Your company has a great brand and what appears to be effective marketing. But have you neglected internal branding?
Internal branding is an ongoing effort to ensure your employees’ actions and deeds are aligned with the company’s business strategy. Your employees interact directly with customers, potential customers and potential employees every day; they can be a powerful tool, building trust and credibility for your brand, or they can be an equally powerful means of undermining the brand. Your marketing team can and should ensure your entire company is up to date on your marketing positioning and initiatives.
Ideally, internal branding should begin at the beginning; allowing employee participation in branding or brand updates through polls, focus groups, etc., empowering them to take ownership. Share your newsletters and advertising with everyone in the company so they can echo the brand messaging. New employees should also be versed in the company’s mission and goals and each of the company’s brands’ messaging as part of their orientation and training.
Is your mission statement prominently displayed in each of your facilities? Are current print ads available for all to see? Give your employees the means to talk the talk AND walk the walk!
