Business Advice Daily

Motivate Staff - Light Their Fire

by Dottie DeHart

What does “internal marketing” mean to you? Too many leaders associate the phrase with such uninspiring tools as, say, the company mission statement slapped on a bulletin board in the break room…or a dull-as-dishwater company newsletter…or maybe a holiday party that people feel obligated to attend. Most of all, though, such leaders assume internal marketing is in the realm of human resources. But according to Susan M. Drake, selling your brand promise to employees is an absolutely critical function—one that should begin at the loftiest level of your organization.

“Effective internal marketing is a CEO-level priority,” asserts Drake, president of Spellbinders and co-author (along with Michelle J. Gulman and Sara M. Roberts) of “Light Their Fire: Using Internal Marketing to Ignite Employee Performance and WOW Your Customers.”

“It’s all about getting employees to love your brand so they, in turn, will convince customers to love it. Employees who are ho-hum about your brand and product will do a ho-hum job and give ho-hum service. Ho-hum service equals lost business.

“And if you’re wondering how big a problem ho-hum employee attitudes are, consider this fact,” adds Roberts. “Experts estimate that nearly 85% of employees are not fully engaged and motivated. That’s a lot of people to be merely ‘phoning in’ their work. And when you think of lost business and the cost of training new people—because yes, dissatisfied employees do tend to leave—you realize this is a very expensive problem to have.”

Here are just a few insights and suggestions to light the fire of ho-hum employees:

Realize that “E” employees WOW customers. What are “E” employees? Well, the “E” stands for “Engaged, Enabled, Empowered and Ensured.” Drake describes such workers as “people whose passion for what they do erases the boundaries of service.” These outstanding employees exist in all walks of life and all types of companies.

Let employees know that they can—and must—go to such lengths to keep your customers happy and they’ll be well on their way to “E”-hood.

Inspire them with a good logo. You’re probably accustomed to thinking of your logo as a tool for communicating externally, i.e., with your customers. But a well-designed logo can and should be used to communicate messages internally. You might use your existing logo for your internal branding effort or you might hire a professional to come up with a new and distinct (though complementary) one. Then use the logo lavishly, everywhere, or just employ its shapes and colors in unusual places to keep the brand present at all times.

“Disney uses this technique—a ‘wink’—very effectively,” write the authors. “You’ve no doubt seen the silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head and ears. It’s classic Disney. At Disney World, you’ll see the shape in landscaping features, carpet patterns, bathroom fixtures, and who knows how many thousands of other places…what a great way this is for Disney to deliver a happy, positive image of its brand.”

Start branding from day one. Employees will never be more excited than the first day they’re hired. Take advantage of their positive outlook to get them fired up about your vision. In other words, make your orientation be more than tons of forms to fill out, a talking head video of the CEO, and a stream of various department representatives parading in and out. Make this a time to build employee pride in your organization.

“Orientation is the time to get new hires on board mentally and emotionally,” write the authors. “New employees want to believe they’ve joined a special place. Tell them, ‘Here’s the value you bring to us and here’s the value we bring to you.’ Show them how their role will further the company’s growth and how it’s a mutually advantageous relationship. Involve executives. When the top dogs participate, it tells new employees: You’re important to us and we’re honored you came to work here.”

Make them feel like owners. There are very simple, inexpensive ways to show your employees that you care and make them feel connected to their brand. The authors tell the story of how Seth Goldman, head of Honest Tea, uses UPC codes to help his employees feel a sense of ownership. The last five digits of a code can be chosen by the company whose product it appears on (most just select numbers in sequence). Honest Tea lets people build their own birthdays or anniversaries into its UPC code so that that product truly becomes theirs.

Connect them to the community. When your employees see that they work for an organization that promotes community efforts and allows them to use company resources toward the greater good, they are likely to feel a greater loyalty for both the organization and the community. Employees that might not ordinarily donate their free time or money to a charity often join their coworkers and find both personal and professional fulfillment in their newfound involvement.

“The sum of all the benefits of internal marketing is something that is less tangible, but possibly of greater value than anything else a company can aspire to—a great brand,” write Drake, Gulman and Roberts. “A reputation in the market for having the greatest talent, treating your talent well, and delivering exceptional service and products is the most valuable asset. It’s the most difficult quality to achieve and the most difficult quality for competitors to imitate.”

“It’s impossible to duplicate a FedEx, a Virgin, or a Southwest Airlines,” they add. “They are leaders in their industries because their employees say so. Their brands are powerful because every person on board works to that end. Much of that brand power, directly and indirectly, comes from each company’s relationship with its employees.”

Now, can you think of any reason not to make that relationship your top priority?

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