Discovering your Core Brand Values:

Intro: The idea behind this exercise is to help you identify the “core brand values” that
govern your life and your business. By operating within the defined parameters of our
“brand values” we assure that our marketing, business, and online communication is
consistently “on brand” and represents our business effectively.

List Your Brand Values:

- In the space below list 10 words or values that you feel best represent your
personal and professional brand (i.e. knowledgeable, analytical, or consult this
article http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3388.html for examples of brand values)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Condense your Value List

- Looking at the values that you have documented above, try to see if any of them
can be combined into more encompassing values, discover which ones are more
prominent in your personal/professional brand, and break them into a “Top 5” list
below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How to integrate your Brand Values

- Using the grid provided below, place each of your values into the grid and answer
the appropriate questions asked for each on both a personal and professional level.
Value How do I demonstrate this? Why is this an important Why is this important to
value? clients/contacts?
Knowledgeable By providing up-to-date Because by being Because this is one
(Professionally) and in-depth market better educated my of the most
statistics. clients are able to important decisions
make better they will ever make
buying/selling in their lives.
decisions
Knowledgeable
(Personally)
Using this information:
- By having this information put together for your business both professionally, you
are able to communicate your brand through all mediums including:
1. Online Communication (social media, blogs, etc.)
2. Email Communication (is the information I am sending “on brand”)
3. Offline Communication (am I acting/representing my brand)
4. Etc.
- Unique Selling Proposition
1. By focusing on your key brand values, you are able to create a memorable
and “personal” brand that is true, honest, and reflects you as a person.
Too many bios today speak AT the consumer and do not represent the
individual of who it is written. For example, based on the exercise above I
would be able to write the following in my bio:

“By providing up-to-date and in-depth market statistics to his clients, Matt Dollinger is
able to create better educated and informed buyers/sellers during one of the most
important decisions of in their lives”

This not only caters to one of your core brand values, but it also explains to potential
clients WHAT, HOW and WHY you provide the service you do and its’ importance to
them.

Implementation
- This is not a strategy that will take place over night, but one of the simplest ways
to begin implementing this into your day-to-day is to make a list of these core
 values and have it accessible everywhere. Also ask yourself the following
questions:

1. How does this incorporate into my current buyer relationship?

2. How does this incorporate into my online identity?
3. How does this incorporate into my other marketing strategies?

- Another important thing to do is to implement a “brand compliance overview”

where you review the materials, communication, and collaterals that you provide
to your clients and the community as a whole. Ask yourself the following
questions with regards to this:

1. Does my <INSERT CAMPAIGN HERE> reflect my brand values?

2. How COULD my <INSERT CAMPAIGN HERE> reflect my brand values?
3. Does my <INSERT CAMPAIGN HERE> provide value to my clients? How?
4. Should I continue <INSERT CAMPAIGN HERE> or should I re-evaluate this
campaign?