The three things you’ll get out of this post:

1. What is company culture?
2. Why is company culture important?
3. How to create a company culture?

All I care about are dollars and cents

Every year Forbes magazines releases a list of the best companies to work for and in large part the companies on the list have established a culture that both their customers and employees are a part of.

Companies have figured out that eventually someone else will replicate any good idea, usually at a fraction of the price. The one thing that copycats can’t replicate is a culture. A business’s culture does not happen overnight but is a core philosophy of the company. I recently read Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh the CEO of Zappos.com. The book is a must for any business looking to create something other than a product or service.

Although Delivering Happiness is one book about one company, the idea of creating a culture is expanding quickly as other brands attempt to create something in addition to what is for sale. The secret is knowing that people are emotionally attached to their purchases. People are buying much more based on information that they have read online or heard directly from their friends/family. Creating a way for people to become more emotionally attached to your brand is a WIN-WIN for you and your customers.

If aunt Tambi has a wonderful experience with the customer service rep at an online retailer and shares her experience with you, in the future when you need something similar, you’ll remember. The same goes for having a bad experience with a company. The difference being with bad experiences people are much more likely to share their discontent via social media.

Culture Smolture

Illegal counterfeiting is a $600 Billion a year business. Imagine how much money is spent making similar products legally… The secret ingredient for profit is to create a product that can’t be so easily replicated. For the same reason Gold is so valuable, your company can become the Gold of your niche.

How many times have you heard of a brand new gadget like the iPhone 4 being released to have replicas shown on CNN hours later from a store in China somewhere? For the same reason the fashion industry and car industry change all the time, businesses are constantly forced to stay “one step ahead” of the competition. Really companies are trying to remain profitable as long as they can until the masses catch up.

Culture allows companies to take boring or beat industries and transform them back into profitable niches because something other than the product is being provided. That something is the secret sauce to the financial equation that allows companies to charge much more for the same product as their competition while gaining market share.

People are craving connections to brands and cultures that have been ignored for way to long.

Wake up and smell the culture

In order to establish a culture, your company needs to allow a certain level of freedom for your employees to help. A CEO can’t dictate a culture of the company and expect the employees to follow along. All the employees have to be involved on a personal level for any type of culture to succeed.

Many companies are creating a set of CORE VALUES that they can hang their hat on to determine if something is inside or outside of their culture. Then they allow their employees to create fun, unique, interesting ways to bond as a group and to welcome “outsiders” (customers) into that group. When a company mixes a product/service with a thick culture, they now have created a product that others can’t easily replicate. The company culture marketing strategy is one that will pay dividends over the long haul.

First of all, you are allowing your employees to be fun and creative, boosting morale and overall happiness Second, you are creating something unique and desirable by others. Last, culture allows businesses to rebuild lost profit margins by creating a new product for people to consume.

Start now, be unique, have fun and spread the love. Ultimately your company will be rewarded at every level.