8 Steps To Develop A Learner-Centered Employee Branding Strategy

8 Steps to Develop a Learner-Centered Employee Branding Strategy
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Summary: Employees need to back your brand messaging and convey your core values. This article highlights 8 crucial steps to develop learner-centered brand training.

Stress-Free Steps to Develop a Learner-Centered Employee Branding Strategy

Sure, online training has to keep things professional. There’s no room for TMI or personal melodramas. But emotions are still a crucial part of employee engagement. Staffers need to feel like every resource was made just for them. Even if 50 other employees are enrolled in the same course. This is particularly important for your employee branding strategy. So, how do you create learner-centered experiences without going over budget? Are there ways to reduce the development timeline and streamline the process? Follow these 8 steps to create brand training for employees that resonates with EVERYONE.

eBook Release: Employee Branding Training: Your Guide To Boost Brand Advocacy And Staffer Satisfaction
eBook Release
Employee Branding Training: Your Guide To Boost Brand Advocacy And Staffer Satisfaction
Get employees behind your brand and build up your image!

8 Steps To Launch An Employee Branding Program

1. Clarify Your Branding Elements

First things first. You need to make sure that all your branding elements are cohesive. And that your messaging is on-point. If it’s been a while since you evaluated your image, it’s time for a check-up. Verify that your core values, mission statement, and identity are still accurate. For example, your logo feels outdated. This may seem trivial in terms of brand training. However, all the pieces need to fall in place to create a solid image. Namely, an image your employees can rally behind.

2. Decide Which Behaviors Support Your Core Values

One of the most challenging things about developing an employee branding strategy is translating core values into behaviors. After all, they’re intangible. But you still have to show employees how these values tie into their job duties. For example, your company is founded on trust and integrity. So, how do employees portray these qualities every day? Should staffers always give customers their honest opinions, even if means lower per-ticket sales? Should they give co-workers moral support and be a team player?

3. Evaluate Your Current Employee Branding Strategy

There’s always room to improve. Evaluate your current brand training strategy to see if still aligns with employees’ needs. And your business objectives, for that matter. Is it personalized? Do you need to incorporate more interactive resources? Does it cater to different personal preferences and training styles? Another thing to consider is the cost. Are there any under-performing assets you can cut to reduce your maintenance budget? Do you have resources you can re-purpose for the new employee brand training course?

4. Get Employee Feedback

Go straight to the source. Employees can help you structure your new brand training program. The key is to get them in early. For example, conduct surveys and assessments to identify hidden gaps. How would they summarize your brand? What are your values and corporate beliefs? Above all, do they understand how all of this relates to their work responsibilities? You can also delve into the current online training strategy to gauge employee satisfaction. It’s essential to gather feedback throughout the development process. Not just at the beginning and end.

5. Choose The Best Delivery Methods For Your Team

There’s not a formula for employee branding success. Every organization needs to custom tailor its approach based on employee preferences. Spending limits and time constraints also come into play. You need to choose the best delivery methods for your team. And I’m not just referring to mobile-friendly content. For instance, online training simulations and serious games foster real-world application. These tools even facilitate mistake-driven learning and immediate feedback. On the other hand, video demos are ideal for task-based training. For example, employees need to see how core values factor into their work processes.

6. Develop A Clear Budget And Implementation Schedule

How much can you spend on your new employee branding strategy? How quickly do you need to launch? One of your top priorities should be to set an accurate budget and timeline. The schedule covers everything from qualifying outsourcing vendors to employee branding roll-out. While the budget should break costs into in-house versus outsourced. For instance, are you going to conduct TNA on your own or hire a vendor?

7. Launch An Employee Branding Library For JIT Support

Brand training for employees usually involves structured courses and certifications. Maybe even live events to boost staffer engagement. However, you should also give employees JIT support. Such as a microlearning library that features infographics and demo videos. It’s a great way to refresh their memory and reinforce positive behaviors. Plus, they can use the bite-sized modules to identify personal pain points on their own. Bonus tip: Look for content providers who offer microlearning training solutions AND specialize in employee branding.

8. Separate In-House Versus Outsourcing Tasks

I touched on this briefly, but outsourcing deserves its own section. Elearning content providers can help you brainstorm employee branding ideas. As well as reduce the development timeline. They also have the authoring tools and niche expertise you need to build a strong brand culture. The first step is choosing which tasks to outsource. Which also allows you to fine-tune your budget. So, create a list of projects that you’ll hand over to the vendor. Then another that covers all the internal tasks. For instance, the outsourcing partner is in charge of employee branding simulations. While your team tackles live event hosting.

Conclusion

There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all online training these days. Not when organizations have learning tech at their disposal. You can deliver diverse employee branding resources rapidly, without breaking the bank. Especially if you follow these steps to speed up the process. Just be sure to iron out your brand messaging and current gaps beforehand. So that you know which behaviors and skills to address. Last, but not least, consider an outsourcing partner to reduce costs and development time.

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.