Most companies understand the importance of developing communication strategies to reach their customers, potential clients and other stakeholders. However, they often forget about communicating with one very critical audience – their own employees.
Employees are the front door to any company. They interact with your customers on a daily basis and serve as front-line ambassadors. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure that your employees are up to speed on the company’s mission, values and service philosophies.
When creating external communication strategies, don’t forget to also address the internal components. Here are six tips for creating effective employee ambassadors for your company:
Orientation training: Create a new hire orientation class to teach employees about the history, culture, and goals of the organization.
Newsletter: Send out a regular employee e-newsletter with the latest company information and news. Consider including an employee spotlight profile or best practice in each issue.
All employee briefings: Gather all staff at least once a quarter for a company town hall meeting. Have important key leaders give presentations and allow time for employees to ask questions.
Intranet: Develop a company Intranet to post documents, share information and foster two-way communication.
Social media: Involve employees in your social media strategies. They might be members of forums or groups where they could advocate for the company.
Leadership messages: Distribute ongoing messages to employees from key company leaders addressing upcoming initiatives and successes. These could be e-mails, voice mails, webcasts or printed materials.
Communicating regularly will help employees feel more engaged with the organization, improve their morale and ensure they are speaking accurately about the company to your stakeholders. The next time you develop communication strategies, don’t forget to include your employees!
Authored by: Linda Leatherbury
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