The question of whether front-line, everyday employees should be speaking on behalf of a company and its brand has been in the minds of business owners and executives for years. On the one hand, harnessing the full weight of a company’s workforce can put a lot of bodies into the marketing effort. At the same time, companies often fear the potential negative, counter-productive impact of “rogue” or un-coached employees. Think of the employee complaining about her job on her Facebook page, or the insider who gives friends and neighbors the “real story” about his company at a backyard BBQ. Continue reading “Should Rank-and-File Employees Be Speaking on Behalf of Brands?”
Tag: Employee Communication
Boosting the Effectiveness of Your Employee Communications
It’s a constant challenge for many organizations: finding ways to ensure that their employees have the information they need not only to do their jobs, but to boost their engagement and loyalty and to serve as effective brand ambassadors. I was asked recently for my “top tips” on how companies, large and small, can improve their employee communication efforts. These were my top three recommendations: Continue reading “Boosting the Effectiveness of Your Employee Communications”
An Often Overlooked Audience You Shouldn’t Ignore!
I had an opportunity recently to speak to a group of human resource (HR) professionals in my community about a topic I’ve always been passionate about–employee communication. My undergraduate degree was in Psychology and Social Work. My dream as a child was to become a psychologist and, from seventh grade on, that was the path I thought I would take. However, during my senior year of college, I had my first internship and realized that I was not cut out to be a counselor. So, I pursued another path. I was working for a local governmental agency at the time, and I took an interest in HR management. The concept of employee motivation was very interesting to me and clearly aligned with the psychological principles I had learned about in school. So, I toyed with the idea of potentially creating or serving in a role that might be called a “corporate psychologist.”
Then, as fate would have it, Continue reading “An Often Overlooked Audience You Shouldn’t Ignore!”
What do your employees know about your brand?
In our work with organizations, primarily in service professions (e.g. healthcare, consulting), we often find one critical audience overlooked–employees. Particularly for service organizations, employees are everything. They literally are the product! If they aren’t kept informed about your company’s mission, vision, values and desired brand image, they can’t help you support your brand.
The big question for you: do your employees understand your desired brand image? Continue reading “What do your employees know about your brand?”
Are you practicing effective B2E marketing?
I heard a term recently that I had never heard before, but that I wish I had come up with: B2E marketing: for “Business to Employee.” Most are familiar with both B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) marketing and, of course, the concept is the same. This new acronym, though, really hits on a very, very important audience that many businesses overlook. But, while I’ve spoken, written and consulted widely on the important role that employees can play as brand ambassadors, I didn’t coin the term. Darn! That said, Continue reading “Are you practicing effective B2E marketing?”
Don’t Overlook the Value of Internal Communication!
One of the frequently, and unfortunately, overlooked audiences for many organizations is employees. They are the “first line of defense” for ensuring that your key messages are accurately and energetically conveyed to external audiences. Yet, many organizations fail to effectively enlist employees in these efforts. Continue reading “Don’t Overlook the Value of Internal Communication!”
For Service Organizations, Employees Rule!
I have been working on the development of a training session on developing employees as brand ambassadors for a service organization and, as I’ve been conducting my research and gathering examples, I’m struck as always by the critical role that employees play in either strengthening or damaging the brand, and the woefully inadequate attention that most organizations pay to helping them be successful in that role. The organization I’m working with is a refreshing exception–they recognize the importance of establishing strategy at the top of the organizations, preparing managers to serve as coaches and role models for service excellence and setting the stage for effective employee engagement through communication.
The steps in the process seem fairly straightforward and linear: Continue reading “For Service Organizations, Employees Rule!”
Why Employee Engagement Should Be Part of Your Marketing Mix
Despite the fact that study after study continues to support the critical role that employees play as ambassadors (or detractors) for the organizations they work for, not all organizations are focused, as they should be, on their staff first. If you’re interested in boosting your marketing, you need to first start inside–with your employees. Seem a bit counter-intuitive? Maybe. But consider that, particularly for Continue reading “Why Employee Engagement Should Be Part of Your Marketing Mix”
Change Management: A Business Challenge That Can Be Overcome Through Open Communication
Every organization goes through change. Every individual goes through change. Some manage change more effectively than others. Why? I think there are a couple of reasons. Those who are most effective at managing change–whether individuals or organizations–recognize: Continue reading “Change Management: A Business Challenge That Can Be Overcome Through Open Communication”
Brand Matters!
While doing some online research recently I came across an article on branding that I wrote back in 1997! Clearly it’s a topic that I’ve been interested in for some time. Two things struck me about coming across this piece:
1) Wow! The Internet was still in its infancy in the late 90’s, yet content from “way back then” is online.
2) Everything I said about branding back in 1997 Continue reading “Brand Matters!”