There is a very simple question that I use to explain why internal brand building is so important. Ready? Here it is: If your employees don’t believe in your brand promise, why should consumers?
It’s actually a very simple and logical concept. Your employees are a powerful source of brand advocacy. Guess what happens if they don’t believe in your brand? They say bad things about it.
And then what happens? Word spreads quickly and your brand reputation is harmed.
But what if they truly believe in your brand promise? What if your employees want to talk about your brand and convince other people to buy it? What if they want to defend it against naysayers, not because it’s their job, but because they truly believe in it and want to protect it?
Imagine how powerful your brand could become if your employees believed your brand promise and lived your brand promise.
It can happen, but not without some time, effort, and investment.
That’s because you can never assume that your employees understand your brand promise. You need to educate and train them to understand it, believe in it, and support it.
The reality is if you’re not focusing on internal brand building, then you’re business is missing three critical connections that can be the difference between success and failure.
1. Personal Brand Connections
Internal brand building enables employees to personally connect with the brand because they can see how they fit into the business’ big picture. In other words, they understand how the work they do on a daily basis impacts not just the company but also how the brand promise is delivered to consumers through brand experiences.
RELATED READING: The Importance of Integrating Your Brand Promise into Your Company Culture
2. Emotional Brand Connections
You need to create positive emotional connections between your employees and your brand just like you create positive emotional connections between consumers and your brand. Emotions are strong. Evoke them in your company culture, training, and values, and your employees will either self-select out of the company or get on board.
RELATED READING: The Art and Science of Emotional Branding
3. Colleague Brand Connections
Internal brand building fosters teamwork and a common purpose. When employees share a goal or believe in the same brand promise, team performance improves, productivity goes up, and morale increases. As a result, your business results should improve, too.
Don’t Miss These Critical Brand Connections by Failing to Prioritize Internal Branding
Internal brand building can have far-reaching effects. Not only does it help to raise brand awareness, trial, and loyalty, but it also helps your business’ hiring and employee retention. If your employees believe in your brand promise, you’ll be able to attract the best talent and keep them.
RELATED READING: 6 Steps to Build a Healthy Company Culture that Spurs Growth
Key Takeaway about Internal Branding
Don’t skimp on internal brand building! Instead, make it a priority right now. When you integrate your brand promise into your company culture, you’ll strengthen key connections that support business growth and will help you reach your business goals.
Originally published 1/5/16. Updated 1/31/23.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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