Your customers? Check. Partners? Check. Shareholders? Check. Media? Check. When it comes to a brand change, considering these audiences is critical. After all, they’re the ones buying your products or services and learning about your company from the outside. But there’s one more key audience to consider when crafting your brand’s new story: your employees. Here’s why:

Feeling like a part of something bigger is highly motivating

In the day-to-day routines that come with working for any company, it can be easy for employees to get distracted from seeing the bigger picture, and understanding what they’re really contributing to. The fundamentals of your brand strategy – elements like your purpose, mission, vision, and values – can serve as their north star, giving guidance and inspiration to everyone on the inside. When employees understand and believe in these higher-order ideas, they become more than just workers; they become champions of your organization. They come to work more inspired and motivated every day, contribute to a stronger company culture, boost morale among their teams, and are less likely to leave the company.
 

Company clarity leads to easier decision making

Every day, your employees make countless conscious and unconscious decisions about how to prioritize, communicate, collaborate, plan, and resource. Brand is a tool that helps to put everyone on the same page. Why does this matter? So many of the decisions employees make are truly that – decisions. Should I spend my energy perfecting my work every day or moving quickly to explore more territory? Should I greenlight an extended employee vacation that will provide new inspiration at the cost of extra time away? How should I communicate and act towards our customers? So many decisions, so many viable paths forward. Your brand can be a a guidepost that helps everyone move like a school of fish rather than a swarm of flies.

Employees deliver on the promises of your brand

The feelings we get from interacting with others leave lasting impressions, informing our opinions beyond an initial exchange. The way that employees personify the brand, then, has a powerful and far-reaching impact on customer perception. Harnessing the potential of this begins with employee buy-in. When employees understand and believe in the brand—and are inspired by what it stands for—they become empowered to create products and experiences that not only address customer needs, but reinforce the brand itself. For inspired employees, every customer interaction becomes an opportunity to deepen the relationships that people have with your organization.

We consider employees at every stage of a brand-creation or evolution process. We learn about a company’s existing culture as a key input to any change and directly gather broad employee input early. We work with a core group of integrated stakeholders that represent all areas of a company. We help to craft employee rollout communications when a new vision is set, including all hands presentations and messaging guidelines that help leaders communicate with their people. Ultimately, this helps organizations live their brand everyday through their employees – after all, a brand change is never a moment in time.

By intentionally engaging your employees in your brand evolution process at every step, you invest in your long-term success. Employees will show up every day motivated by understanding that they’re part of something bigger. They’ll be better able to make decisions that drive your organization forward, and they’ll provide even better experiences for customers.

Want to learn more? Send us a note at van@superhuman.agency.