Internal Marketing is the First Step in Employment Branding & Marketing with Angelo Ponzi of The Ponzi Group

We are talking today about the importance of keeping your people informed about what hiring is taking place and allowing your people to become brand ambassadors!

The benefits of keeping your people informed are tremendous as employee referrals harness the highest ROI. Reduce time to hire (55%), Cost of Hire ($3k), improve the quality of hire by 88% and increase retention @45% (after two years).

This all starts with continually marketing internally first, then expanding outward!

Today’s Quote:

"Internal marketing is probably much more important than external marketing. That's even more true today than it's ever been." 

- Tom Stewart

Guest Bio:

Angelo Ponzi is the Founder & President of The Ponzi Group. He is a marketing and branding strategist that works with small to middle-market companies as their fractional Chief Marketing Officer in defining market opportunities, developing competitive profiles, audience personas, brand realignment, and strategies, to strategic, integrated marketing plans that help businesses compete in an ever-changing marketplace.  

He focuses on three strategic pillars for success: Insights, Brand, and Plan to develop effective and efficient programs for building enduring brands and sustainable business growth. 

Angelo is also the host of the radio show/Podcast, Business Growth Café.

Show Highlights: 

• Employment Marketing
• What is it? Why is it important
• How to Structure a solid marketing campaign  

What is Employment Marketing?

• Promotion of the company’s mission, values, products/services to its own employees

Why is it important?

• Improve employee engagement

Problem

What are the challenges facing today

• In most companies, this is non-existant
• Marketing is left up to recruiting
• When it comes to marketing, companies focus externally and do not educate everyone internally. 
• Internal marketing 
• Creating brand ambassadors for hiring 
• Everyone has a role in marketing, and need to get involved in what is happening. Get everyone to embrace what they are doing. 
• Huge risk of alienating potential hires because they do not know how to market the company. Internal communication, internal operations, functionality 
• Avoid potential issues

Who’s responsibility is it?

• C-suite & Marketing
• Recruiting

Rick’s Input:

• Internal referrals are your strongest source of talent
• Informed employees are continually on the lookout
• Required Talent Acquisition & Marketing collaboration
• Cultivate a referral program
• Brand messages reached 561% further when shared by employees vs the same messages shared via official brand social channels (Source: MSLGroup)
• Content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by brand channels

Ingredients for good candidate Experience

• How to deploy an internal marketing program
• Set up a monthly meeting- internal chat or social platform to
• Get information to everyone
• Make the messaging visible as possible
• Internal email
• Exposure to marketing materials
• Educate employees on how the work they do fits into the overall business to build a better understanding of their contributions.

Steps for executing a plan - Process

• Conduct an internal survey to better understand the level of knowledge  
• Develop an internal marketing plan, similar as you would for external marketing
• Empower an individual to be the internal marketing champion...not just an additional duty, but true responsibility with KPI’s

Rick’s two cents

• Align recruiting & marketing
• Cultivate a referral initiative
• Encourage promotion through social channels (Gamify)

Key Takeaways:

• Incorporate information about the company, markets and brand into the on boarding process
• Update employees at least once a quarter, if not monthly on any changes that can impact their jobs and/or give them the ability to talk about the company beyond their function
• Make sure employees are marketed to first, so they are aware of campaigns prior to the external marketing activities. This builds loyalty and inclusiveness among the staff.