From the Inside Out: How Marketers Can Inspire Every Employee to Live the Brand

Not just your marketing team Not just the Csuite But the fulltime merchandiser in Des Moines The warehouse associate in Reno The new hire in HR whoamp8217s only been there three weeks These are your brand39s daily touchpoints And if they donamp8217t understand the brand if they donamp8217t feel the brand then even the most awardwinning marketing may fall short of its full potentialSo the question becomes What can you as a marketer practically do to help nonmarketing employees understand the brand believe in it and ultimately become its ambassadorsHereamp8217s what Iamp8217ve learned over the years across global companies and categories itamp8217s not about one big initiative Itamp8217s about weaving the brand into the everyday making it real relatable and relevant Hereamp8217s how to do it1 Demystify the Brand Make It Plain Not PreciousMarketers sometimes unintentionally wrap brand strategy in overly abstract language Purpose Archetypes Value propositions These are powerful tools but not always immediately graspable to someone working outside marketingInstead of handing out the brand book and hoping it lands translate it If your brand stands for optimism donamp8217t lead with a quadrant chart lead with a story Talk about what optimism looks like in your companyamp8217s behavior tone policies or product design Use analogies Use memes Use whatever format helps demystify the conceptCreate a onepage cheat sheet that says amp8220Hereamp8217s what our brand stands for Hereamp8217s what that means in plain terms Hereamp8217s how it shows up in our product in our service and in youamp82212 Make It Personal Whatamp8217s In It for ThemEmployees are not brand ambassadors by default Theyamp8217re brand ambassadors when they understand why it matters to themHow does the brand make their job more meaningful What does it say about the kind of company they work for How can it help them communicate with customers more effectively or make decisions fasterHelp each function connect the dots For exampleFor sales teams show how the brand story can shorten the sales cycle or help overcome objectionsFor operations link brand values to decisionmaking maybe sustainability drives certain vendor choicesFor HR show how the employer brand attracts better talent and builds a culture of purposeIf you canamp8217t explain what the brand means to someone in each of these roles your work isnamp8217t done yet3 Build amp8220Brand Momentsamp8221 into the Employee JourneyMost companies have brand campaigns for the outside world But do you have one for your employeesThink of the employee lifecycle as a brand journeyOnboarding Instead of a dull slide deck bring your brand to life Play brand campaigns Invite a customerfacing employee to tell a story about how the brand shaped a moment with a client Make it emotionalTraining Donamp8217t just teach systems Show how the brand should influence choices and tone For example What would our brand sound like in a support emailCelebrations ampamp Recognition Tie employee recognition to brand values Celebrate someone not just for quotgoing above and beyondquot but for living the brand in action Maybe they embodied amp8220courageamp8221 amp8220compassionamp8221 or amp8220craftamp8221 Make it visibleBy baking brand into these key inflection points you make it part of the companyamp8217s DNA not just a campaign of the month4 Empower Brand Storytelling from the Front LinesGreat brands arenamp8217t built only in boardrooms Theyamp8217re built in every customer interaction every problem solved every small kindness extended And those moments are happening all the time if you know where to lookSo ask yourself How are you capturing and sharing the real stories from inside your organizationCreate a simple mechanism for employees to share brandaligned stories or momentsFeature these stories in internal newsletters allhands meetings or social channelsRecognize employees who are not just doing their job but expressing your brand through how they do itPeople connect to people not PowerPoints These stories give your brand texture humanity and proof5 Turn Managers into Brand MultipliersMiddle managers are often the makeorbreak layer when it comes to culture and brand translation If theyamp8217re not engaged the brand stops shortMake it easy for managers to become brand carriersEquip them with talking points activities or visual tools they can share in team meetingsOffer amp8220Brand as Leadershipamp8221 workshops that help managers understand how the brand can guide their communication and coaching styleMost importantly model it from the top If the executive team treats brand as a strategic asset not just marketingamp8217s job others will follow6 Use Internal Marketing Like You Use External MarketingThe irony we put enormous energy into persuading customers but sometimes forget to amp8220sellamp8221 the brand inside the companyUse your marketing muscle for internal impact Think like a marketerCreate bold visual communicationsRepeat key messages often consistency builds internal equity tooLeverage influencers inside the company those who have credibility and a big following even informallyMake your campaigns feel like campaigns with rhythm anticipation and moments of interactionIf your internal brand marketing is dry or overly corporate it wonamp8217t resonate Bring the same creative passion youamp8217d use for a Super Bowl spot to your company intranet Why not7 Invite Employees Into the Brandamp8217s EvolutionOne of the most powerful ways to build belief in a brand is to make people part of itHost amp8220brand listening sessionsamp8221 where employees can share what the brand means to themInvolve nonmarketers in brand refreshes naming initiatives or innovation labsSolicit feedback on how the brand could show up better in the real world amp8212 in packaging policy or service interactionsWhen employees feel like coauthors of the brand they become its most authentic advocates Theyamp8217ll defend it Promote it Improve itIn Closing From Belief to BehaviorAt the end of the day your brand isnamp8217t just what you say itamp8217s what you do And that doing happens in the hands minds and hearts of every employee every dayMarketing canamp8217t own the brand alone But it can lead You can be the translator The connector The internal evangelistSo letamp8217s stop treating employees as an internal audience and start treating them as the most valuable ambassadors weamp8217ll ever have Because when the inside believes and behaves the outside world takes noticeAnd thatamp8217s when a brand becomes truly powerfulPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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From the Inside Out: How Marketers Can Inspire Every Employee to Live the Brand

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Stephanie Fierman

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