Creating Authentic Brand Experiences Via Employee Voices
It’s all about trust: why it’s more vital than ever in a company; how to establish and maintain the proper culture; and how employee communications come into it all.
Whether in business or in personal relationships, trust is an age-old virtue. There are several clichés, quips, and sayings concerning how long it takes to develop something and how fast it may be destroyed. It is now becoming increasingly significant in modern companies due to its influence on both the employee and customer experience.
In today’s environment, there is a lot of anonymity. Despite the social nature of everything we do online, face-to-face interaction and business proximity are declining. The latter is what usually fosters trust, so it’s not surprising that consumers are increasingly seeking for signs of authenticity in a business.
It’s simple to understand how the conflict arises: social media provides so much anonymity (you don’t know who’s watching and following you; your reach is unknown), yet trust remains a currency that must be earned. In reality, not only customers but even staff seek to comprehend a brand’s authenticity. And this places employee communications squarely in the heart of an uncharted territory.
Employee communications feed into so many elements of a business, and while the issue of trust is much larger now, their contact points are so many that they become the natural brand authenticity coordinator – or champion – across all audiences.
Social leadership is the beginning step for developing a genuine brand. Leaders nowadays must have emotional and business intelligence, as well as be socially, emotionally, and culturally aware. Because the human component is what creates brand trust, all behaviors matter, whether they affect customer interactions, retention, crisis management, selling, talent acquisition, and so on. I could go on and on.
When it comes to social media and social selling, engaged workers are unquestionably a company’s greatest friend. However, there is considerable dispute regarding whether employees are behind the brand or vice versa.
When a brand receives what appears to be fabricated news or feedback, cynicism rises. Nowadays, there is no way to game the system. A brand needs authentic coverage, which can only be obtained by empowering and engaging staff, giving them the confidence to utilize social media and build audience trust.
Communicate
Communicate but do it in a clear and relevant manner. Don’t merely send out content that promotes what you do; this is unlikely to help. You must interact and engage with your audience on both an internal and outward level.
Invest in your culture
Investing in your culture sending out an employee opinion poll once a year is no longer enough. Employees have a voice, which is often seen as more trustworthy than the CEO’s, and they are aware of it. People will voice their thoughts on social media, so why not use that power as a company and begin with your internal culture? People are more likely to applaud a brand if they feel appreciated. But keep in mind that sincerity is everything. Their voice must be real; it cannot be purchased.
Consider the ‘audience experience’
The experience of your audience, whether consumer or employee, is likely to be heavily influenced by your culture and authenticity. If your staff are well-motivated and understand the benefits of your brand and working for your company, you can expect that your customer experience will improve quickly.
There are several wonderful ideas out there for motivating and engaging your workers, but they require commitment from the top to be real and hence successful. It is critical to have a professional-looking pay stub ready to distribute to your employees. You might try using an online check stub maker.
Structure your company for optimum involvement
Structure your company for optimum involvement and effective engagement begins with social leadership. SAP is combining marketing and communications initiatives because the company recognizes a shift in how the brand interacts with the larger business environment.
Why Is Employee Input So Valuable?
At the end of the day, individuals prefer to communicate with other people rather than with logos. According to LinkedIn, renowned industry thought leaders – your expertise – are 5x more likely to engage with B2B customers.
This is supported by Edelman Trust Barometer data, which reveals that experts and peers are still more trusted than leaders and logos.
The trusted voice of your workers is the first step in tapping into the trusted economy. They are the most intimately associated with your brand and, possibly, the most closely associated with your consumers.
At a time when 74 percent of customers pick the firm that was the first to offer value to their purchasing decision, activating the expert voice of your employee community is more crucial than ever.
To summarize, the true voice of the firm begins with those who are most directly associated with it: employees. Internal communications must modify its function to encourage and allow this transition within the organization as trustworthy networks become the key source of information and endorsement.
