| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | It's harder for bigger corporations and this case a |
| Internal Branding: Delivering Solutions through | | | | formal approach might be the best approach. |
| Employees | | | | A five steps recipe: |
| The aim of marketing has long been to carry the | | | | 1. Define your brand/marketing story (and get |
| brand message to the public. This is not done for | | | | your employees involved) 2. Align your brand and |
| altruistic reasons but to simply entice them to buy | | | | your culture 3. Understand the employee touch |
| the product or service that you sell. But did you | | | | points where your brand is playing a part 4. |
| know that your brand is carried by your people | | | | Communicate, Communicate, Communicate and |
| as much as by your marketing? | | | | Communicate some more 5. Your brand evolves, |
| A few years ago, the management mantra ""If | | | | don't let it go stiff |
| you take care of your employees, they will take | | | | It's a simple enough process but matching your |
| care of your customers" appeared out of the | | | | brand to your culture, and vice-versa is often |
| customer service function leading to new | | | | easier said than done and you might be wise to |
| development in internal branding. Interestingly, the | | | | ask for external help. Once done, it's all about |
| marketing function did not follow-suit straight | | | | implementing it day-in, day-out without fail, |
| away and has only recently started to engineer | | | | discouragement or doubt. Remember, there is a |
| internal marketing strategies to ensure that | | | | direct link between what you do everyday and |
| employees are well versed in the brand attributes | | | | your brand. |
| and values. | | | | Point 5. is important. The traditional logic is that a |
| Internal Branding: What is it? | | | | brand, once defined, should remain unchanged until |
| Internal branding, internal marketing, internal | | | | it's accepted by your target markets. This still |
| communications
call it what you will. In the end, | | | | stand true in many cases but you'll soon find out |
| it's all about making sure your employees are | | | | that peripherals attributes, such as products, will |
| brand advocates. Brand advocacy goes beyond | | | | change overtime, sometimes even redefining your |
| being courteous to the first customer in the | | | | brand in the process. |
| morning. It's about being fanatic about the brand, | | | | It's all in the tactics |
| otherwise, it's just a job. And that's where the | | | | The development of any strategy should always |
| problem lies, for many of your employees, it's | | | | start with a deep definition of the target markets. |
| just a job. One they could easily give-up for | | | | In this case, your employees. Do you truly know |
| another offering them a 5% salary increase. | | | | them? What are their characteristics? Aspirations? |
| Internal branding is not about building loyalty even | | | | You need to define your internal market |
| though it's one of the side benefits. It's not about | | | | thoroughly just as would an external target |
| managing to retain your best employees, it's | | | | market. Once done, you can properly identify |
| about developing a marketing story so compelling | | | | your objective (including ROI), the most |
| that people want to work for you and those who | | | | appropriate strategy, tactics, schedule and budget. |
| do, carry themselves with pride and honour. Now, | | | | The planning part is important but it's all in the |
| your marketing story can never be a lie. Building | | | | tactics. In internal branding, what you do is more |
| your business on a promise you can't deliver is | | | | important that what you say. Here are a fe |
| the surest way to fail. It has to be real and | | | | examples of standard tactics that will help you |
| believable by both your customers and | | | | develop your internal branding: |
| employees. And the latter can be more difficult | | | | Brand Benefit Communications Company |
| than the former. | | | | Celebrations Internal Branding Campaigns |
| Most marketing stories are written for customers | | | | Intranet Communications New Employee |
| often making the company's employees smile and | | | | Orientations Newletters/E-Newsletters |
| joke about the story.' Is yours written in a | | | | Organizational Development Rewards & |
| way that your employees believe? And would | | | | Recognition Events Team Building Etc. |
| they tell you if they did not? | | | | Which one should you choose? It depends on |
| So your brand is a story. A story you tell both | | | | three factors: time, labour and money. Your |
| your internal and external public. | | | | strategy and tactics will depend on which one you |
| Why do you need to focus on Internal Branding? | | | | have most of (and who has time these days?) |
