Internal marketing is the promotion of employees, managers, and other personnel from within a company. It treats staff like customers who need to be informed about the products and services the company offers, along with its mission and policies. This can increase the quality of customer service, by ensuring that all personnel have a consistent vision of their role within the company and the kind of service they should be providing. Efficiency can also improve with a well-directed internal marketing campaign.
Sources for the campaign can include outside consultants as well as human resources personnel tasked with employee development. One advantage to using an outside source can be the perspective of an additional pair of eyes on a company’s activities. An internal marketing campaign may start with data collection, just like an external campaign. The marketers want to find out how employees perceive the company and their roles, and can specifically test to see if people remember slogans, mission statements, and other key communications.
Results of research can be used to build an effective internal marketing program. This may include the use of newsletters and fliers to distribute information, as well as improved employee manuals and references for people to use in training. Branding within a company might extend to products and services employees use; someone logging into the company intranet, for example, might see the company’s mission statement on the main page. Likewise, the company logo could be displayed prominently.
Different groups of employees can be targeted with specific materials. Managers may be given encouragement to act as leaders and role models who project a positive, confident image that reflects company values. This can include internal marketing materials reminding people about standards and practices within the firm so they’re followed at all times. Lower-level staff might be given materials to improve company loyalty and promote a cooperative work ethic to help them work with each other to accomplish common goals and solve problems.
Customers may report increased satisfaction when they feel like they have a consistent experience at every level of a company. Internal marketing can promote fair and even treatment of all customers, of any size, making them feel more comfortable with the company. It can also streamline operations behind the scenes to deliver products and services faster and at lower cost. Investing in campaigns can save money in the long term as well as building the company’s reputation with customers, including people considering doing business with the firm.
