How To Effortlessly Share Your Brand Values To Attract Loyal Clients (Includes Core Values Examples) by Ashlee Sang
Could you waste your time defining brand values? Would brand values become the magnet to attract loyal clients once and for all? Let’s get the myth out of brand values and discover what they are all about.
Importantly, swipe the strategies from a brand values pro, Ashlee Sang, on how you can leverage brand values everyday as a small business owner or online entrepreneur for unimaginable client connection. Ashlee equips conscious and caring leaders to grow their impact and their business in a way that’s rooted in values and propelled by purpose. Here is the brand values expertise you can’t miss from her:
Plus, find brand values infographics in this blog that will make implementing Ashlee’s brand values strategies a breeze!
Before you start… Anecdote alert: here comes the story of how Ashlee has profoundly impacted my biz.
Real talk: Do you dread that moment you jump on a Zoom (or meet other entrepreneurs face to face) and need to introduce what you do? *That’s me!* I was always stunned by how some sound so slick with their intros!
Then I grabbed Ashlee’s guide, A Visionary’s Guide To Elevator Pitches. I downloaded in the hope of getting better at this elevator pitch thing… but, frankly, I was not expecting much of a result… (I admit it!)
Well, this masterful free guide transformed my biz pitch. And the best? I put into practice… The result? I secured a slot to present in an industry leading forum! *Yeah!* Now is your turn!
Download a free copy of A Visionary’s Guide To Elevator Pitches if you want to capture your big ideas with just a few words so you can introduce yourself and your brand with confidence and connect with real humans about what you do and why it matters.
Have I said it? Ashlee is my fav brand messaging expert (and it will be yours too!). Time to get into her blog. Buckle up, she has made it super special for you!
Full disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from.
You started a business because you know you can have an impact in your customers’ lives—and maybe even on an entire industry. But sometimes it’s hard to make other people see that vision that’s so clear in your head and heart. That’s where brand values come in.
The gist: your brand values are how you show up as a business, a brand, a founder. They’re the operating system you use to make decisions, connect with real clients and partners, and become known for something specific.
Your values make you stand out from all the other brands who offer the “same” product or service. You’re able to claim your unique corner of the internet because of how you sound, how you make people feel, and how you amplify causes you care about.
When you clearly share your core values everywhere your brand shows up, you’ll attract the exact types of customers and collaborators you’re wanting to reach. And on the flip side, you’ll repel people and brands who aren’t the right fit.
Because when it comes down to it, good business—and especially business for good—is about solving problems and making lives better.
So, what are core values in business—what do core values even mean in practical terms? Your values are the big-picture concepts that influence how you view the world, how you connect with real humans, and how you become known. (Whether you’re intentional about it or not!)
If you’re like most business owners, you want to do *all* the things and help *all* the people. But creating a values-based framework gives you the freedom to expand with intention.
Your brand values are your gut check. They make new opportunities and bright, shiny ideas become an easy yes or a quick no without wasting time, energy, or money.
And the golden question: how do you choose your brand values?
It comes down to some deep reflection and ideally, some outside perspective to validate your thoughts and push back where your ideas could be clearer.
Reflection Prompts To Consider When Defining Your Brand Values
Ask yourself what injustices or problems (in society or business) get you fired up.
Find a common thread between the biggest issues your customers face and how—and why—you’re uniquely creating a solution.
Consider what you want to be known for when people think of your brand or when they interact with you.
Reflect on why you started your business in the first place and how it’s evolved.
Basically, get introspective and see what pie-in-the-sky concepts bubble to the surface. Then condense those big ideas into a focused list of core values that you can stand behind and share proudly.
Core Values List
As a general rule (which you’re welcome to ignore based on your own vision for your business!), aim for three to five core values. Less than three probably doesn’t give your brand enough richness and flexibility, while more than five might leave you feeling scattered and pulled in too many directions.
The goal is to get super clear on a set of core values that feels perfectly aligned so that you can start living them out in every single one of your decisions. And so that they can consistently be seen, felt, and talked about in your brand messaging.
Use this word bank as a starting point, but know that the sky's the limit.
Inclusivity vs Exclusivity
Belonging vs Diversity
Comfort vs Luxury
Stability vs Exploration
Tradition vs Innovation
Freedom vs Assurance
Expertise vs Collaboration
Fearlessness vs Vulnerability
Affordable vs Premium
Community vs Individuality
Optimism vs Shrewdness
Give Back vs Systemic Change
Accessible vs Bespoke
Beauty vs Originality
Commitment vs Variety
Empathy vs Self-Care
Transparency vs Mystery
Action vs Rest
Then, consider using a thesaurus, pulling words from real audience feedback or testimonials, asking for some AI-generated ideas, mind-mapping, or doing whatever else will spark your creativity. Ultimately, it comes down to what resonates in your head and heart, and (in the best-case-scenario) with your ideal audience.
When it comes to values, there’s a big caveat: no value is inherently good or bad. It’s all about how you define that specific value in your unique brand.
Take the time to specifically define what each of your brand values means to your business and your audience because that will be your reference point in all of your marketing and operations decisions.
Let’s look at core values examples so that you can ease your way into defining brand values.
Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small agency owner, a 20-person startup, or anything in between, your brand values shape everything about your business. From your company culture and protocols to your brand message and content creation, your values are the common thread.
For the sake of transparency, here are my core values (and, of course, how I specifically define them!):
And I love how the same values can be thought about and manifest so differently depending on the visionary behind them. Take these 2 clients of mine—we co-created their entire brand messaging strategy and they had the overlapping value of simplicity. However, the entire vibe of how they define this value is completely different. So you can imagine how differently they would make decisions based on this single value.
