MARKETING
The rise of internal marketing
By Jonathan Phillip Kyetume
The pandemic has had a great impact on the workplace , and as such we are seeing a rise in concern for corporate wellness . As we recover and transition through the pandemic , as marketers our key focus has been on the rapidly evolving consumer trends , market share , business development , and retention but we have ended up neglecting our internal customers - Employees .
Unfortunately , from an internal marketing perspective , it is extremely crucial to maintain employee engagement and motivation . A section of leading economies are experiencing the Great Attrition or the Great Resignation era , mainly because employee expectations have greatly changed as a result of the pandemic . The growing attrition could be attributed to the pandemic ’ s impact on mental health as a result of anxiety , trauma , depression , and chronic burnout . A recent McKinsey & Company survey revealed that about 54 % of employees don ’ t feel valued by their managers while 51 % of employees don ’ t feel a sense of belonging at work . Internal marketing should first seek to understand employee expectations and concerns beyond compensation and remuneration .
In a similar survey conducted by Mind Share Partners in 2019 , approximately 60 % of respondents had experienced signs of a mental health illness , with 61 percent indicating their mental health was directly tied to their professional productivity .
With rapid strategic restructuring and transformation in most organizations , the necessity to consider enhancing and adapting internal marketing strategies has never been higher . As we focus on retention and realigning teams to strategic objectives , we must pay key attention to change management . Change management focuses on aligning individuals to drive organizational strategic objectives . Change management success greatly depends on human capital alignment , and our greatest concern now lies in ensuring peak performance throughout the pandemic . Employees must be actively engaged as major stakeholders , and it is critical to convey and integrate changes into the culture for the transformation to be sustainable . Disengagement is a major potential roadblock to change that can only be overcome by recognizing the underlying causes or concerns .
Employees that are disengaged may provide an unproductive customer experience , which may affect not only customer retention but also revenue and brand reputation . Employees require a great deal of empathy and psychological support from supervisors and managers to cope with the changes , thus management teams must be aligned to appreciate the role of internal marketing in strategic success .
The key to Internal Marketing is to ensure employee involvement and engagement therefore it ’ s critical to encourage input and participation in strategic discussions . This is important as it fosters innovative teamwork and greatly improves loyalty and employee retention as people always feel valued . For any organization transforming , there is no better source of immediate feedback and insights than employees . Internal marketing greatly depends on establishing sustainable internal communication systems , and in some cases , less formal environments can be considered to enable employees to communicate with ease . Firms need to also consider routine training programs to reinforce the brand vision and consistency in external communications .
There ’ s an imminent need for human resource managers to appreciate and understand the growing role of internal marketing in human capital performance . Organizations need to consider the adoption and implementation of Corporate Wellness programs to bolster culture , improve team cohesion and achieve holistic comprehensive health and mental wellbeing . Internal marketing is still the sole way to reinforce , explain , and translate a brand ’ s value and promise to customers , particularly in businesses that require human engagement , such as service contact points and customer support . A successfully planned and implemented internal marketing strategy is of immense value to firms as it not only improves the customer experience but also profitability through customer lifetime value and brand advocacy .
Over the next three decades , Africa ’ s population is predicted to double . As leaders , we need to advocate for mental health care access , awareness , protection , and push for favorable amendments to respective National Employment and Health Acts . ■
Jonathan Phillip Kyetume is a Marketing and Communications Specialist . Commune with him on this and related issues via email at :
Jonathankyetume @ gmail . com
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