Internal communications – branding from the inside out

One of the most underused, and under-appreciated target
audiences for brand messages is your internal staff. That’s right. Your
internal team might not know your brand value as much as you think they do.

© Outside Source Design, 2013.

In many large organizations, brand messaging is handled by
marketing. Before tactics are created, marketing and sales have communicated
(hopefully) with the sales leadership to build consensus on key message points
and unique selling propositions. Then, it is time for training. In most cases,
the sales team and customer service are the groups that are trained on the
marketing efforts. Often, other departments are left out of the equation. As a
result, messages go out without everyone in the organization having an
understanding of the strategy and the vision. Picture your head of HR being
asked about a recent blog or press release. What level of awareness would
he/she have about what you are saying and why?

The implication here is not to overload your team with a
status of each and every marketing communication effort. However, they do need
to understand the overall strategy and the steps you are taking that align with
the strategy. If they know the reasons behind what you are doing and how the effort
connects with the larger vision, they will be able to more effectively speak to
the inherent value you provide.

Think about it this way. Your most passionate brand
advocates are the people on your team right now. Help them understand your
brand value so they can share it with the many people they encounter each day.

How do you communicate internally? Share your thoughts!