« back

Marketing to your Employees

By Jacqueline Drew
START Marketing Inc.
www.startmarketing.com

Everyone knows a business needs marketing to get new clients.  But do businesses realize the importance of marketing to employees?  I don't mean marketing for new employees.  Sure, all employers do that.  Many do it well.  Rich benefits packages.  Company perks.  Nice offices.  Stock options.

Where almost all companies fall flat on their faces is in bothering to market to their existing employees.  Because the longer the employee is with a company, the more blotches they're apt to see.  And with the ridiculously high costs of turnover, maybe it's time to consider the 4 Ps of marketing to employees….

1. Purpose: Do your employees know the importance of what your company's role is in the world?  Why should they stick by you and feel good about making your big vision come true?  If you don't have a clear purpose for your company, a bad year, say one that results in lack of raises, or worse, wage rollbacks, will trigger a mass exodus of your employees.  So get a clear, meaningful purpose – to make a cleaner world, to give people more time, to help make people's lives easier with your service…and you'll make your people proud to be a part of your organization.
2. Parity: As the saying goes, it there's a big problem in a company, it's coming from the top.  So don't be so quick to assume your problems are your employees' fault. When you assess your employees, let them assess you.  When you hand our perks, let everyone have a chance to earn them. 
3. Empowerment: Ok it starts with an e but there's a “p” in there! This means letting them do what it takes to make the situation right.   If you can plan a beginning level of empowerment, and then expand on that each year, then your team will feel they are able to give more of themselves within the company each year.  They will build confidence, and know they are more highly valued, regardless of pay raises.
4. Finally, Progression: In a small business it's not always easy to show a golden career ladder they can easily climb.  But you can still show there is room to progress. Invite your employees to know your plans to grow the business, and show how their responsibilities can grow from below.  Maybe they will have ideas as to how to expand your business that they can grab and run with.  But you must find a way to provide progression, because good employees are never willing to work without knowing it's there.

So take your 4 P's of employee marketing: Purpose, Parity, Empowerment, and Progression, and get them into your coming year's plan. Because let's face it: your success really depends on the biggest P of all: your PEOPLE.