Your brand reputation should make your Mom proud.
The life lessons your Mom imparted hold as true for brand reputation as they do for you, which means you need to share her wisdom with everyone.
Wait a minute, what’s my Mom got to do with our brand?
Your Mom wanted you to grow up to be happy and healthy, with plenty of friends and life experiences. She taught you to make good decisions, to have goals, and that how you act affects how others see you. She helped you understand that if you were nice, understanding and helpful, you’d make a good impression and maybe a close friend. But if you were mean, thin-skinned or uninterested in others, people would ignore or avoid you.
As a marketer, you understand that your brand is more than just a logo and color scheme. In the simplest terms, your brand is a composite of the experiences people have with your credit union, and how you interact with members and the community affects how they “see” the credit union. If you are helpful, easy to work with, and pleasant to be around, your reputation will follow along the same lines.
Which is why, the simplest test of your brand reputation would be to ask the following:
Would our brand reputation make my Mom proud?
If you can’t answer that question immediately, then maybe it would help to review these highlights from Mom’s Life Lessons:
Choose your reputation instead of it choosing you.
You control how people see you, so make sure you are always seen in a good light.
Be helpful. Be generous with your time.
Don’t let strangers remain that way.
Tell the truth. Always.
Keep all of your promises.
When you do promise, over deliver.
Give credit. Take responsibility.
It’s okay to be human. Most people are.
Admit your mistakes, then fix them.
Choose to do the right thing, regardless of what other people think.
Take care of the little guy.
Not because you have to. Because you should.
Do work that matters.
You can make a difference.
Be purposeful in everything you do.
If you don’t believe in what you are doing, no one else will.
Be true to yourself, and to others.
If you aren’t willing to try for unusual, you have to settle for ordinary.
Look for opportunities.
Embrace possibilities.
Take smart risks.
Build something amazing.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
You don’t have to be a pro at everything, so focus on what you are good at.
Okay, those may have been my Mom’s Life Lessons, not yours. But I still think they hold up extremely well for credit unions.
And I bet Mom would be proud.
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