The graphics are updated, the slogan is set, you just launched the next seasonal marketing campaign for your business. You love it. Your manager loves it. Your customers are going to love it. But is your staff on board? Internal marketing – marketing to and for your employees – is easily the most overlooked form of marketing but one of the most beneficial.

Superglue For Your Brand

From creating a unified customer experience to building an environment employees want to work in, internal marketing is essential for bringing your team together. 

Internal marketing centers around employees taking ownership of their brand’s identity, purpose, goals, and policies. This can be achieved in multiple ways, the most important of which is communication. Now, we don’t mean impersonal office memos or emails. Those have a time and place, but do little to build a relationship between staff members. 

Instead, encourage conversations between employees, management, and yourself. Take the time to explain what the purpose of the new marketing campaign is, how it fits with your brand’s overall goals, and how it relates to the employees. Openly listen to your employees’ ideas or concerns – you may find areas that were overlooked, or new ideas to improve productivity or your customers’ experience. 

The ultimate outcome of internal marketing is to create unity in a company. When your entire team is working towards the same goal and understands how their individual roles fit into the big picture, customers get exactly what was promised in your marketing campaigns, giving your brand credibility.

When included in the decision-making process, kept informed, and outwardly valued, employees are more likely to be loyal to the brand, and share their positive experiences with others. This, in turn, benefits the company through word-of-mouth marketing, increased productivity, and even reduced cost of hiring, as employees may recommend their workplace to friends and family. 

In most small businesses, there is already a level of communication and trust between the owner, management, and employees. Maybe you hired your employees personally, work alongside them, or have known them for a long time. To begin implementing internal marketing, begin with the relationships that you already have, and continue to build on them. 

Keep your employees informed of new marketing and new business practices. Ask your employees how the company could be improved, or how to make them feel more appreciated. Listen to what they say, and continue to include them in conversations about your business. Find ways to celebrate employees’ who are doing a great job of representing your company and company values, and publicly acknowledging good work and achievements.

• Weekly team meetings to bring everyone up to speed and on the same page.
• Including the entire team in on marketing ideas and development.
• We developed a Brand Guide that fully showcase who we are, what we are about, and how we present that to the world.
• Work related or not, every one is always invited.