What every HR department needs to know about marketing(and taking risks on video)

HR meets marketing

3 things you need to know:

  • Why the employee experience (EX) matters

  • How social influencers are killing it for brands

  • How to get your people on board

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People trust people - not brands

EX is the new battleground for recruitment/employee engagement/experience?


If your organisation is competing for employees, traditional marketing is dead as a doornail. According to our mate Seth Godin, today’s new economy is connection. And that means HR needs to get up close and personal with marketing to nail the employee experience (EX) and drive the next gen of social influencers. Moved Director Jason Knight talks you through what can happen when HR meets marketing.

WHY TRADITIONAL MARKETING IS DEAD FOR HR

Digital, mobile and AI rule. The old ways of doing business are dying: consumers can’t be bought as easily as before. They’re more interested in what your brand says, does and stands for.

And it starts with your employees.
Employee Experience – EX.

Traditional advertising used to build brands through print ads and TV commercials. But now they can save marketing dollars and hyper-target their audience using Facebook and (The Behemoth that is) Google.

HUMAN CONNECTION IS YOUR MOST POWERFUL MARKETING TOOl

 
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Julie Masters, Founder and CEO of Influence Nation, reveals our trust in humans is 65%, but our trust in brands is only 35%, and that 96% of what we look at online comes from human interaction, not from brand influence.

 

EXPLODE REVENUE WHEN YOU GROW STAFF ENGAGEMENT

In-house influencers are the way of the future (A big ‘what the’ moment for HR)

This may come as a surprise – but it makes sense.

Watch the story of the Macy’s ‘Style Crew’. One internal influencer sold a whopping $15,000 worth of handbags in one week using her social channels. True story!

According to Brandwatch, there are 3.03 BILLION active social media users. And guess what? Your employees are all over it.

Why aren’t you using them as influencers? Lightbulb moment!

Getting a celeb influencer to promote your brand is one thing, but what if you could get your employees to post about your brand and products? It won’t cost you as much as a Jenner (or even a Kardashian), so you can save your budget and create cut-through content.

 

SOCIAL INFLUENCERS ARE ALL UP IN YOUR FEED

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  • 75% of influencers are 25-34 and mostly female

  • Influencer marketing rose from 4% in 2010 to 32% in 2017

  • 44% of people love sharing a PASSION on socials

  • Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are the top 3 platforms

Ok Jason,
how do I get my employees to be influencers then?

Start at the top. Get your CEO sharing regular 1-minute videos with your team. And don’t make it formal and stuffy – that’s not human.

They might walk and talk as they dash between meetings, sharing what a day looks like when you’re the Big Boss. Answering questions, sharing visions and goals. Finding a balance. Just talk. You don’t need a big budget with perfect lighting and glistening pearly whites flashing – keep it real, as Taki Moore does. Click below to see how he does it :)

 
 

Humanity is the new marketing in-thing

When it comes to marketing, social media and technology is just the tool – it’s not the solution to sales. Humans are ruled by heart.

We believe you become an influencer by sharing two things:

 

Generosity – offering your customers something they need and value, encouraging them to connect to you as the giver.

Art – humans want things that are interesting, pretty and different. Give them something remarkable.

 

Great. What’s first?

SUSS OUT EMPLOYEES LIKELY TO BE KEY INFLUENCERS:

  • Start with a survey – what do people care about and want to share

  • Align these with the broader business vision and values

  • Find your WOW people with creative flair and set them loose to create videos about your company and products - no rules! (Breathe deeply, we’ll show you how to make it work)

  • Run these past your comms team to match up messages, style and format

Here are some great tips on sharing stories via video.

  • Get your influencers sharing on socials - and watch it go BOOM!

Need help to blend HR and marketing?

Forget ad spending. Internal influencers are the new marketing. Is your company keeping up or are you still throwing barrels of money into a 6ft hole?

If you need help aligning people, vision and business goals, we’ll show you how to find a universal brand voice to keep your employee influencers on brand and on mission.

 

About the Author

Jason Knight

Jason Knight is the founder and creative director of Moved by Design, designing brand identities and learning material for corporate HR businesses. He has spent over 15 years blending HR with marketing, which has made him a finely tuned visual communicator.

TrainingJason KnightMoved by DesignEmployee Engagement, HR, Influencers