What makes a company a ‘dream company to work for’? Is it just the brand they are, the salaries they pay, the flexible work schedules, or are we missing something else in the mix? Perhaps a little dash of what we’d like to call the human-connect – the secret formula to better company culture. And that little missing piece is rooted in effective communication across the company – inside out.
And that is the power of effective branding!
While mainstream branding has undoubtedly found its place as a key element of establishing identity and value for a company, there’s more to what seems like a customer/audience-facing exercise. But it is equally critical to establish the same identity and value in the eyes of your employees. For consumers to love your brand, your employees must love it first. Almost like self-love, your internal branding plays a different but equally crucial role as your external branding in shaping your company’s image.
What is internal branding? Explore the differences between internal vs. external branding
Internal branding is for employees. External branding is for customers and the rest of the world. But just like any other facet of a business, there is more than meets the eye.
While both intend to form a connection with the intended audience, the results they are meant to achieve are fundamentally different. While external branding is key to impressing customers, internal branding is key to improving employee morale by creating a homogenous culture in the organisation. Aligning every decision with your internal culture helps foster a positive environment where your employees feel nurtured, appreciated, and accepted – resulting in motivated employees who enhance your company’s productivity.
But the most important aspect, and one that most brands struggle to achieve, is coherence between the two types of branding. No matter how chic and modern your external branding is, if your internal branding is commonplace and nondescript, it will come out in the open sooner or later.
With every company competing to be discovered, it is essential to maintain consistency between your branding and align them to the values and goals of your company. Being transparent and continuously communicating with your employees about the company’s direction can cultivate trust among your workforce, who can then help you course-correct when required. Proper internal branding will instil pride in your employees and have them say precisely what you want them to say about the company versus their versions of their experiences at work. In short, your employees can be your true ambassadors with a good internal branding strategy in place.
Effective internal branding will not only help attract and retain like-minded employees but also equip you better to serve new and existing customers for longer.
Big or small, established or new, as long as you have employees, you cannot shy away from internal branding. In addition, your internal identity must underpin your external persona for your brand to grow. Hence, both must be developed consistently with each other.
Get on the road to becoming a ‘dream company’ with internal branding ideas and strategies as distinctive as your workplace. Reach us at contactus@wytefyre.com.