Internal communication: Selling the Brand from the Inside

Internal communication is often thought of as…the necessary evil, the black sheep, never on brand. Often lurking unread in employees’ inboxes, a last minute afterthought and seen more as a pain than an importance. Underlooked, underfunded and under-appreciated.

But done right, internal communication can be your company's super power.

ADVOCATING FOR YOUR AMBASSADORS

Just like external marketing, your employees are a market too. They influence how someone feels about your company, they are the very people who sell your brand to your customers. So why does driving employee advocacy become something that gets tacked onto the end of a to-do list?

Employees need to believe it to sell it. And to do this they need to feel connected to your brand. When people believe in the brand, they care about it too. To bring your brand alive for your employees, to weave it into the very fabric of the company will mean they are fully encompassed in what you do.

ALIGNING YOUR BRAND & CREATING PURPOSE

Think like a marketer

Firstly, you need to treat your employee audience like any other. By aligning internal and external communications, your brand will flow across all mediums. It is valuable to consider the ways your processes are communicating to your internal teams. Consider them as a separate audience with their own consumer needs. What makes them tick? What makes them care about your business?

Think content

When it comes to creating meaningful internal comms, you need to provide employees with value. Ask questions like...how does your content benefit your audience? What do they need to know and how will this help them? How will this content help build the kind of culture your company wants to achieve? Your internal comms should promote a genuine feeling of shared purpose. A focus on community and connection is a must to push forward inclusion and team motivation.

Think long-term

By maintaining a consistent stream of content, you can alleviate uncertainty and help to develop a mutual trust. Using a strong tone of voice across company communications can help employees live the company’s vision. Being able to identify with a company's purpose leads to a greater interest and a stronger commitment to employee work. Value and purpose are key to how your employees communicate your brand to others. Employees need to feel valued full stop.

THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Ultimately, even though internal communication may feel like an extra drain on an already tight budget. The truth of it is, an employee that doesn’t care about the company could potentially contribute to a negative reputation moving forward. By weaving your brand message into employees everyday experiences companies not only create more engaged employees they create strong ambassadors.

Engaging brand communication should be a well thought through, deliberate and consistent element of every company's marketing strategy.