Internal Branding

We are all fairly comfortable with the concept of “Building a Brand” around our products.??What might be less obvious is?the idea of “Internal Branding”.??When the concept was first talked about, it was seen by many as a frivolous thing, one of those “touchy/feely” ideas that didn’t really matter.?However, more and more, companies are embracing the idea, especially with increased difficulties in finding and keeping good people.

?The best way I can explain the concept is this:??One of the questions I always ask whenever I interview someone for a job is, “if you could be known for one trait, what would you want it to be?”??Internal branding is very similar – it is asking, how do you want your staff to see you as a company??How does it feel to work for you???What differentiates you from other companies??Companies are now understanding that if you want to attract good people, and keep them, ?they need a reason to want to work for you, as much as you need a reason to hire them.

?Being able to align your employee values with your company values can help create a strong company culture – a culture where everyone is working towards the same goal.??When you have a strong internal brand, employees will be more engaged.?I hear a lot of talk about engagement, but here’s the thing, you have to give your employees something to be engaged in!

?So how do you achieve this, and how do you even know what your Internal Brand should be?

?If you haven’t already done so, deciding what your Company Values are is a good place to start.

What do you stand for as a company??What do you believe in??When someone thinks about your company, what do you want them to think and feel??

?Write a mission statement.??Keep it simple.?Answer the question, why do you do what you do?

?As an example, from Amazon:?“to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

?Once you have figured out what you are all about, then you have to share the information.?I have always been a big believer in the “Why” of things.?If I ask somebody to do something, I always explain why because I think understanding that helps people to learn and grow.?And this is no different.?If you want your employees to be invested in what you do as a company and want morale to be high so people want to come to work and give it 100%, you need to tell employees why they should care.???Leadership needs to talk about it – a lot.?Never assume that people just know this.?

?Whatever makes your company stand out, needs to be shouted from the rooftops.?Put it on posters around the building.?Brag!?And where you can do better, acknowledge that too, and talk about how as a company you will get there.?

?And don’t just talk about this once in awhile.?Make it part of your orientation for new employees.??It is easy for employees to get caught up in the silos of their own departments or divisions and not be able to see the bigger picture if no one is talking about it.

?Whatever your company brand is, it can be attached to every presentation you do, on forms and letterhead, anything that promotes your company.?

?Many of us have heard about how companies like Google or Apple engage their employees, and most of us are not them, but there are a lot of things you can do that do not cost a lot of money but will go a very long way towards making employees feel like you are all on the same team.

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Ask for employee feedback and suggestions on brand building efforts

?Get employees involved in recycling and other green efforts within the company

?Find out what employees love about working there and put some of those comments on the wall in the lunchroom or other communal areas

?Offer volunteering opportunities to staff, out in the community

?Have a screen up on a wall with company information, safety messages, anniversaries and milestones etc., running throughout the day

?A quarterly company newsletter with interesting company stories and ideas can be put out, with staff involvement

?Schedule team building activities that emphasize fun

?Hold an internal “Trade Show” where employees who may not know all about the products you make/sell can see first hand what they are and what they do and why they can feel proud to be part of it

?Celebrate any big wins of course but celebrate the small ones too!

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The important thing is to foster a workplace where employees feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, while still being allowed to be themselves.?

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