How Your Brand Can Keep Remote Teams Connected

It’s been no easy feat for companies to shift from in-person workplaces to a sudden and drastic shift to a remote business environment.

We’ve talked a lot about this concept recently in our latest articles coming out on the heels of the global pandemic.

From custom promotional products and virtual team building activities to keep teams feeling copasetic albeit tethered digitally, there are a number of creative ways to keep people aligned with similar working routines they’re used to while making sure they are faring well mentally in trying times.

Yet, one aspect we have to touch on is perhaps one of the most powerful driving forces there can be in this kind of landscape, and when properly leveraged will make our day-to-day feel less like you’re straddling an unnerving fault line: your brand strategy and identity.

Brand strategy and identity are the driving forces keeping employees connected to a company’s purpose

Our branding agency services assist companies on a journey of self-discovery — building a toolkit that provides clear direction on how to bring a brand’s personality to life thoughtfully, strategically, and consistently.

It’s how brands ride the tidal waves like these that we believe is the ultimate test for how strong (or not) your brand identity and strategy is — not just for outward perception and long-term reputation, but internally, with your employees.

And if your brand doesn’t have the sea legs it needs, the imbalance can cause brands to diminish to be things of the past.

Daily check-ins keep the brand culture growing beyond the walls of the company itself

When you’re physically in an office day-in and day-out, interacting with team members, customers, and/or clients, it’s easy to be reminded of the brand’s purpose — even if it's a subconscious connection such as seeing company stationery around the office, posted brand values, or just feeling those brand vibes that attracted you to align yourself with the company in the first place.

There’s only so much a video meeting can do to replace those daily subtle reminders that over time truly craft a lasting emotional connection.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Keeping your employer brand alive and well in a virtual environment takes a pivot away from what you're used to and calls for some creative thinking.

The best example we can give is our own

The major artery at the heart of Anthem Branding is focused on creating meaningful connections and fostering deeper, authentic, and genuine relationships.

Moving to a 100 percent work environment challenges our collaborative and creative nature. No longer can you just tap a colleague on the shoulder to bounce ideas off or simply sit side-by-side with someone while you both work independently.

Yet, while the major tenets of our personality are still currently adapting to this virtual life, our brand is equally as nimble, imaginative, and innovative.

This time has allowed us all to dig deeper into our core values and focus on the future of our business so when we get to the other side of this time we will come out with a clear, strategic path forward.

It’s because, at the end of the day, the Anthem Branding sense of purpose has been clearly defined over the years and it’s used as our North Star — aiding and helping us navigate through the good, the bad, and everything in between — but its power is most telling in how it’s weathering during times just like these.

A confident brand gives reason to put pants on in the morning

We have kept things running consistently since day one of remote life. This is what we are finding to be the most important lesson so far: Keep things as normal and consistent as possible.

If you were to visit our Boulder HQ, you’d see our creative team gather together every morning at 10 a.m. for their daily standup meeting, without fail.

This ritual has been seamlessly relayed into the virtual space.

Every morning on the Anthem Branding Slack at 10 a.m. every member of the creative team will have the phone icon next to their name, indicating they are on a group video call, doing that daily standup, without fail.

Now, perhaps more than ever, it’s a top priority for our creative leadership to keep those vibes in a good place, not just for the sake of the team’s workload balance, but to cultivate the authentic connections the team has with each other.

It’s this level of tireless consistency that motivates the team to change out of the leggings or sweatpants, to be as present as they are in the office, and to put action to our brand values of collaboration, of trustworthiness, of dependability.

If each and every one of us at Anthem Branding doesn’t take our strategic identity seriously and apply it to our every day, how can we then give our best to our clients and the projects they entrust us with?

Engagement is essential

During the daily Slack standups, the creative team is tasked the day before with a clothing theme (i.e. everyone wears the same color shirt or same kind of shirt) or they dress up as characters from a TV series or movie.

Sounds a bit silly, but as we always say, the details make the difference.

The team has had a lot of fun with these little challenges, while at the same time, it helps keep their creative juices flowing, and keeps morale as high as it can be.

So, do you think your brand can ride this wave?

A strong communication platform and striking design are key to creating a successful brand. We work with you to craft an authentic story and build a modern visual presentation.

We will leave you with some food for thought as you evaluate where your brand stands:

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

- Helen Keller