YOUR EMPLOYEE, YOUR BRAND AMBASSADOR

How nurturing employees can turn them into effective brand managers

A new dimension to brand building emerged a couple of decades ago, when we started talking about and feeling the heat from the “war for talent“. In addition to existing pressures from decreasing wallet and market shares, attracting and retaining talent became one of the most significant challenges organisations were facing. This led to the adoption of people practices that would help organisations build a strong employer brand. In this journey, we discovered a very powerful, hitherto unused source of brand building ­ the employee.

Consider this to understand the true power of the employ ee in building your brand ­ everything else you do in the name of brand building, to let relevant stakeholders know about how great your company or product is, is a paid-for service. You can buy ad space; you can buy the creativity and genius of marketing and advertising professionals; or build on brand recall, recognition and even admiration through various means that have been traditionally employed in this process.

If there is one thing you cannot buy, it is the publicity that comes from having “actually experienced“ the brand ­ when stakeholders interact directly or indirectly with the people that really know you and what you stand for the best your employees. It is the organisation's employees who, through various touch points and interactions with the target audience and the world-atlarge, are responsible for creating such experiences and “moments-of-truth“, which are far more valuable that anything that money can buy.

The delivery boy who brought in the pizza on time and with a smile; the call centre employee who came back to you as promised and sorted your issues with genuine care and concern; the manager who interviewed you and managed to create a genuine desire in your wanting to be a part of the company even when you didn't get the job; the neighbour who tells you stories of her workplace with excitement, awe and admiration priceless! “Engaged“ employees make the best brand ambassadors as they experience or perceive “value“ in the association, feel emotionally connected to the brand, believe they have a stake in its success and are willing to go the extra mile and give off discretionary effort to deliver excellence and outstanding performance.

Almost every organisation today has an employee engagement agenda, which I believe is a very powerful tool to not only create a workplace that attracts, motivates and retains talent, but helps build an army of the best brand ambassadors in the process!

Here are six simple ideas to incorporate in your engagement agenda:

>> Integrate your HR and engagement strategy with the business strategy. What is the business trying to achieve? Increased market share? Entry into a new do main? Better quality? The best service? Cost optimisation? Whatever is your business imperative must reflect in your HR initiatives, processes and practices so that employees receive the right inputs and have the right resources to deliver on your business strategy;

>> Create brand awareness amongst employees. Do they know about the story and history of the organisation? Are they aware of your vision and mission? Are they aware of what your brand stands for and what is its market positioning? Do they know what makes it different from competitors?

Brand awareness can help built pride and respect which is an essential ingredient in the creation of brand ambassadors;

>> Leaders must become role models, living and breathing the brand. Brand advocacy from leaders not only reiterates and reinforces the trust and belief in the brand, but also provides information and vocabulary that augment the employee's ability to become brand ambassadors;

>> Integrate the personal brand with the corporate brand. Ensure that employees have a strong sense of their own branding ­ what are their strengths and how do these contribute to building the corporate brand? The corporate brand is built by its people ­ do your employees see and feel that connection?

>> Recognise brand advocates and make heroes out of those who bring the brand to life. It's a good idea and great encouragement to involve customers and other relevant stakeholders in such recognition programmes;

>> Leverage social media and provide social platforms for employees to connect with not just other employees, but with people on the outside ­ potential employees, existing and new customers, vendors, suppliers, investors, etc. This can be a great way for employees to create some buzz and excitement around the brand by engaging with stakeholders, sharing information and future plans with them and creating a positive perception.

The author is head IT & HR, Allcargo Logistics Ltd

Source | Economic Times | 18 September 2015