The world of marketing is constantly changing and adapting. There will always be new marketing technologies mixed in with new marketing strategies such as Inbound and Outbound Marketing. Inbound marketing attracts customers by creating relevant and useful web content and sharing it where potential customers are spending time such as blogs, social media and online searches. Outbound Marketing is a more traditional approach where potential customers can come across your brand through traditional radio, TV and print advertising, promotions and public relations.
What is Internal Marketing?
The third marketing trend is Internal Marketing, where employees are treated as internal customers. Internal Marketing instills in each employee the company’s vision and values while also improving employee engagement. A customer’s attitude toward a business is not just based on the products or services but the overall experience they have with the company. This can affect potential and current customer interactions with employees through social media or email.
Internal Marketing leads to happy employees, happier customers, stronger brand reputation and greater trust.
According to a study by the MSL Group, brand messages reached 561% further when shared by employees versus the same messages shared via official brand social channels. Social Media Today also discovered that content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by brand channels.
Employees should be encouraged to share on social media, this improves customer relations and encourages potential customers to trust the company more by valuing the insights employees are sharing. Staff who believe in the brand give it a human voice and become brand ambassadors who can vouch for the company’s products and services on and off the clock. A Nielson Study showed that 84% of people trust recommendations from friends, family and colleagues over other forms of marketing.
When employees are engaged in a brand they will generally be motivated by their work and are more loyal to the company. If employees are unaware of a company’s objectives, there can be a disconnect with customers and prospects. Internal Marketing goes beyond HR and communication initiatives, with the growth of social media it’s important to have employees included.
Electrum Branding encourages our clients’ employees to get active on social media by sharing and engaging with posts. We understand the importance of internal marketing and can provide internal training, an employee guide, and a social media strategy including an internal promotion to drive engagement. Contact us today to learn how we can help.