When it comes to marketing, some companies prefer to focus solely on external audiences. But there’s another type of marketing that’s just as important.
What is internal marketing?
Internal marketing is all about promoting your company’s products and services to your employees. After all, they’re the ones out there representing your brand every day.
So why is internal marketing so important? For one thing, it can help boost employee morale and improve job satisfaction. It can also increase productivity and encourage staff to be more engaged with your company’s goals. Internal marketing is a vital part of any successful business.
If you’ve been neglecting it, now is the time to start paying attention!
What are the benefits of internal marketing?
The main benefit is that it creates an environment in which employees are more likely to buy into a company’s mission and values. This means they are more likely to do their best work and advocate on the company’s behalf.
Research shows companies that leverage the support of their employee’s social networks – known as employee advocacy – experience a shorter sales cycle. In fact, 31% of high-growth firms leverage their workers’ social networks for advocacy – more than twice as much as other businesses.
The importance of employee advocacy can’t be overstated. It gives great customer insight that enables you to do free research on potential clients. Read our article for other tips on how to do free customer research.
How do you encourage employees to participate?
The first step of an effective internal marketing strategy is to create a culture in which employees feel valued. This can include providing opportunities for growth, recognition, and appreciation.
The second step is to create an environment where employees feel safe to share their ideas and feedback.
The third step is to provide incentives for participation, such as rewards, bonuses, or promotions.
What components make up an internal marketing plan?
Like any external marketing plan, an internal one needs a developed strategy.
Goals and objectives – these outline the vision for the campaign.
Strategies – a clear plan of action to meet your goals and objectives.
Message and audience – clearly define what you want to communicate and to whom. Does the product team need to know what payroll needs to know?
Tactics – specific actions needed to reach the goals. How will you communicate your message?
People and method – who will be involved? Will all staff communicate the message and, if so, through which platform or media?
Budget – how much money do you have to spend on the plan?
How will you measure the results?
Like any other marketing campaign, you need to set specific goals for your internal marketing efforts and track how well you meet them.
These will depend on the goal of your campaign. Has it improved employee retention? Has employee advocacy increased website conversions or increased monthly sales?
Internal marketing plans are no different to external ones when it comes to execution, but with one key difference. What you do to promote yourself internally will impact how people within the company feel about their job and what they’re working towards as part of your company’s success story!