Key Strategies for Rolling out Your Internal Branding
If you feel it’s time to make some changes to your brand identity because you have overgrown some aspects of it or you wish to increase your competitive power, you need to be aware that for the external branding to be a success, your business’s core needs to be strong. This core represents the elements of your new brand identity but your employees as well which makes the internal branding just as important as the external one.
If you keep your employees in the dark about your plans, they might lead them to question whether you are doing that because you will also reduce the number of employees which might result in a lack of motivation, alienation from the brand, and a decrease in the overall productivity. To avoid all of that and make the transition as smooth as possible, here are key strategies to keep in mind when planning the internal branding.
Involve your employees
Making employees a part of the branding process from the very start will make the processes smoother and the brand more rooted. Once you laid out your plans regarding what you wish to achieve and thought out a strategy to do just that, it is time to bring your employees on board. Changes can be off-putting for many people and this includes both your customers and employees so you cannot expect your customers to embrace them if your employees haven’t.
This is why you should soon start delegating tasks for them to become acquainted with all the steps and so that they can act as internal brand ambassadors. Depending on the size of your business, you can have a few of them, one for each team since employees will find it easier to ask questions and express the opinions or doubts to other employees than to their employer. Internal brand ambassadors would also help create the air of excitement and monitor their group’s progress.
Ensure all content is updated
This step is immensely important, not just for internal branding but for external as well: your customers, suppliers, and clients will expect to see consistency regarding the new brand identity everywhere because, among other things, it is vital for your reputation and it is a sign of professionalism. As for your employees, they will feel less confused and will be able to connect with the new identity quicker if it is omnipresent.
This means that you need to ensure your website, social media profiles, packaging, advertising campaigns, Powerpoint templates, and spreadsheets are all updated in accordance with the new brand identity. Naturally, before you start updating your website or anything else, you need to have all elements worked out, so for the optimal website design solution, it is best to hire an experienced agency that could also provide you with advice on other elements, such as marketing and advertising. With both parties on board, the spreading of your new branding strategy would be unstoppable.
Facilitate the change with software
Once you start thinking about everything that needs to be updated, it is likely you will develop a slight headache, so it is best to first compile a list of all those items and then approach it strategically. The list will inevitably be long but that is to be expected since you need to be detailed about it but again, a good design and a strong vision are the basis from which you can change anything.
As mentioned earlier, the employees need to be a part of the process and get involved in bringing about these changes to feel them as their own. You can help them by finding different software solutions and tools that will automatically update any changes to make sure that everybody has access only to the newest versions of documents, templates, applications, invoices, and other essential work-related elements. In this way, the tasks will be less strenuous and time-consuming, while the working atmosphere will be as productive as it is in less stressful times.
Create hype around the roll-out
Since they worked so hard on bringing the new brand identity to life, your employees deserve to have some fun. Their motivation will be increased manifold if you build up some excitement so that their effort is crowned with an official roll-out in the form of an office party. This is where they will see the results of their work, and then you can take a few moments to thank them for their work so they would feel appreciated, and a true part of the company.
Another thing you can do is to prepare promotional products with the new logo, colors or anything else you planned. A tangible gift in the form of branded notebooks, mugs, pens, shirts, posters, and the like will give them an opportunity to start owning and using the new brand on the spot. Every time they glimpse the logo on their mug or notebook, they will feel more and more at home with it, which is ultimately your goal.
Wrapping up
Transparency and consistency are vital elements to internal branding and your employees need to be involved with your branding strategy for it to be successful. If they embrace it and make the new branding identity their own, their influence will spread naturally across different channels and find its way to your present and prospective customers.
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