Marketing isn’t just for your customers. It’s also for your employees. That sounds strange, but it is imperative to focus your marketing efforts on the employees themselves. Employees drive your businesses forward, interact with your clients every day, and produce stellar (hopefully) projects for your clients. If you don’t have engaged, talented, enthusiastic team players, then you are missing the boat. You have an opportunity to take your firm to the next level.
I understand trying to get employees engaged and involved can be challenging. It takes effort, like anything worth doing. However, it is as simple as asking them what they want. They will tell you, truthfully, so be prepared. When asking for their input, you must be prepared to implement some of their suggestions. If you don’t, the feedback gained will no longer be valuable, therefore, unable to move your firm forward.
According to a Gallup poll, engaged employees make up about a third of the workforce, which is staggering and a very disappointing percentage. By coaching, mentoring, and training your engaged employees you will and can create a company culture of strategic thinkers and doers. You can’t expect this to happen overnight, but with effort from upper management, human resources and marketing, you can increase your percentages of engaged employees.
Employees just want to know you care about them. It isn’t always reflected monetarily either. Employees need to hear they are doing a good job or you acknowledging the extra effort of working overtime to complete a project for a client. At the end of the day there is not only a want, but a need to know that they are appreciated by you and your organization.
Engaged employees also want to continue their education. I don’t necessarily mean formal university or a college education, although that could be the case. I’m talking about training and conferences that will help them become more productive, creative, and efficient in their role within the firm. Employees can learn a great deal and add additional value to the firm through attending various types of training. Upon their return encourage the employee to write a report or summary of what they learned, and work together in the implementation process.
The firm can also host different events for employees like appreciation lunches, social outings, team building exercises, Christmas parties, and summer picnics. There are a ton of ways to thank and engage employees. Be creative!
The more engaged employees are, the more potential employees and clients you’ll recruit and retain. Potential employees will want to work for a company that cares about its employees. Clients will see that employees are happy to work at your firm, are engaged, and will produce a good project for them. Involve marketing and human resources early on in the process. It’s a joint effort and something that has to continually be evaluated as employees’ needs change. Marketing has to be done internally along with externally to be effective. If things are going well both internally and externally, potential clients and employees will be all the more excited to engage with your firm. Now, I challenge you, go ask your employees what they want and implement one suggestion. Let me know how it went, I’m truly interested in YOUR success. Believe that YOU can make it happen!
