You can’t just sell stuff anymore. If you want to sell anything, you have to “bring people happiness,” “build a brighter future” or “make the world a better place.” And you can’t only say that’s why you do what you do either; you need to actually believe and live your purpose.
While people have finally realized that for a business to thrive, it must have a genuine purpose, the unfortunate reality is that purpose alone won’t magically transform your business. Even if you have your true purpose all figured out, you need to know how to maintain authenticity and use it to enhance every aspect of your business. If you know how to wield your purpose, you can take your business to new heights.
Make purposeful decisions.
Your purpose should act as your decision-making filter. It can be used as a tool to analyze what you need to do and to review what has been done, for good or bad. You’ve got to let it guide you, through both corporate-level decisions on company direction and the everyday decisions of employees.
For a purpose to be authentic, it must be infused in a company’s practices and underlie everything a company does. Your internal and external interactions should all be purposeful.
Create a corporate identity.
If you share the purpose you live by, you can create a corporate identity around it. All your communications, internal and external — from employee memos to marketing materials — should speak to why you do what you do so that you can make connections much deeper than whatever goods or services you sell.
When you clearly define the primary reason your company exists, you clarify who you are. A well-publicized authentic purpose gives current and potential customers and employees an accurate sense of what your company is about.
Recruit and retain talent you align with.
Your purpose is a valuable tool to attract, evaluate and retain employees. Through words and actions, you can attract, inspire and motivate employees. According to a study by PWC, when people feel that their work is meaningful, they are typically happier and more engaged.
If you infuse your purposeful identity into your workplace and put it at the forefront of your marketing, it’ll stand out to job seekers who do their homework and research your company. Not only can this help you maintain a like-minded staff, but you’ll also repel those you are not aligned with. Based on PWC’s study and others like it, with a purposeful workplace, you can both attract the best talent and retain the talent you already have for longer.
Emotionally connect to your ideal consumers.
Use your purpose to resonate with more buyers and bring in business. A meaningful purpose can evoke emotion that products can’t. Customers will run to support purposeful businesses over places without purpose.
You can draw in the people you want to be connected to — those who believe in the same values you do. When you share a powerful reason for what you do, customers will rally behind you and help to build your brand. Ideally, they will even market for you for free. Emotionally invested customers become brand ambassadors who share your purpose and grow your business.
The Power Of Purpose
There’s a reason you can’t just sell stuff anymore. A purpose is a powerful brand necessity with endless applications. You can wield your company’s reason for existing as the foundation of your identity, a powerful decision-making filter and an effective employee retention tool, and this will give you a significant advantage over your competition.
With a meaningful, authentic purpose that speaks to the public, you can build emotional connections that distinguish your brand from others and attract ideal customers and employees.
