Employees really do need to understand what their company’s brand stands for, why it’s important as well as what their role is in growing and protecting it. An important – and frequently overlooked audience – are employees. Without the organising principle of brand among employees, companies face a missed opportunity for bringing the brand to life – externally.
Employee engagement isn’t a new term. In addition, it’s one which most people now understand and welcome. If you make an investment in your staff`, treat them with self-esteem and respect, as well as offer them career progression, they’re much more likely to want to go the extra mile and be more productive in their roles.
The majority of companies have a mission statement. In some form it is communicated to their employees. However, it is the companies who listen to their staff, allow them to shape what sort of organisation it should be, lead from the top down, and create a passion for the business and what they do that are the real success stories.
Bringing a mission statement to life is no easy feat, however it is one which needs to be engineered across departments and territories in order to gain support from everyone. You can’t merely expect your PR to put some words together to wrap-up what you do in a nutshell, with some motivational speak added in for good measure. It also can’t just be placed in the company handbook for employees to refer to and learn off by heart.
Employee Brand Advocacy Is A Sought-After Competitive Advantage
The power of employees who are genuinely engaged as brand advocates is very difficult for competitors to replicate. It is an emotional benefit which employees associated only with “their” brand and they wanted very much to help the brand to regain its stature.
If top leadership within an organisation lives and breathes the brand, it is much more likely that employees will embrace it as well.
Thus, it is critical that an organisation’s CEO leads by example and constantly acts as an advocate on behalf of the brand. Communication professionals may assist their executive leadership by encouraging them to constantly communicate about the brand and share examples of how they bring the brand to life.
