We have written a lot about the importance of developing a fully aligned corporate story and strategy.

The truth is, however, this is only part of the challenge CEOs and CMOs face when it comes to delivering a clear, compelling and consistent message in the marketplace. What comes next is where most marketing leaders and executive teams fall short. What’s that?

Designing and implementing a disciplined process that ensures every employee instinctively activates your story and strategy in the customer experience.

A recent article in Forbes, “Strategy 101: It’s All About Alignment,” highlights why this is so important:

“Assuming you have created a sound strategy based on the union of customer desires and company output, you now face the challenge of inserting employees into the mix — in a way that aligns their daily decisions and actions with the strategic direction of the company. Success rates drop by around 50 percentage points in this phase.”

Success rates drop because activating a consistent story and strategy in the customer experience requires unwavering commitment and persistence. Leaders, managers and ultimately every employee must ensure the story and strategy are communicated in a consistent manner — inside and outside — of the organization. Harvard Business Review explains why most companies fail on this front in the article, “Selling the Brand Inside” …

“Employees need to hear the same messages that you send out to the marketplace. At most companies, however, internal and external communications are often mismatched. This can be very confusing, and it threatens employees’ perceptions of the company’s integrity: They are told one thing by management but observe that a different message is being sent to the public.”

To set yourself up for success, every employee needs to be immersed in your strategy and story for it to stick. A sustained, 18-24 month, internal communications initiative should be launched and executed. This is where you blend cognitive learning (formal training and education) with emotional engagement to infuse the corporate story into your culture and deliver a differentiated customer experience.

Colin Mitchell, worldwide head of planning at Ogilvy & Mather, once said …

“By weaving the corporate messages into employees’ everyday experiences, managers can ensure that on-brand behavior becomes instinctive.”

That is how you cultivate lasting change. That is how you build a culture that is aligned around a unified story and strategy. When you do this, you capture lightning in a bottle and you deliver a truly differentiated customer experience.

So, as you establish your strategic priorities for 2021 — make sure this is at the top of your list. Implement a comprehensive awareness, education and training plan that ensures every employee understands, buys into and activates your story and strategy consistently throughout the customer experience.