Talking to Yourself

THE POWER OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS IN EFFECTIVE BRAND BUILDING

You’ve done the strategy. You’ve nailed the USP. You’ve created the killer campaign. You’ve hit all the media deadlines. But are you missing the opportunity to build your brand with the help of an existing resource that’s right under your nose? Here are three things to remember when you look to leverage your people power to build your brand.

1: INTERNAL MONOLOGUES ARE UNDERRATED

Ask yourself this – if you believe in yourself, aren’t other people more likely to believe in you too? It might sound like an elevator pitch for a self-help podcast, but it’s a powerful principle when it comes to brand building. Getting your people behind the brand they represent is useful for a variety of reasons. For example:

  1. Your people will feel proud of their workplace and what it stands for.
  2. Your people will become a tribe of brand ambassadors who spread the word in their communities.
  3. You will retain people who align with your brand values.

2: BRAND IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

If you think this means simply presenting your company values to your team and walking away, think again. Ingraining your brand within the very fabric of your business means applying the same strategic and creative rigour to internal communications as consumer-facing comms. Every company-wide announcement should be in your brand tone of voice. Every internal launch should be in-line with your brand personality. Every HR communication should be in-line with your brand values.

3: WORD OF MOUTH’S A WINNER

If you’re about to shout about something to the consumer market, shout about it to your people first. It’s an opportunity to make your team feel special while building pride and excitement about the future of your organisation. Never make your internal communications an afterthought, see them as a new opportunity to win customers. Tease and tempt your team in the same way you would your target market and you could have an army of brand ambassadors, desperate to share their excitement with friends, families, and social media followers. And we all know how quickly these things can spread (thanks COVID).

At the end of the day, looking inward is an effective way to improve your company’s reputation and performance. Just like a person with a magnetic quality that emanates from a strong sense of self and the confidence to be authentic, getting it right on the inside will always make you more attractive externally.