Taking consumer behaviour and applying it to employer branding, when 67% of all consumer decisions are primarily influenced by word of mouth (McKinsey) how can marketeers use employee engagement to build the public brand and drive sales?
Whilst corporate comms and marketing professionals are seen as the communication experts, we shouldn’t forget about the impact that HR professionals have on building a brand. Whilst HR professionals manage the employer brand, we need to look at the wider impact their work has,
It is as important to make employees as well as consumers advocates for your organisation. Whilst every advertisement and every newspaper article has an impact on the employer brand, likewise every conversation an employee has about their place of work has an impact on the consumer brand. As marketeers we are always looking to influence word of mouth conversations, isn’t collaboration between MarComms and HR the answer?
When an engaged employee discusses their feelings towards their work and employer positively, we know this impacts the employer brand. It influences the listener to consider working there or be an advocate if their advice is requested. It also impacts the public brand as it can influence the decision to purchase their products or services too.
Employee engagement is a high priority in the HR community but the marketing community should be listening too and getting involved as this has a direct impact on what they are trying to achieve. Employee engagement is not only part of the solution to employee retention and effectiveness it is the way to build the brand from the grass roots up, influencing potential customers and candidates alike at a micro level.
When 90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products and services (NOP World) who is better placed to spread the word but those in the know, actual employees.
We rely on our marketing and communications experts to support the drive for increased sales and greater awareness. We task HR with reducing the overall recruitment expenditure by focusing on employee retention.
If HR professionals and marketing professionals worked together to focus on every organisations greatest resource, its people, two of every organisations constant challenges can be impacted – decreasing the cost of recruitment and increasing the number of sales.
Sounds good in theory, but how relevant is this to SME’s?
Comment by dubaibizniz — May 18, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
Employee engagement is crucial for SMEs. It is important to ensure your teams are as motivated and productive as possible as there is less room to carry people who aren’t pulling their weight. If you create advocates of your employees in the process, this can only benefit your business.
Think about how much of your PR and Marketing budgets go into trying to inform and influence conversations that are happening with the intent of influencing a sale or further enhancing your brand. Your strategies and initiatives will only be strenghtened and enhanced with your brand being built at a grassroots level by your employees, in the same way that all of that work can be undone by a negative word in the wrong place.
Comment by natski68 — May 22, 2008 @ 5:36 pm