Operationalizing Your Purpose

Having a business purpose doesn’t end with writing a statement of purpose. The next step is putting it into practice. As you begin operationalizing your purpose, keep these factors in mind:

You Must Usher Your Purpose From Vision to Practice

It’s crucial that your employees understand what your purpose looks like in practice and can apply it to their daily work. Any brand can have a purpose on paper, but it takes hard work to incorporate that purpose into the everyday actions of a business.

Get to know your employees. Are they working just for their paychecks, or are they invested in the mission and future of your organization? Statistics show that employees crave work at organizations that share their values and make a positive difference in the world. Help your employees both understand your organization’s purpose and feel emotionally invested in it.

One way to keep your employees up-to-date on the positive impact of your business is through internal celebration of your successes. Consider using an employee newsletter to showcase clients who used your product or service to build an impactful business of their own. You might also set aside a few days a year for employee training and team-building incorporating a focus on your purpose. At those sessions, try having employees brainstorm new ways to put your vision into action. Or, if your purpose includes a charitable aspect, consider giving your employees some time off to volunteer with a partner organization or matching their charitable contributions.

When your employees are directly involved in shaping and pursuing your brand’s purpose-driven goals, they will feel a sense of ownership and connection to your purpose.

Your Marketing Strategy Should Be Developed With Your Purpose in Mind

In addition to communicating your purpose internally, you must convey it to the outside world. To do so, build a true partnership between your purpose and your marketing: use strong marketing to get the word out about your purpose, and use your purpose to drive your marketing.

To get you started, here are a couple impactful approaches you can try:

• Use statistics to show the concrete impact of your efforts; consider creating and sharing infographics and impact reports
• Highlight successful social good partnerships, especially with well known and respected organizations
• Let employees share their investment in your brand purpose, especially on your company blog or social media accounts
• Develop a reputation for thought leadership in your field
• Lead online or event-based conversations about the issues your organization cares about

What other ways does your brand convey your purpose internally and externally? To become a truly purpose-driven organization, make sure you make your purpose known.

Photo credit: NYC Media Lab via Flickr Creative Commons 2.0