Same value, totally different effect on their marketing, team, client experience, and more.
And what about the corporations and big companies that have become household names? Values are universally needed in any business. In fact, I would argue the bigger your business gets, the more important it becomes to clearly establish and define your company values because there are so many decision-makers, influences, and outside factors at play. Core values keep everyone and everything in a business moving in the same, intentional direction.
Brand values of Ikea
Take Ikea as an example. They not only prominently feature their 8 core values on a page dedicated to their culture and values, they also clearly define what each means to them.
Simplicity pops up again with Ikea, with another completely different view of the same concept—they define it as: “A simple, straightforward and down-to-earth way of being is part of our Smålandic heritage. It is about being ourselves and staying close to reality. We are informal, pragmatic and see bureaucracy as our biggest enemy.”
And while I suggest 3-5 core values, Ikea isn’t “wrong” in having 8. Maybe they’re able to tie specific departments or KPIs to each value, maybe this was the collective list that their leadership and staff came up with, or maybe they’ll narrow it down in the future. As long as it’s working now and leading them toward their vision, then it’s “right.”
Brand Values of Apple
Meanwhile, Apple uses values-driven storytelling to attract talent to their team with this “Shared Values” series on a subpage of their Careers page. This approach leverages real humans to make not only their company values more personal and “real,” but also brings life to what could be seen as a cold, detached tech giant.
Apple also lists their brand values on their main Careers page. In my opinion, it takes quite a bit of scrolling to actually reach these values, showing that perhaps it’s not a core focus of their company culture. That said, each value is clearly defined and has an option to dive deeper into each concept with case studies. Showing, in addition to telling, is always powerful and compelling.
It's not enough to brainstorm your brand values and stop there. The magic happens when you apply your values across every aspect of your brand.
And living out your brand values doesn’t just support you as the founder—values-aligned business affects your team and your customers too. Essentially, you’re building a business for people who care about the same things you do, which makes everything from delivery to growth infinitely easier.
Consider both your marketing and your operations. So yes, your website copy and social posts and pitch emails should absolutely reflect your values. But so should your hiring practices, your onboarding process, the client gifts you buy, the software you invest in.
It all adds up to a complete values-aligned brand experience, both internally and externally.
How To Use Your Brand Values In Your Brand Messaging
And then, of course, your brand values are an essential element of your brand messaging. Your values are seen and felt across all your outreach, communications, evergreen copy, content creation, conversations, and more. In places like your:
About Page
Team bios
Onboarding/offboarding documents
Company handbooks
Client calls and team meetings
Social profiles
Content (on social, via newsletter and blog posts, in promo videos, on podcasts—as a guest or host, etc.)
Website copy and sales pages
Canned emails and any personal correspondence
Visuals (which represent your values-aligned brand message!)
Anywhere you interact with real humans and want to leave a lasting, intentional impression
Values and your brand message tie together what you talk about, how you talk about it, and why you talk about it.
To actively live out your brand values, filter every decision in your business through your values and your ideal audience. If these two elements stay aligned and at the center of everything you do, you’ll show up with more consistency, confidence, and clarity. Values-aligned decisions mean you’ll avoid chasing after "best practices" that don’t sit right or the shiny objects that distract you from your visionary goals.
And once you establish and define your brand values, know that you’re not “stuck” with them. You have permission to allow your values to evolve as your brand does. Revisit them often to make sure they’re still leading you in the direction you want to take your business.
Your ideal customers will give you feedback along the way—listen to them! You’ll pick up fresh approaches and technologies, or see new problems over the years—stay willing to pivot! Your values and your overall mission are the roadmap, but re-evaluate often to make sure your ultimate destination still matches that map you’ve made.
The simplest way to stay on track is to continually connect with your customers on a human level. Basically, make your brand experience and your brand message feel good to the people you’re aiming to reach. Lead with your brand values so that you’re remembered for what you stand for and how you make people feel. That’s how you’ll stand out.
Download a free copy of A Visionary’s Guide To Elevator Pitches if you want to capture your big ideas with just a few words so you can introduce yourself and your brand with confidence and connect with real humans about what you do and why it matters.
You won’t be surprised about this… time to take action and shape your brand values to make you magnetic and attract your ideal clients.
Don’t forget to comment and tell me:
The thing is, clarity about your core brand values is going to transform your content creation and its results too! So don’t forget to check out these other blogs from Isabel:
151 Easy Instagram Story Ideas For Online Entrepreneurs And Small Business Owners To Attract Leads
Chat GPT Prompts: A Real Marketing Powerhouse To Save You Time Today?
Top 3 Content Creation Hacks To Boost Your Creativity And Grow Your Email List
12 Irresistible Money-Making Blog Ideas To Never Struggle With Creativity As A Content Creator
Unlocking The Secrets: 7 Foolproof Ways To Generate Endless Content Ideas For Success
Ashlee Sang is based in Central Illinois with a background in anthropology and a penchant for travel. Through Ashlee Sang Consulting and as host of the Purpose & Progress Podcast, she equips conscious and caring leaders to grow their impact and their business in a way that’s rooted in values and propelled by purpose.
Before doing brand messaging strategy and consulting, she worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations, including a human rights education NGO in Senegal and a local branch of Habitat for Humanity. The common thread has been sharing messages that matter.
Ashlee is passionate about small, personal changes anyone can make to improve the environment and other people’s lives. She’s a fan of one-liners, happy surprises, and taking walks in the sunshine. Learn more at ashleesang.com.