Internal Branding - What moves employees

More and more employees are asking themselves the simple question “What am I actually doing here?” They question the sense and purpose of their own jobs, along with the simultaneous aimlessness of many companies. On the other hand, the ability to provide an answer to “Why should I work for you?” is becoming an existentially important question. How is one supposed to retain sought­after and highly attractive specialists and managers, who are able to identify with their companies, their brands and at best with their salaries?

Internal branding focuses its full attention on nothing more than the simple search for meaning. The main task of internal branding is to convey the goals, values and thereby the sense of the company brand to employees and to inspire them to the point that they become brand ambassadors. The point is to know what the brand wants. This process is indispensable for any identity project that concerns people, companies or products. This involves making decisions that lead to a recognizable image.

Internal branding should be understood as an inwardly directed and integrated management process that establishes the desired brand identity in the behavior of employees, from which the customer ultimately benefits. This is the first indication of whether the identity is something that can be experienced. That is, when others are looking. Is this all just egalitarianism? Hardly. It’s more about creating the right conditions to make individuals feel that they are a valuable and credible part of the brand. In other words, it is about creating meaningful relationships with the customer.

In contrast to the sister discipline of employer branding, whereby the company brand is used to communicate a specific position in the job market, internal branding conveys the overall company brand inwardly. This assumes that the identity of the com­pany brand has been clearly defined. It must be clear what the brand stands for before the message can be conveyed.

If there is not a differentiating identity, this must first be developed or revised and enhanced. Interdisciplinary customer teams formed by members of top management as well as communication, human resource and line managers create the condi­tions for a widely supported instrument. Ultimately, this is not about creating employee brochures, but rather is much more about launching an established process that is able to have a lasting impact on employee behavior.

Companies change very quickly, strategies (if developed) are continuously adapted, surrounding conditions change, replacements in top management are common. This puts pressure on an employee‘s trust and pushes the search for meaning further into the foreground. The consistent inward commu­ nication of the brand can help it to survive these periods of transition. Here, the starting points and problem areas are quite varied:

Repositioning The company redefines the position­ing of its brand within the competitive environment based on changing market conditions. This results in an adjustment of the brand identity. Revitalizing The brand is further developed in a focused manner, both visually and in terms of content. Company culture There are different cultures in company departments, a common understanding is missing. Or: the current company culture does not reflect the desired brand identity. Lack of identification Brand identity is not a part of employee behavior, as they do not demonstrate understanding, acceptance, or identification with the brand. Touch points Employee behavior when dealing with customers does not reflect the desired brand identity. Customer orientation Employee behavior is generally not oriented enough toward customer needs (demonstrated, for example, by too many or an increasing number of complaints). High fluctuation: many of the best employees are leaving the company, valuable specialists as well as customers are going to the competition.

The development of an internal branding project is carried out as an integral part of brand management. A multilevel process has been shown to be successful:

1. Analysis: determining strengths and weaknesses as well as needs 2. Internal branding strategy: defining the goals and target groups as well as the fundamental content 3. Concept: guiding concepts for target group­ specific measures 4. Realization: preparing and implementing the measures 5. Evaluation: monitoring success as well as adjustments/enhancements

The process starts by taking a critical look at your own company and your own brand: what are the internal target groups? What about the current brand identity? Is it focused and well enough defined? Is it not only understood but also embodied? What are your employees proud of? These answers can be obtained by means of management and employee interviews or by carrying out surveys in different departments and on different levels. Basic brand management documents provide direction on the status quo of brand identity.

In addition, customer surveys provide information about employee behavior and customer orientation at the most important touch points. It must be established whether there is a mi­sunderstanding between the controlled touch points and employee behavior. This first phase establishes the immensely important commitment of the relevant decision makers and employee segments. It is worth carrying out a few extra interviews or workshops, as employee interaction always produces valuable input for identity development.

People are the center. This often quoted claim is vital to any internal branding strategy. But it needs further clarification: not all people occupy the same position in the center. Because not all employees have the same importance in the customer relationship. This means that the various target groups not only have to be defined, but their importance must also be weighted. Not everyone needs to have in­depth knowledge of the brand. Roles and objectives must be clarified: who needs what information, who needs in­depth training, who should be identified as a central brand ambassador?

The goal of the concept phase is to define the correct measures for the corresponding starting points. Many companies disregard this aspect and only focus on internal campaigns. They throw away the chance to control the processes as an integrated change management process. The measures that are possible can be summarized into the following themes:

Brand identity Developing a suitable model as well as defining the brand personality (brand‘s core essence and values) and attitude. As a result, the fundamental contents – the brand experience – are created and then anchored internally. Brand campaigns Developing integrated communication measures for communicating brand identity within the company. Interactive media (digital networks) are also playing an increasingly important role: unlike classic print media, instantaneous communication between colleagues and friends is an especially reliable form of modern communi­cation. Brand training Providing knowledge and training – from pure information events for staff to behavior training and brand labs for specialists, as well as brand strategy workshops for management. Brand contacts Assessing and prioritizing the most relevant customer touch points with the emplo­yees as well as evaluating employee behavior at these touch points. Brand management, personnel management and organization development Orienting HR work toward the brand (such as, for example, recruiting, job descriptions, assessments, welcoming events, qualification processes, personnel development).

Various factors are decisive for a successful branding project. In addition to a clearly defined brand identity and integrated brand awareness, an inter­disciplinary customer team (representatives from human resources and communications as well as line management) is just as important as the commitment of top management. Systematic evaluation makes continuous development possible in order to react to the current needs of the target group. Because just like brand management, internal branding is a continual process.

Whether at annual appraisals, company parties, or brand training, the work environment at the company is a part of your living environment. The work environment is also a part of the brand experience. This experience should convey the brand‘s attitude. Internal branding is persuasive when it relays the significant and aesthetic aspects (experienced with all senses) of the brand‘s philosophy to the company work environ­ ment. When the brand aesthetic is carried over into the work aesthetic. Only then can the potential of internal branding be fully exploited in all dimensions of influence. Because for employees, brand identity also means job identity. Working on it helps us in our search for pride and recognition. In our search for work that makes sense.

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