While the impact successful marketing can have on company revenue is well known, it is often overlooked as a method of reaching internal employees. Your employees are often the face (and voice) of your organization, interacting directly with customers and prospects. It is difficult for employees to genuinely speak with prospects about the value of your products or services if they do not have a strong relationship with your organization. Think of it this way: would you rather have an employee who enjoys coming to work each day and believes in your organization interacting with your customers and prospects or an employee who feel unvalued and underappreciated?
What is Internal Marketing?
Internal marketing involves many of the same elements as an external marketing campaign, expect that the audience is your employees rather than your prospects. The process for internal marketing is also similar to the process you would conduct for external marketing. It is important to first of all understand the current state of your employee’s attitudes and mindsets. Conducting a survey of your employees is an important step to understanding areas that need improvement.
After you have this knowledge, you can use the data to drive your strategic plan to improve employee morale and opinions. Additionally, this data will serve as a benchmark by which you can measure the success of your campaign at regular intervals.
Developing a Plan
Once you have an understanding of the areas that need improvement, the next step is to develop an internal marketing campaign, complete with strategy and tactics. Some tactics you may want to use could include employee newsletters, focus groups, online employee forums or regular CEO presentations. This plan should be developed through collaboration and buy-in of your executive, Human Resources and marketing teams.
Companies that have done this extremely well include Hubspot, who recently published their internal culture document which their co-found spent over 200 hours working on (embedded below), and Zappos, well known for the company culture with an extensive section of their website devoted to their seven core values. While your company’s culture documentation doesn’t necessarily need to be this extensive, they are good examples to build on.
The Results: Improved Culture as Well as Bottom Line
There are several ways that an internal marketing initiative can improve not only your employee morale, but also your bottom line:
1. Rapport with Employees
Building a positive environment within your organization can yield improved productivity from employees. When employees enjoy coming to work and feel valuable, they are more motivated and productive. In fact, this Forbes article states that “happy employees are more productive employees, which positively affects the bottom line.”
2. Team Unity
It can be difficult to ensure that all employees feel part of a larger team working toward a common goal. This is especially true at larger companies, those with multiple offices and employees across the country or even the globe. By ensuring that all employees are on the same page regarding the organization’s overall goals and strategies, you ensure that they feel more like a team working toward a common goal as opposed to disjointed units. Bonus: Enabling collaboration between departments and office locations also helps to improve your company’s overall communication and innovation processes.
3. Pride in Work and Success
It is important to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond. This shows that you value their contribution, encouraging them to continue to work hard while also encouraging other employees. While you may feel like you have to reward employees with monetary prizes or gifts, sometimes a simple mention in the company newsletter or an email will be enough.
Need help developing an internal marketing plan for your organization? Contact Launch today! Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest B2B marketing tips and trends.
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