Internal Marketing: What, Why, and How?

 

Internal marketing is a marketing approach that treats the employees of a company as its customers and aims to improve their experience, satisfaction, and engagement. It involves various strategies such as brand awareness, communication, team bonding, and employee appreciation. In this blog, we will explore what internal marketing is, why it is important, and how to implement it effectively.

What is Internal Marketing?

Internal marketing is based on the idea that employees are the first and most important customers of a company. They are the ones who deliver the products and services to the external customers, and they are also the ones who represent the company's brand and values. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that employees are happy, motivated, and loyal to the company.

Internal marketing is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that focuses on creating a positive and engaging work environment for the employees. It involves promoting the company's mission, vision, goals, culture, products, and services to the employees and making them feel valued and involved. It also involves providing them with the necessary training, tools, and feedback to perform their best and achieve their potential.

Why is Internal Marketing Important?

Internal marketing has many benefits for both the employees and the company. Some of the main advantages are:

- Increased employee engagement: Engaged employees are those who are passionate, committed, and enthusiastic about their work and the company. They are more productive, creative, and innovative. They also have lower absenteeism and turnover rates, and higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. Internal marketing helps to increase employee engagement by making them feel connected to the company's vision and purpose, and by recognizing and rewarding their efforts and achievements.

- Enhanced brand advocacy: Brand advocates are those who positively promote and recommend the company's brand, products, and services to others. They are more likely to generate word-of-mouth referrals, positive reviews, and social media buzz. Internal marketing helps to create brand advocates among the employees by making them aware of the company's unique selling proposition, and by encouraging them to share their stories and experiences with the external customers and stakeholders.

- Improved customer service: Customer service is the key to customer retention and loyalty. Customers expect to receive high-quality products and services, as well as friendly, helpful, and professional interactions with the company's representatives. Internal marketing helps to improve customer service by empowering the employees with the right knowledge, skills, and attitude to deliver the best solutions to the customers' needs and expectations.

How to Implement Internal Marketing Effectively?

Internal marketing requires a strategic and systematic approach that involves the following steps:

- Define the objectives: The first step is to define the specific goals and outcomes that the company wants to achieve through internal marketing. For example, the objectives could be to increase employee engagement, retention, loyalty, satisfaction, performance, or productivity. The objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

- Identify the target audience: The next step is to identify the target audience for the internal marketing campaign. The target audience could be the entire workforce, or a specific segment, department, or team. The target audience should be analyzed and understood in terms of their needs, preferences, expectations, challenges, and motivations.

- Develop the message: The third step is to develop the core message that the company wants to communicate to the employees. The message should be clear, concise, consistent, and compelling. It should highlight the benefits and value proposition of the company, as well as the expectations and responsibilities of the employees. The message should also align with the company's brand identity and tone of voice.

- Choose the channels: The fourth step is to choose the appropriate channels and tools to deliver the message to the employees. The channels could be internal or external, online or offline, formal or informal, or a combination of them. Some of the common channels are newsletters, emails, intranet, social media, webinars, podcasts, videos, blogs, posters, flyers, brochures, events, meetings, workshops, trainings, surveys, feedback forms, etc. The channels should be selected based on the characteristics and preferences of the target audience, as well as the budget and resources of the company.

- Execute the campaign: The fifth step is to execute the internal marketing campaign according to the plan and schedule. The campaign should be monitored and evaluated regularly to measure its effectiveness and impact. The campaign should also be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs and situations of the employees and the company.

- Review and improve: The final step is to review and improve the internal marketing campaign based on the feedback and results. The campaign should be analyzed and assessed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The campaign should also be revised and refined to incorporate the best practices and lessons learned, and to ensure continuous improvement and innovation.

Conclusion

Internal marketing is a powerful and essential marketing strategy that can help a company to achieve its goals and objectives by engaging, motivating, and empowering its employees. Internal marketing can also help a company to create a strong and positive brand image and reputation, and to deliver superior customer service and satisfaction. Internal marketing requires a strategic and systematic approach that involves defining the objectives, identifying the target audience, developing the message, choosing the channels, executing the campaign, and reviewing and improving the campaign. By following these steps, a company can implement an effective and successful internal marketing campaign that can benefit both the employees and the company.

Sources:

[Internal Marketing - Meaning, Strategies, Types, Examples - WallStreetMojo](https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/internal-marketing/)

[What is Internal Marketing? | Directive](https://directiveconsulting.com/resources/glossary/internal-marketing/)

[Internal Marketing Definition, Importance, & Strategies](https://www.mbassett.com/blog/internal-marketing)