Market To Mondays – Part 10

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Welcome to the latest edition of our new weekly blog series, Market To Mondays. Each week, we will introduce you to a new group of people you should market to. We’ll tell you who they are, why you should market to them, and how you might get started.

Last week’s group was Loyal Customers.

Today’s Group = Your Employees

Your employees are the life blood of your company. Without them, you’ve got nothing.

They also have the potential to be the biggest advocates for what you do and the products you offer. But don’t assume that just because they work there, they’re champions of the company. It takes work.

Companies like Apple, Google, Zappos, etc. have dedicated programs to make their employees excited about what they do, what the company offers, and how they can help. Loyal employees who believe in the company mission are a great benefit to the marketing department.

If you can’t make your employees believe in the mission, how are you going to make customers believe?

But how?

It doesn’t cost anything to market to your employees. But it does take time and dedication. It can’t be an afterthought.

The marketing team, along with HR and upper management, need to work collaboratively to develop an employee engagement program. A well-executed program will generate a more enthusiastic team, greater productivity through engagement, less turnover which leads to cost savings, and brand advocates.

As soon as a new employee is hired, they should be enveloped in the company culture. A dedicated training program should introduce them to the details of the products and services offered, introduce them to a mentor within the company that can coach and train them, and teach them how the company markets itself to consumers, regardless of what department the person is in.

The training program should never end. Instead, after someone has been on board for a month or more, it should turn into something new. Regular training sessions should be a part of all employees’ routines. They should be the first to hear about new products and strategies. They should be connected with top managers in all departments so they can get all of their questions answered.

The Employee Engagement Team, as I’ll refer to them, should make it their job to keep morale up. Anything you can do to keep the team excited about coming to work each day should be considered.

Happy employees are better employees. And they will become advocates for your brand without any additional incentives.

What group should we cover next? Now accepting submissions for audiences that we will cover in an upcoming “Market To Mondays” post. Submit your ideas via our contact page or in the comments section below.

How to Get More Out of Your Employees: Part 1

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Welcome to Day 1 of a two day blogging event I’m calling “How to Get More Out of Your Employees”.

If you’re a manager, on any level, you know how important it is to get the most of your employees. The job of a good manager is to cultivate an environment where your employees can flourish. Because when your employees flourish, so will your company.

Today’s tip is: teach them

Many of the best companies to work for offer tuition reimbursement plans for employees who return to school or complete a degree while employed at the company. This encourages employees to continue their education and build on their skills. And a more educated employee, is often a better employee.

But not every company can afford to institute such a program. So here are some ways you can train your employees, creating a better company in the process:

  1. Invite guest speakers to come in and give talks and presentations in areas of interest for your employees
  2. Sign up with corporate training companies that offer online courses for continuing education in a variety of fields and offer them to your employees at no cost
  3. Create a mentorship program and partner new employees or more junior employees with managers or other senior level employees
  4. Offer conditional bonuses or promotions for people who continue their education in an area that will enhance their ability to do their job
  5. Offer on the job training programs for people looking to advance within the company

It’s important for any manager to recognize that a good employee is one that is passionate about their work. And that means this person will also be ambitious and looking to advance their career. Give them ways to do this within your company will keep people motivated and happy.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “How to Get More Out of Your Employees” tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’d love your feedback. Use the comments below to add to the above list and offer your own suggestions!