Once your organization has evaluated where your brand is clear and where improvement is needed, a specific plan can be developed to make positive changes. The more your brand is aligned with your workforce and clients, the more it enhances the ability of your workforce to advocate for your brand and can help improve employee engagement.
If there are any inconsistencies in how employees and teams engage with each other or management, that is a good place to start. Evaluate teams where it is working. Get specifics on what they are doing right. Then find out why it is not translating to certain teams. There may not be consistency in the communication content or style. Team leads and managers may need training so they are aligned in how they communicate the overall brand.
If your organization has remote workers and/or hybrid workers, it is very important that there is a clear process to make them feel welcome, understand the brand, feel comfortable with their manager and teams, and that they know what to do if they are feeling isolated.
HR leaders can provide regular communications that highlight the company’s unique culture and the achievements, news, and events that align with brand messaging. Internally HR can provide a centralized place for employees to connect, have discussions, and share ideas. These platforms can be reviewed to make sure the brand is understood across all parts of the organization.
Get your employees involved in defining your brand. They can contribute to a consistent message that can easily be communicated. Be clear about what you want your employees to share on social media. For example, do you have a volunteer day where employees participate in community service? Are there fun company events where pictures can be shared of your employees interacting? Are there informal pictures that can be used to show your company’s culture better? A professional look and feel are important but that doesn’t mean posts and pictures can’t be simple and have a sense of fun.
Another aspect of getting your brand message out is making sure that pictures and stories are not just about one group of people in your organization. If you want your brand to show you are intentionally inclusive, then visual images need to reflect that. The statement about nondiscrimination that many application sites have is only believed if candidates see that reflected in your brand, including your website and social media postings.
At the most foundational level, HR needs to know what employees value most about your company. Sometimes top leadership likes a particular brand message but is not aware that it doesn’t reflect how most of their workforce views the company. A simple way to get the message across is with short videos that are genuine from employees at all levels. These can be used to introduce a potential candidate to your brand and used on your website and/or social media channels. These can be low cost and are better if not highly produced.
What is most important is a clear and engaging story. The words and images your company may use if clearly aligned with your brand, can enhance awareness both internally and externally. Another definition of storytelling is narrative marketing. This type of communication is important because the message or information we want to have people remember is understood 22 times faster than sharing a fact. It also can prompt an emotional reaction, which creates more of a bond with your brand.
Some simple ideas you can use to get good brand messaging:
- Provide a few suitable hashtags for your team to use when posting on social media.
- Share examples of “fun” pictures so they know what they can post.
- During events or company gatherings, make sure there are specific breaks and encourage people to share a short post and/or picture about what they just experienced.
- Create specific employer branding events.
Remember that video is king when it comes to brand messaging. Videos should be short, about one to four minutes. An interview-style video is very effective if the person speaking appears natural and unscripted. A short video montage of pictures with some short video mixed in from a company event can create real social proof about your company's brand. It could be a holiday party, a company celebration of a milestone, a community event your company is sponsoring, or an offsite team building event, as examples.
No matter your brand, when employees, recruits, and clients are clear about what it is, the company benefits. It will mean better engagement, more productivity, and the ability to attract and retain the talent you want. It can ensure that decision-making is more aligned with goals. It can help build a better leadership pipeline.
Competing for the best talent can be challenging. Having a clearly defined brand that is communicated both internally and externally, can make your company stand out. It can enhance your EVP and clearly show the terrific company culture your organization has. And even if you are not as clear about the brand now, with some focus on the brand messaging, you can improve your company’s brand and how it is perceived.