goals include when sending your emails, adding tidbits about your culture in your emails will only help your case. Your emails don’t necessarily need to centre around your culture, but the message should come through clearly in one way or another. Jenna Gross of the Forbes Agency Council says that “A strong company culture centered on employees and innovation will be supported by consumers far more than a self-centered, corporate-focused competitor”.

In order to stand out in your emails, you need to show that your company is “different” and by using your culture to show that, you are at a definite advantage.

How can it be done?

Making your values known in your emails is simpler than you think. If your corporate culture is based on trusting your employees to make good decisions with your customers and going above and beyond, write emails from your employee’s perspective. If you have a solid commitment to being a company that gives back, ensure you ask your customers to help give back too. Add links to your chosen charities, let them know how they can help and let them know what initiatives you’ve put into place to make the world a better place.

Adding your culture to your emails is one of the simplest decisions you can make in email marketing. You’ve already got the culture in place in the workplace, now use it in your emails.

FAQ