Getting everyone on the same page

How do you convince the C-suite that sharpening your brand position and brand strategy is worth the investment? One approach is to ask different folks to give the company's 30-second elevator pitch.

• The CEO/founder may focus on why the company was originally founded and the challenges solved by the company’s breakthrough technology.

• The product and platform folks may talk about the nuances of the technology and why people should care about it.

• The sales team may focus on one product or application. They may also say it depends on whom they're talking to. (Which makes total sense from a needs-based sales perspective.)

• HR may say don't forget about our people, and how the company is a great place to work with and to work for.

• And the marketing team may try to account for every point of view and incorporate each one into a cohesive and distinct set of brand communications. Which, of course, no one is going to agree on.

“So C-suite,” one might say, “if our own teams can't tell a consistent story around what the company is all about, how are our audiences supposed to know what to think and how to feel about us?”

Devoting the time and resources to define your brand position and strategy can help get everyone on the same page, making the conversations around your brand consistent, meaningful, and relevant. And get your company noticed.

And that just might be worth the investment.