That’s right! You can double dip. You can kill two birds with one stone. You can engage your employees to engage your customers in one fell swoop…using social media.

First of all, why? Well, because social media is all about authentic dialogue between people (not amorphous, talking logos). And, your people are your voice. They provide the human shape and character that is relatable, dynamic and engaging for customers. Corporate messaging on Twitter or Facebook is a one way push that rarely gets anyone’s attention. It’s like throwing a tennis ball at a wall to yourself–you get one-dimensional feedback: your own.

Secondly, how? By leveraging the talent, skills and amazingness of your employees. They have a lot to give beyond their basic job description and if you take the time to uncover those gems you will be doing two things: 1) recognizing and appreciating their value (something people need to thrive), and 2) empowering them to BE your brand (something YOUR BRAND needs to thrive). See how that works?

An example: TGI Fridays out of the UK realized their employees are the key to delivering the experience they want their customers to have. So, they highlight their rock star talents with videos on YouTube that do two things: 1) showcase the skills of their employees (which makes them feel important and valued), and 2) demonstrate the type of fun and entertaining experience one can expect when they go there. Bada bing, bada boom–two hits in one.

Take a look.

If you are in HR, corporate communications or a marketing manager who is trying to figure out how to engage employees in delivering on your brand promise, I’ll be talking more about this subject at The Conference Board Social Media Strategies for HR in New York next week. Follow the seminars on Twitter #tcbSM4HR. Oh, and I’ll post the presentation on Slideshare after the seminar too!

–Jen Travis

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OK, I know this movie came out more than a year ago and all the hype is long gone. But I just had the opportunity to watch Invictus over the holidays and was surprised by what I learned. So late or not, I’m going to share it with you.

For those of you as behind in your movie watching as I am, here’s the synopsis: Nelson Mandela, during South Africa’s tough transition to democracy, leverages the nation’s love of rugby to cross racial lines and bring people together (a bit more). He does this by supporting, even promoting, the Springbok team and its name even though it’s associated with white rule. In exchange for his support, the team engages in outreach efforts all over the country, bringing rugby matches and lessons to poor black children. By supporting rather than alienating the team and its white followers he builds trust. And by modeling forgiveness he captures the hearts of blacks. By inspiring the team to their victory at the Rugby World Cup in 1995, he demonstrates to his fellow countrymen that they do have something in common after all.

What does this have to do with brand leadership? Any company working to define and strengthen its brand is embarking on a substantial change process. You’re asking people to change the way they work, what they say, who they work with, maybe even what they do. This is the kind of change that requires people to either get on board, or not.

I have seen many companies try to embark on this process by reasoning with employees, by explaining why this is important to the company’s future and to their jobs. In some cases that works, and in others it does not. When it doesn’t, the brand initiative lies dead in the water—an expensive experiment in what the company could be.

The problem is that people’s loyalty to a brand isn’t 100% logical. It might not even be 50% logical. So why should your internal effort to align people around the brand be any different? Effective brand leadership taps into people’s emotions. It inspires. It’s fun. It’s a little audacious. That’s often what gets people motivated to change.

This movie was a nice reminder that inspiration can often outweigh perspiration.

What will you do to inspire staff in your effort to build your brand?

–Briana Marrah

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Hi IntegratedBrand.com members and readers!

Check out Briana Marrah and Joe LePla’s presentation from their recent workshop at the ALI’s Internal Branding Conference in Chicago.

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Branding experts Briana Marrah and Joe LePla will be leading a workshop at the Advanced Learning Institute’s Internal Branding Conference. They will be speaking on how to leverage social media tools to engage your employees and create effective brand champions.

Save 50% on your registration fees when you mention email code “SPK”!

Description:
Social media tools have added more visibility to your brand, providing a channel for anyone’s opinions and experiences to be distributed to the world almost instantaneously. If this isn’t enough to make you a little nervous, what about the fact that conversations in social media aren’t limited just to your customers? Your employees are online sharing their opinions about you, too. Your employees’ lives and jobs intersect online where the lines between public and private are blurred at best.

Don’t be deterred by this reality! Your employees, if given the right incentives and tools, can become the biggest champions of your brand. They are the most important audience in any brand effort because they both deliver the brand experience and influence public opinion. If you re-examine your internal social media policy through this lens, your employees look less like a ticking time-bomb and more like message mercenaries.

In this approach, we find a more authentic way to communicate with all audiences, an opportunity to personalize your brand and connect on a deeper level—a level synonymous with trust, honesty and transparency. And that’s what builds a brand. You must be deliberate, strategic and careful in this effort, however, to improve the likelihood that your employees’ powers are being used for good and not for evil.

Attend this workshop and learn ways to utilize social media tools to help, not hinder, your brand. Specifically, you’ll learn:
-Examples of how social media has enhanced and destroyed brand value
-How social media can be used to drive deeper engagement
-Ways to overcome hurdles to implementation and gain organizational buy-in
-How guidelines can ensure that social media touch points stay true to your brand
-Tactics and strategies to successfully leverage and measure social media effectiveness

For more informatiion: call 888-362-7400. Get discount by registering by June 19th or by bringing or Marketing, HR or Communications Team. www.aliconferences.com.

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A screaming deal on a leading internal branding conference that Lynn Parker is speaking at.

********************
INTERNAL BRANDING:
How To Use Branding And Communications To Drive Employee
Engagement And Improve Your Organization’s Bottom Line
*********************

May 11-14, 2009 – Washington, DC
Details: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/internal_branding0509/index.htm

• Early Bird Rates have been extended until May 1st!

• ALSO – mention “LYNN PARKER” and receive 50% off the current registration fees!

Benchmark best practices, learn how to create brand champions, and drive bottom-line results from:

1. NASA
2. ServiceMaster
3. Kaiser Permanente
4. Dean Foods Company
5. George Brown College

And many more…

To register or for more conference details:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CALL: (773) 695-9400, x1 -or- Toll-Free within the U.S. (888) 362-7400, x1
ONLINE: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/internal_branding0509/register.htm

— Mention “LYNN PARKER” and receive 50% off the registration fees!

http://www.aliconferences.com/

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