The power of internal communications as a marketing tool

Whether you’re a team of five or 500 people, your employees are always your best brand ambassadors.

Here, agency MD Helen Rudd investigates why having an effective internal communications strategy is integral to the success of a business.

 

 “I love going to work, my employer is fantastic, I really enjoy my job.”

Hearing this phrase probably makes you either roll your eyes in disbelief, makes you feel very jealous, or makes you want to work there too.

If it’s the third, then your employee has just proven why good internal communication can be one of the most powerful marketing techniques available to you.

Along with increasing sales, attracting good quality employees is up there on the list of the most common reasons why businesses approach Prominent for help.

Across many sectors, businesses are fighting for the best staff – and job hunters can pick and choose the best companies they want to work for. A positive company culture is moving rapidly up the list of must-haves, so business owners need to be on the ball when it comes to internal communications.

Keeping things under control

We all know how it feels to be in a situation where a lack of updates leaves you feeling uneasy.

Maybe your plane is delayed but you have no idea how long for, or you’ve ordered something online for a family member’s birthday and you don’t know when it’s likely to be delivered. The ‘not-knowing’ makes you feel uncomfortable and you may start to panic.

Having a regular feed of information and being able to positively impact on the outcome of a situation leaves you feeling more in control and enables you to make informed decisions.

And it’s no different in the world of work.

Keeping your employees updated with the goings-on in the business will make them feel informed and engaged. And allowing them to have their say will also result in them feeling valued and appreciated.

Staff who are happy at work are your best ambassadors. Employees who are disengaged and who feel taken for granted will either leave or bad mouth you, which then becomes a reputational risk.

What’s worse, when the rumour mill is going and gossip is spreading like wildfire, you can’t control what is being said – which could be hugely damaging if your business is going through change such as a merger or a sale.

And that’s where your internal communications strategy comes in.

Building an internal communications strategy

Your employees play an important role in the success of your business and they won’t be able (or won’t want) to perform well if they aren’t informed or feel valued.

Internal communications shouldn’t be hard and it shouldn’t be onerous – it should be an integral part of your marketing plan.

This could be anything from a regular internal newsletter to an intranet, from a weekly team meeting to feedback and focus groups, from social outings to 1-2-1s – anything which keeps your team ‘in the loop’ with business activity.

At Prominent, we have a team huddle every Monday morning before we start the working week. We talk about the successes of the week before and the plans for the week ahead and I update the team on any business news I have. We make sure we share a brief update on all clients so the whole team feel informed and supported.

Everyone leaves feeling positive about the week ahead and our teamworking has hugely improved as a result. We have a happy team and our office is a buzzing, creative space.

If internal communications is something you want to do but you just don’t have the capacity, or you haven’t considered having a dedicated internal communications delivery plan and would like to discuss this further, please get in touch – we’d be thrilled to help you.

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