How Building An Internal Employer Brand Can Drive Recruiting And Retention Success

The key components of effective internal branding

Have you ever gone into a shop and asked the shopkeeper or another employee for a recommendation? Or asked a waiter which dish you should order? Or gone online and scrolled through recommended products? Most likely, you’ve answered “yes” to all of these questions since asking an employee for recommendations is a common occurrence. This tells us two things: 1) Consumers expect employees to be knowledgeable about the company they work for, and 2) Consumers trust the opinions and advice of employees.
 

As a team leader or business owner, you should not underestimate this mainstay in consumer behavior. Employees can and should be excellent advocates for the company they work for. But how can you turn an employee into a successful brand advocate?

In this short article, we’ll take a look at one of the most important and effective ways to go about doing just that. Take my word for it, you should read on!

What Is Internal Messaging?

Internal messaging concerns all the people within an organization, i.e., employees and temporary workers (as opposed to people from the exterior i.e., customers and contractors). Internal messaging is defined by the content that is communicated within an organization, specifically referring to and outlining the organization’s priorities, ethos, objectives, values and missions.

When internal messaging is effective, the entire staff of an organization has a clear understanding of the organization’s goals and priorities, what the organization stands for, and how it plans to go about achieving those goals and respecting those priorities.

With effective internal messaging, specific words and phrases are favored over others, and the rhetoric (or style of speech) becomes integrated into the organization’s branding. Effective internal messaging results in all members of the organization using the same keywords and phrases to express the organization’s priorities and objectives, demonstrating clarity of purpose and strong belief in what the organization stands for.  

Where and When Does Internal Messaging Take Place

● Recruitment - Internal messaging starts with the recruitment process. The company’s mission and priorities are laid out in the job offer. The role of the employee as it pertains to the mission is stated in the job description and further emphasized in the recruitment interviews.
● Regular meetings - Staff or team meetings offer opportune times to reinforce the goals and priorities of the organization. When everyone is present, everyone receives the same communication and, ideally, is on the same page.
● Continual training - Internal messaging is not only about words. The training programs employers offer their employees go a long way toward expressing the goals and priorities of the company. For example, a company that offers its HR department a certificate in diversity and inclusion is clearly expressing that these things are important to the company. This is an example of internal messaging through action.
● Reward programs and performance reviews - Internal messaging starts with words, is reinforced with action, and is further solidified through recognition and accountability. Reward programs are a good way to incentivize employees and demonstrate the importance of the goals and priorities expressed in the company’s internal messaging. Likewise, performance reviews shouldn’t be cause for fear or intimidation. Learning to better structure employee performance review discussions is an integral part of effective internal messaging.

Building an Employer Brand from the Inside Out

When the company’s marketing, advertising, and press releases say one thing, and the employees within the company say another, there is confusion and a noticeable lack of cohesion and conviction within the company. On the other hand, when the company expresses the same things in the same way on the inside as they do on the outside, this gives offs a strong sense of confidence, trust, and belief in what the company stands for.

Additionally, branding through internal messaging offers the company the chance to tweak and refine its messaging. When employees are part of the messaging process, the branding is far more likely to ring as authentic and natural, not to mention more easily identifiable with the company’s targeted customers or clients.

Furthermore, from the employees’ point of view, when branding is effectively done through internal messaging, this increases the likelihood that employees believe in what the company stands for (as they see its consistency), and they are, thus, far more likely to be engaged and committed to the company’s objectives and mission.

Branding through internal messaging increases the chances of:

• Accessible and identifiable branding
• Trust and confidence in the brand
• Engaged and committed employees

Why Messaging and Branding Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Effective internal messaging goes hand in hand with effective branding. When all the members of an organization are on the same page, expressing the same goals and priorities with the same rhetoric, they become powerful ambassadors for what the organization stands for. When this is achieved, those on the outside (customers, clients, and investors) take notice, and the organization’s branding comes across as solid, unified, and ultimately quite attractive and convincing.

Author Bio

Gergo Vari is the CEO of Lensa. He has one mission: to revolutionize job search for companies and professionals. His journey through founding, funding, and exiting successful startups has taught him a valuable lesson: the hiring process is broken. Thus, he shares the desire for recruiting and human resources technology that puts people first.