Companies spend a lot of money on various marketing strategies reaching far and wide. However, a lot of them are forgetting that there is a marketing strategy that involves just reaching out closely: making their employees happy.
Unbeknownst to a lot of companies, happy employees bring about a lot of benefits to the company such as higher productivity, lower attrition rates, and a better working environment. In addition, your employee’s welfare can contribute to your organisations’ marketing endeavours both directly and indirectly.
Benefits of happy employees to your marketing efforts
LinkedIn has reported that while only 3% of employees are sharing company-related content, an increase of 30% in website traffic can be attributed to these. There are a number of ways in which your employees can play part in your marketing campaigns.
Your employees can serve as your company’s brand ambassadors.
Some companies try to mandate their employees to share relevant materials about the business in their social media profiles. But to make it most effective, you should let your employees do it willingly. And this is something they will do on their own, without additional remuneration, if they are happy with the company.
You can leverage on their loyalty, spreading the positive word about your business.
Customers and clients appreciate businesses that do not only have good products but are also for other aspects such as in how they treat their employees.
Your employees know your organisation very well.
For this reason, your employees are a great marketing arsenal in themselves. They can initiate word-of-mouth through their own networks, family, and friends. If you treat your employees well, this word-of-mouth will be positive.
How unhappy employees can hurt your business
At the other end of the spectrum, unhappy employees can become your worst nightmare. Being inside the company, your employees are credible sources on matters regarding your business. And when your employees spread negative word-of-mouth, this can greatly damage your reputation as a business owner and as an entrepreneur. An employer who doesn’t treat their employees right is also seen as someone who would not treat their customers well.
One of the hardest-hitting examples would be from HMV, where disgruntled employees live-tweeted the whole fiasco as their HR underwent a layoff spree.
Make sure that you treat your own employees well so that they do not become a liability. But if you are really a great company, this comes naturally anyway.
How to make your employees help you build your brand
There are lots of ways in which you can leverage on the power of your employees as marketing channels. However, the beauty of it is when you do not impose, but you genuinely engage them so that they do it wholeheartedly.
Here are some concrete ways on how you can invite your employees to do their part in building your brand:
Create a positive workplace
One of the best ways is by fostering a great working environment. Build an organizational culture where your employees would love to go to every working day. Take for example this review by a Kimpton Hotels employee, which reflected a positive sentiment due to a positive work environment:
“The culture of Kimpton is the strongest I have seen. Even though it is a large company, you feel very intertwined at all levels. People are happy who work here and that is because the guests are happy too.”
Empower your employees
Communicate with your employees of their importance, not only in the day-to-day operations of your business but also in other aspects of the business such as marketing. With the proper understanding of their significance, your employees would feel empowered, and there’s a lot of good when your employees feel that. Empowered employees are engaged with the companies and would also do their part in taking care of the brand, and that’s where they can act as great brand ambassadors.
Set a clear message
To help your employees help build your brand in the right way, make sure that you communicate to them how they can help. But never force them to it. Your employees work best for marketing your business if they do it on their own accord.
What you should do is to communicate your marketing goals to your employees so that they will be aware of it, and they can also communicate the same message that you do, not something contrary to it.
Your employees really have a huge and impactful role when it comes to marketing your business. But their maximum potential can only be attained if they are genuinely happy and engaged. As both current and former employees are now able to provide their feedback about the company through company and job review platforms such as Glassdoor, Marketing and Brand managers must also be more conscious of what is being said by their employees about their brand.
Do your part in improving your relationship with your employees and their experience in your company. Always remember that the way you treat your employees will have an influence on the perception of your clients and customers towards your business.