| Seen in this light, it's easy to understand why you | | | | Should you involve HR? |
| should develop your internal branding strategy. | | | | Before we go further, the answer is yes. |
| The benefits are tremendous: better informed | | | | If you look at the list of tactics above you could |
| employees potentially becoming happier with their | | | | quickly decide that this the responsibility of human |
| jobs, their lives, etc. resulting in happier customers | | | | resources, and many marketing manager would |
| coming back for more. As most companies are | | | | quickly agree. I disagree. As a marketer, if you |
| not built on altruistic grounds, no business is truly a | | | | are lucky to have a progressive HR Director, you |
| democracy, the focus on your employees is a | | | | will reap tremendous benefits by developing an |
| real business strategy aimed at increasing your | | | | internal branding strategy with him or her and |
| revenue and controlling your costs in a | | | | work together in the implementation. Going |
| non-manipulative manner. How's is that for | | | | further, internal branding is a company exercise |
| benefits? | | | | and your employees should be involved. While the |
| It's often easier to identify the negative than the | | | | idea of creating an internal branding committee |
| positive (ask any executive who has gone | | | | could quickly defeat the purpose, having people |
| through a SWOT analysis.) And in the case of | | | | from different functions involved throughout the |
| internal branding, the result of not doing is simple: | | | | year is certainly a good idea. |
| Your company could fail. The problems you face | | | | Can you measure Internal Branding? |
| today are often due to a lack of proper | | | | Like all branding related activities, measuring it is |
| communication or understanding which can be | | | | as difficult as measuring advertising effectiveness. |
| addressed by explaining your values in details (an | | | | Short of putting your employees to a test, |
| internal branding tactic) allowing your employees | | | | conducting regular checks on their brand |
| to make a daily decisions with customers based | | | | awareness, support, etc. is useful. Doing an internal |
| on a sound principles. | | | | brand audit on a yearly basis could be considered |
| Formal vs. informal Internal Branding | | | | as part of your internal branding strategy anyway. |
| Building your brand to ensure that your | | | | Conducted yearly, the Internal Brand audit can |
| employees buy-in the story is often more difficult | | | | become your measuring yardstick. Covering the |
| than to create one for consumers. Why is that? | | | | different angles your brand offer, it is a helpful |
| It seems that the internal knowledge employees | | | | tool and can be as simple as a survey or as |
| have of the company prevents them from | | | | complex as you want it to be. The simpler the |
| believing what is often referred to as the | | | | better though as its aims is to both reinforce the |
| marketing message' (pronounce this with a | | | | value of the branding message and identify areas |
| derogatory tone.) A brand message that is at odd | | | | of improvement. |
| with the real culture top management stands for | | | | What's next? |
| is a sure way to fail. So the marketing story' | | | | It's been a while since Orison Swett Marden, the |
| starts at the top. If your top management | | | | first editor of Success Magazine, talked about |
| doesn't believe in it or even live it every single | | | | chivalry and honesty in the business field. These |
| day, how can you expect your employees to do | | | | two powerful words would serve well in |
| so? | | | | developing an internal branding strategy worthy of |
| There are two ways to go about building your | | | | the business consumers deserve. In today's world |
| brand internally. The first one is to simply match | | | | the impact your employees have on your |
| what you say to what you do. It's a simple | | | | business is even more important. Gone are the |
| strategy but often difficult to implement as it | | | | days where all you were hiring were hands to do |
| requires a real connection between who you are | | | | a job. Today, each employee comes with a |
| as CEO, your actions and your brand. SMEs are at | | | | complex set of behaviours, emotions and attitude |
| an advantage as the CEOs are closer to the | | | | that can make or break your brand in a single |
| operations and can therefore oversee the brand | | | | heartbeat or phone call. What is the use of |
| story and its implementation throughout the | | | | investing thousands of dollars in marketing if each |
| organization (and don't be fooled, branding is the | | | | time your customers calls, the receptionist is rude |
| CEO's problem, not the marketing department.) | | | | or unwilling to help? |