Cum iti transformi angajatii in Ambasadori ai Brandului

Internationally, many companies choose celebrities or athletes to represent them as Brand Ambassadors. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Ellen DeGeneres were and still are international brand ambassadors.

If we take a closer look, celebrities aren't the only ambassadorial options for your company to target. Look closer to you, right at the desk next to you! Your colleagues are the best ambassadors your company can have.

Companies invest millions of dollars to prepare them to become Brand Ambassadors. To start the process off on the right foot, your colleagues need to:
- Know what the company's mission is - what the company wants and how it differentiates itself from the competition;
- Understand the Brand Promise and be able to explain the most important elements of brand identity;
- Implement the company's Brand Promise.

The involvement of Employee Engagement strategies in creating Brand Ambassadors is essential. Scarlett Surveys International defines Employee Engagement as „a measure of employees” emotional attachment to their job, coworkers or company. It, whether negative or positive, influences their desire to learn more and perform."

It is well known that Employee Engagement is critical for an organization, and the benefits exist on both sides. 2015 comes with a wave of challenges for HR strategies in terms of HR development.

However, to turn them into Brand Ambassadors we have some tips:

1. Prioritize Brand Awareness
A survey conducted by Gallup on a sample of 3,000 employees, brought forth a shocking truth: only 41% of employees agree with the following statement: „I know the purpose of the organization and what makes us different from the competition.” The survey concludes that more than half of employees are unaware of the power of the company brand. In this case, „learning by doing” leadership is the most appropriate, but it does not neglect other types of activities to increase company brand awareness: event or teambuilding activities that bring this component forward.

2. Brand stories
The stories told by employees about company management, best practices and the company's impact on their lives are invaluable and turn them into Brand Ambassadors. From family, to friends or people they meet while traveling, employees tell their story and your company's story.
In a company where Brand Awareness is properly realized even the employees' families become Brand Ambassadors (by alliance) :D.

3. Company culture
For employees to be proud Brand Ambassadors they also need the right context, and in this case the context is the organizational culture of the company. The company has to consider all the details of creating and maintaining this culture: from the small things to the big things, from the company's Social Media activity to the events specially created to promote this culture. The employees who deliver the company's Brand Promise need to be recognized, and from here to being even more motivated to continue to do so, the road is simple.

In concluzie, brandul de angajat, precum si actiunile necesare pentru a-l construi si a-l gestiona sunt instrumente puternice care pot fi folosite pentru a adauga valoare companiei prin intermediul departamentului de HR.