How to create employee brand ambassadors?

You could be your company’s brand ambassador!

Ram worked as an accounts manager at ABZ enterprises. He was a happy employee and was satisfied with his company and the experience it provided him. Whenever someone asked Ram what he did for a living, he not only gave information about his job role, but also the nature of the organization, the services it offered and how it was better than its competitors in the market. Over a period of time, thanks to Ram’s spirited descriptions and a positive brand recall, the company got a lot of affiliated businesses.

Ram was an effective Employee Brand Ambassador.

Whilst creating a company marketing or a branding plan entrepreneurs consider several costs for creating brand recall and identity. No matter what your enterprise may be about, it is important to do a certain level of branding. Branding is often an expensive affair. However, there is one resource at hand, which is very useful for marketing, but most entrepreneurs forget to pay attention to it- The Human Resource.

While talking of brand ambassadors we are not talking about your sales and marketing team. Every employee, including your peons, your admin staff, work-from-home staff and interns are potential brand ambassadors. In fact, entrepreneurs who have really understood the concept, will agree, that more than your marketing entities, it is your employees who create a brand image.

How to Create Employee Brand Ambassadors?

Employees are not naturally brand ambassadors; you need to work on them to help them become that.

Loyalty: Only loyal employees will be effective ambassadors. Hence, it is important that your employees feel a sense of loyalty, an affinity to the organization and the brand. This affinity and loyalty is what motivates them to talk about their organization in a spirited and positive manner. This is what will associate a positive brand image in the mind of the listener.

Knowledge: This point is often ignored. Every employee should be induced about the brand on the whole. Simply put, no matter which department the employee may be in, they need to know the core business of the enterprise and certain USPs. It is not just the marketing and sales staff that can bring in business, you know.

Team Spirit: Team spirit is extremely important in order to motivate staff to ‘sell the brand image’ whether they are in sales or not. A high level of team spirit will motivate employees to discuss the core business and bring in customers and clientele. In fact, if done right, in case the employee is not marketing or sales personnel, he or she will get their contact in touch with the right employee to make sure that a deal gets through well. In turn, the enterprise can always ensure that the incentive is shared by both employees.

Merchandise: Other than the general personality and communication of the employees, there is merchandise that help at silent brand recall methods. Big brands already use this method extensively. This includes t-shirts, caps, winter jackets, mugs, pens, laptop bags etc embezzled with the company logo. Whenever the employee is out with one of these items, a silent brand recall takes place when someone sees it.

Communication Ability: While sales and marketing staff are mostly adept at putting their point across, not all employees are gifted in the area. Hence, as an enterprise, it is important to ensure that all employees are developed personalities and comfortable with communication. For example, if someone asks an employee where they work and what the company is all about, they should be able to not just answer but explain it and put it across coherently and relevantly.

Many organizations keep a policy of ensuring that a certain level of insecurity is maintained in the employees. This old mindset needs to be changed. Only secure employees, who associate growth of the company with their own personal growth will bother to be brand ambassadors.

Have you ever been the face of any brand or any enterprise? Do share your story.