As consumers have become more digitally savvy, we’ve witnessed the gap between companies and their customers shrink. Nowadays, it only takes a quick search on LinkedIn or tweet and a consumer can be in direct contact with one of your employees. With that in mind, it’s worth considering what measures you’ve put in place to ensure that their reply puts your brand in the best possible light – trust us, a lot of damage can be done in 140 characters!
Your workforce knows your business inside out, they live and breathe it and should therefore be your most avid supporters. By identifying those who are best placed to become advocates, you can ensure that they’re clued up on your brand standards, tone of voice and general do’s and don’ts when communicating with current or potential customers.
Ask yourself whether you’d be more likely to trust someone you’ve developed a relationship with, or an advertisement. It’s a no-brainer and that’s why your employees should be working hard to build a rapport with your target audience and boost your brand by becoming walking, talking adverts of what makes your business great. It’s the very basics of marketing, but an exercise that, when done regularly, will make a huge difference to both your culture and your bottom line!
Once your brand ambassadors are in place – whether a select few, or your whole team – and the advocating is in full flow, it’s time to think about how you’re going to maintain momentum and encourage staff to continue their good work.
A great way of doing this is to make employees feel included by encouraging them to share ideas and suggestions on how to improve the business. If they feel valued and truly believe that their opinion matters, they’ll be much more forthcoming and willing to promote your brand.
Also, it’s a good idea to celebrate employees’ individual talents and, where appropriate, give them the opportunity to use them! If an employee is a budding photographer, for instance, invite them to take some shots for the website, or ask them to photograph you next event. Small things like this can make a huge difference to employee engagement.
Finally, employees like to feel special! Having a benefits and rewards system in place will do just that and is the best way to demonstrate your appreciation for all their hard work!
The Inspire Travel Card is the perfect product to reward members of your workforce who put in the time and effort to shout about your company from the roof tops. What’s more, employees telling others about the amazing holiday their boss sent them on will do wonders for your reputation, too!
