Employee Brand Engagement Ideas For EVERY Budget
Engagement has a double meaning in employee brand training. First, it deals with connecting to employees on an emotional level. Getting them excited about online training so that they maximize the benefits. Secondly, you need to connect employees to your brand. So that they feel like they’re part of the team and take pride in what they do. The question is: how do you achieve all this on a tight budget? Emotional engagement is difficult enough. But then you toss brand engagement into the mix. Fortunately, there are ways to create that all-important connection without emptying the company coffers. Here are 7 cost-effective employee branding engagement ideas for your SMB.
7 Inspired Employee Brand Engagement Ideas
1. Onboarding Events Hosted By Brand Ambassadors
Until this point, most of your new hires only know the brand basics. Essentially, the reputation you’ve made for yourself and some branding elements. Like your logo and marketing tagline. However, onboarding events hosted by brand ambassadors officially welcome them to the team. The key is to choose ambassadors who are truly passionate about your company. These employees live the core values instead of just memorizing them. And their enthusiasm is contagious. That said, it should be authentic. No pasted smiles or rehearsed scripts. As a matter of fact, that applies to your entire employee brand engagement strategy. Remember, keep it real and make an emotional connection.
2. Origin Story Infographics
Employee brand engagement is all about creating a shared story between your company and its staffers. They may not come in at the beginning, which means you need to bring them up to speed. In turn, they can help you maintain the momentum and achieve long-term success, for both of you. Why not create origin story infographics that highlight your brand’s history. For instance, when was your company founded and who’s behind it? How has it evolved over the years? What did your past logos or uniforms look like? To sum up, an origin story humanizes your brand. As employees can see how far you’ve come, and what brought you to this point.
3. Video Demos That Showcase Core Values
Many core values are a single word. Like ‘integrity’ or ‘trust.’ But these are vague concepts with different meanings, depending on who you ask. Therefore, you need to show employees what YOUR core values mean to you. Not to mention, what they look like in the real world. Video demos are ideal because staffers can follow the example. They’re able to mimic those behaviors and identify areas for improvement. Better yet, ask brand ambassadors to act out scenes to reduce costs.
4. Charts To Highlight The Importance Of Employees’ Roles
Employees need to know how they fit in the grand scheme of things. In other words, how their job duties and roles contribute to the organization’s success. Flow charts are a great visual tool to show how everything connects. For example, other co-workers depend on their job tasks or responsibilities. Keep in mind that brand training isn’t just about the business’ image. A big part of it is building a strong team dynamic. That way, everyone feels like they’re part of something bigger.
5. Social Media Groups For Employee Branding
Staffers can learn a lot from their co-workers. Social media groups for employee branding also give them access to feedback and peer-based support. They can visit the group daily for pointers. Or to ask questions about the brand culture. It’s even a great place to share stories and learn from mistakes. Best of all, they’re already on social media. Employees don’t even have to log in to the LMS to get personalized support. Just make sure to set some ground rules. For instance, everyone needs to respect co-workers’ opinions and they’re only allowed to post relevant resource links.
6. Weekly Inspiration Blog Posts
Employee branding ideas don’t have to be formal and structured. In fact, you can launch blogs to provide small doses of inspiration. Managers can post weekly pointers or visual aids to boost team spirit. Another option is to outsource the task to an eLearning content provider that specializes in employee brand engagement. They can post high-quality content and resource links on your behalf. As well as respond to comments and questions. Think of them as your brand ambassador coach. Better still, your L&D team doesn’t have to add another item to their to-do list.
7. Employee Branding Success Stories
Chances are, you already have employees who pave the way for future brand ambassadors. As such, you can use these success stories to motivate peers. To illustrate, one of your top performers shares a story about respect and sportsmanship. They helped a co-worker, even though it cost them their commission. While another staffers’ tale covers integrity. For example, they had to do the right thing on the job instead of taking the easy route. Another option is to transform these success stories into simulations or demos. This makes them even more engaging and compelling because it adds a visual element. For best results, omit names and personal details so that you can reuse success stories for other activities.
Conclusion
These employee brand engagement ideas are not only cost-effective but quick to consume. Which makes it easier for employees to fill gaps on the spot. They can dive into the company’s backstory. Or revisit your core values with the help of video demos. All the information is at their fingertips. Bite-sized employee branding also gives them the opportunity to prep for brand ambassador certifications. As well as tap into their peer network for inspiration and immediate feedback.
Invest in the best employee branding solutions for your SMB. Our new eBook has all the info you need to build your brand culture and instill your core values. Employee Branding Training: Your Guide To Boost Brand Advocacy And Staffer Satisfaction even has tips to launch a successful brand ambassador program.
