Breathing brand is more vital than KPI

Why the first half-year for your company is much more imortant that numbers in the table and how you find people who will truly “breathe” your brand.

Human capital hides an unquestionable value many leaders leave unnoticed. KPIs, reports, and numbers are what many heads and C-level managers chase.

Yet, by doing this, they miss the key point – people are who build brand, its recognition, and the real story behind it.

In this article, I want to share my experience of building strong and loyal teams that help your company grow. 10+ years of experience in finding and mentoring marketing teams led me to five insights worth saving.

How you find people who will truly “breathe” your brand

Imagine you not just hire a marketing team member, but rather search for a person who will fall in love with your brand. Just like you did.

The first thing I advise you to look at is not the experience and skills. Sounds controversial, I get it. But the core thing that must click is the match in values.

The person you want to hire should feel the brand on an emotional and commitment basis. And when pieces of the puzzle fall into place, they will do the right things even without strict instructions or KPIs.

But where do you find this rare gem?

Start with people who already know and feel your brand: current employees, partners, or clients. Ask them if they can recommend new people.

My personal tip: While holding an interview, ask how the candidate sees your brand in a five-year span. Give them 10 minutes to speak about this.

Those who let their creativity flow, and whose eyes lit up, are definitely the right people for your company.

What to “breathe” brand means practically

I’ll be honest – to “breathe” brand isn’t something you can measure in numbers.

(And we don’t really need to do this)

It’s when a person’s gut says what the brand would say or do in a certain situation. When a copywriter writes just as they talk to their friends. No “suit speak,” groundless complications, or desire to appear smarter.

(Don’t underestimate the message your company shares or the tone of voice it uses. That’s exactly what makes your brand feel human, relatable, and lively.)

It’s when your team can cut a solution that seems awesome but totally doesn’t fit your culture, positioning, and values.

It’s when your team can correct you if you go off-brand. And that’s because your colleagues don’t simply work for this brand. They “breathe” brand.

How to build an inner brand culture

Making your brand vivid and lively for your customers is a sure thing 10 out of 10. But doing the same for your team is 100 out of 10.

How do you do this?

Tell real brand stories, some behind-the-scenes moments, and insights from the C-level managers. Don’t be afraid to tell about failures and explain how they were solved and how to avoid them.

Make special discussion rituals where you decide with the team whether it's your path & identity or not.

I won’t lie that remote work might make things harder. But still there’s a solution.

Make frequent calls and meetings within your team. And no – they should not be only task talking. Instead, add a communication about brand to your agenda. My personal tip, ask your founder to record some voice messages to make things even more personal.

When your team members start saying “our brand” instead of “their brand,” – your corporate culture starts working right.

Why setting KPI upfront kills your brand

Numberholics will accuse me, but I’ll say this – when you set KPIs for your team from the day one, you get everything messed up.

People get one thing quickly: your company is interested in something that brings numbers. Things that are right for the brand get thrown by the wayside.

As a result, employees start chasing what transforms into faceless digits. And brand building and strengthening? It’s just left behind.

This approach makes you lose valuable, proactive, and creative people, and your brand loses face.

Digits only hide the absence of the soul. And as soon as you see this, it can be to expensive to fix this.

When and how you should start using KPI

So, do you need KPI at all?

Sure, you can’t measure your success without certain metrics. But KPI implementation should be precisely calibrated.

I’d say six to nine months is a perfect time to introduce the KPIs to your team. Just when it started to “breathe” brand and got its inner compass.

The main rule here: brand – first, numbers – second. And never vice versa.

Instead of a conclusion

While you are chasing KPI, your rivals quietly gather people who sincerely love their brand.

Remember: if your team breathes brand, it’ll be impossible to copy or replicate it. And if you build your company only on KPI, your strategy, voice, and ideas can be replaced within one quarter.

Care for and grow people who will live and breathe your brand firsthand. And it won’t take long to see great results coming!