How should start-ups design internal brand building at the early stages?

Authored by Anindita Gupta, Co-founder, Scenic Commuincation.

The term “branding” is often misinterpreted as associated with external marketing, focused only on curating a thoughtful name, visually appealing logo, and consistent messaging to help the company stand out from the competitors. Mostly, it’s what your company portrays to prospects and customers and how your company is perceived among the audience.

But would you consider this the core of your brand? Well, our employees are the core of your business, and this is a no-brainer today.

This is where internal communication comes into the picture. A crucial aspect of your company that will make the team proud to be a part of it falls under the internal brand building. It can significantly impact employee engagement and job satisfaction. It is imperative to develop a culture that respects your employees’ values, ensures they feel they have a role in the department, and creates a sense of unity and purpose among the team so they are likely to become personally invested in your company and its mission.

Benefits of Internal Brand Building:

Enhance employee morale.
Fuel commitment.
Increase employee engagement.
Attract and retain talent.
Improve communication.
Promote collaboration.
Boost productivity.

Ways To Build A Strong Internal Brand and internal communication:

Define your mission and vision

Develop a clear, concise, and memorable mission statement, and make sure it is embedded in every employee’s mind. Make sure they know what your company stands for, what drives growth, and how to go about it. When everyone aligns with your mission and values, they become a single unit, working towards accomplishing a common goal.

Communicate your brand values and ethos

Your employees must understand your core values and your brand ethos. Live by them every day, and let these guide your decision-making at every step of the way. Communicate these via dashboard notes, post them in the break room, or better yet, pin them to every desk, and let them grab eyeballs.

Develop a supportive work culture

A workplace culture that values and encourages employee participation is the need of the hour. You must encourage open communication and foster a sense of community. Provide growth opportunities, both personal and professional, and recognize and reward employees to show appreciation.

Create a visual identity

To make your brand memorable and appealing to your employees, you need to have a distinct visual identity, typically the chosen colors, logo, and font that you use throughout your collaterals. Pick unique aesthetics that your people can easily remember and relate to during their tenure with your company.

Promote internal communication

As simple as it sounds, communication is the key to fruitful collaboration, both external as well as internal. Internal communication helps employees to stay updated with company news, and status updates on relevant topics. You can use emails, newsletters, memos, or anything that allows for healthy communication among your employees.

Educate employees about your brand

Only creating an internal brand won’t help you go a long way. You need to educate your employees about it. To ensure everyone is on the same page, and your brand messaging is consistent throughout, every member on board must be aware of your mission, vision, values, and visual identity.

Seek employee feedback

Internal brand building is not an overnight job. You need to put in continuous efforts to help your brand evolve. You can seek input from your employees via forums, G-meet, and surveys about their take on the work culture, and make the necessary changes to strengthen the internal health of your company.

Analyse and adjust

Change is the only constant. As your company grows and excels, you need to evaluate your existing values. Your mission, vision, brand messaging, and identity can do with a little makeover. While the aim is to get bigger and better, making periodic adjustments to your growth strategy will help you accomplish your next milestone.

Wrapping Up!

Building an internal brand is not a cakewalk, but it’s worth the effort. It can help you make a healthy workplace, maintain positive work culture, engage and motivate employees, and set your company up for exponential growth and success.