Corporate Branding Through Employee Engagement
Strategic Employee Communications Vital to Brand Management
Jun 16, 2009
Companies devote huge budgets to brand products and services externally however, the value of internal branding with employees and other internal constituents is a huge factor in business success.
Internal branding presents a credible, compelling or differentiating story about an organization, product or initiative that drives engagement and behaviors among employees.
Employee Satisfaction With Internal Company Branding
Building then managing a reputation from the inside out means that organizations will have an entire workforce acting as ambassadors for products and services.
Having employees as ambassadors capitalizes on using word-of-mouth as an effective corporate branding outcome. This is particularly important considering that, according to a study by the market research firm Keller Fay Group, the average American discusses specific brands in ordinary conversation 56 times each week.
Engaged employees build a brand to deliver on the promise of value, service and quality, living up to the external brand for customers. For example, fast food giant McDonald’s changed its slogan in 2003 from “We’d Love to See You Smile” to “I’m Lovin’ It” to shift the focus from an expectation of grinning employees to customer satisfaction.
Brand Management with Employee Communications Part of Managing Corporate Reputation
Effective internal branding addresses the problem with employees who are not engaged in their daily work or the organization. A recent Gallup poll indicates that 26% of employees give extra effort regularly, 18% are actively disengaged or “checked out” while the remainder, 56%, are not engaged or “on the fence.” This latter group represents a huge engagement opportunity.
Higher levels of employee engagement are good for business, increasing productivity, profits and customers.
A good example that demonstrates the value of building an internal brand through employee engagement is the Carolinas Healthcare System. The system has a culture of caring that differentiates it from the competition around an internal brand “Care Without Compromise.” The brand reflects three fundamental, action-oriented values: “Kindness counts,” Teamwork wins,” and “Every employee makes a difference.”
Effective Communications Management Using Employee Assessment
The action orientation of the values statements challenge internal audiences to match their words with their behavior, which is the rest test of a brand promise. By creating this culture, the healthcare system is driving employee engagement, improving the customer experience and growing its leadership position.
To develop its internal brand, the healthcare system first conducted an employee climate assessment where it uncovered the organization’s core values, defined the culture, developed and tested its messages.
The internal brand team included staff from public relations, marketing and human resources and the individuals chosen were those who saw a wide perspective of the organization.
The healthcare system began a website, “Caring Without Compromise,” and developed a strategic communication plan that included a description of how information flows, the communications tools used, a leadership plan and tools for leaders at all levels. This assessment formed a baseline to allow for continuous assessment of the organization’s brand progress.
In addition, information was mailed to employee’s homes, posters and bulletin boards were used and leaders were given training on how to run better staff meetings. The results of this internal branding initiative included improved morale and increased patient satisfaction.
Internal communications leads to greater levels of employee engagement, productivity and prepares an organization to live up to its brand promise to customers and others served. A great deal of organizational success with this approach proves that the best place for public relations and marketing professionals to start building a brand is from the inside out.
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