As branders, the temptation to embrace a new trend can be as irresistible as that second (or third) Girl Scout cookie. It’s always a good idea to stay attention-getting. It’s also vital to be a steward of the brand you’ve worked so hard to build.

Before your team succumbs to temptation, here’s a 1-2-3 checklist to help evaluate before you indulge.

It's easy to make customers and donors want to come back again if you make them feel important. It's inexpensive—even free—to do it. But it doesn't happen by accident.

Are you building a feel-the-love culture?

Often unseen, corporate culture is your essential power supply that keeps everything moving full speed ahead. And like technicians who conduct an energy audit, or engineers who design bridges, you need to ensure your organization is fit from the inside out.

Here are three ways to ensure your infrastructure supports a powerful future.

In recent years, being busy, overworked and sleep-deprived has become a badge of honor. Ask how they’re doing at a cocktail party or a Zoom meeting, and inevitably, people proudly reply, “I am so busy.” Or they just answer emphatically, “BUSY!”

And especially in times of crisis, these same people feel ashamed to say they have down time or that they took some time away.

You may remember this story from childhood. Stone Soup is a European folk tale where a hungry stranger from out of town convinces the locals that his soup recipe—the basis of which is nothing more than a stone—will become something extraordinary.

There’s a lot of talk about how retailing—and other traditional business—is dead. And there’s much hand-wringing and complaining about how those big online giants are unfairly hurting brick-and-mortar businesses. 

While some of this pressure on physical locations is unavoidable, many retailers are driving their customers right into the arms of their online competitors.

I don’t know whether it’s today’s consumer online habits or a lack of training. But I do know I don’t like it. “What’s the name?” the receptionist blankly asked me at my doctor’s office this week. Ick. There seems to be an epidemic of taking the person out of personal service.

The strongest brands on earth have a two-sided relationship with their fans. Like any real life relationship, there’s give and take. Speaking and listening.

If you’re only focused on advertising, posting, tweeting and shouting, you’re going to miss what people say—and think—about your brand.