Authenticity plays a massive role in shaping a brand’s reputation. Consumers are constantly on the look-out for brands that are honest and reliable in their communication about products and services. In order to build an authentic brand image, organizations need to channel their energy into internal organizational engagement strategies. This means creating a company culture that not only reflects the authenticity of a brand’s product but also reflects high levels of employee happiness.
But what does a brand’s product have to do with internal organizational engagement?
Quite frankly, everything. Employees are the brand’s strongest ambassadors. Every time an employee interacts with a potential customer, the authenticity of the brand rises to the surface. Without strong internal organizational engagement in place, employees will fail to deliver a stellar external customer experience. The success of a brand’s product hinges on the way the product is advertised as well as employees’ enthusiasm about the brand itself. The key to ensuring that authenticity is reflected in a brand’s product is to curate internal employee engagement strategies with the same amount of detailing and fine-tuning that is put into product marketing. A surefire way to ensure that your brand’s product relays the right message is to connect your employees to the brand.
Three ways to cultivate a strong company culture:
Be transparent
Just the same way consumers keep an eye out for brands that promote transparency in their products and communication strategies, employees also stick with organizations that have a clear mission, vision and set of values. When employees across all levels connect with the brand’s strategy, they are better able to describe it to consumers and align their communications in a way that shares the brand promise.
Encourage accountability
Accountability is often misunderstood. Holding employees accountable for their actions isn’t a bad thing. In fact, brands that promote a culture of accountability report higher levels of employee engagement. A bad review could cause serious damage to a brand’s image. It is no secret that the authenticity of a brand’s product can also be determined by consumer feedback. Similarly, being accountable means encouraging employees to be authentic at work and reinforcing the importance of teamwork. Holding employees accountable relays the message that they are an integral part of a product’s success. When employees feel proud to represent the brand, they cultivate a culture of accountability at work.
Invest in people
A brand’s product is also a reflection of their hiring practices. Organizational engagement doesn’t have to begin only after an employee has joined the company. In fact, the right kind off an internal organizational engagement is what attracts top talent to the company in the first place. Investing in employees involves consistently providing career development opportunities and ‘walking the talk’ when it comes to delivering on employee engagement promises.
A classic example of the impact of internal organizational engagement on a brand’s product is the authenticity with which AirBnB shapes its company culture. The brand aim is to create a sense of belonging for both employees and consumers. This is reflected right from their culture interviews where resumes aren’t part of the process to their carefully designed workplaces which adapts flexibly to an employee’s individual needs.
Stackla reported that 90% of consumers ranked brand authenticity as a key deciding factor when it comes to purchasing a product. An effective internal organizational engagement strategy is a brand’s way of revealing exactly what they stand for when they advertise their products. In a way, they are marketing the brand as a whole and not just the product in question. By now it is clear that brand authenticity and internal organizational engagement are two sides of the same coin. How consumers perceive your brand’s product is largely dependent on how they perceive your brand culture. Without a solid internal brand culture in place, no amount of product marketing and advertising will deliver substantial results.
So, is your brand ready to make the internal organizational engagement a priority?
This article first appeared on Reputation Today.
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