Employee engagement and brand advocacy
In this episode of the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast, we had an enlightening conversation with Kerry-Ann Stimpson, the CMO of JMB Group, and I believe you’ll find her insights as fascinating as I did. Kerry-Ann discusses the importance of engaging employees in building a strong brand and highlights the role of brand advocacy. The highlights include:
- The Employee-Brand Connection: Kerry-Anne emphasised the importance of employee engagement in building a strong brand. She believes that employees are not just creators or service providers, but they are the ones who deliver on the brand promise. This makes it crucial for them to understand the mission, vision, and value proposition of the brand.
- Employee Advocacy: We delved into the concept of brand advocacy and how employees can act as advocates for the brand in a post-COVID world. Kerry-Ann explained that customers are more likely to believe the word of employees than official marketing channels, making internal employee engagement vital.
- Authentic Engagement on Social Media: Kerry-Ann highlighted the importance of authentic employee engagement and advocacy on social media platforms. She believes that employees can provide a more genuine and relatable perspective, driving greater engagement and believability among the audience.
- Personal Branding: We discussed the role of personal branding and how organisations can measure brand advocacy. Kerry-Ann suggested that building brand advocacy starts with a great company culture and empowering employees to be advocates, both online and in person.
- Collaboration is Key: We concluded by discussing the importance of collaboration between internal communications, marketing, and HR in building successful internal marketing strategies. Kerry-Ann believes that by working together, these functional areas can create a magical partnership that engages the team and motivates them to share the company’s message with the outside world.
I hope these insights spark your curiosity and entice you to listen to the full podcast. Remember, you can now find us on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify. Don’t forget to subscribe!
Guest profile
Kerry-Ann Stimpson is a marketing executive, with significant experience in marketing strategy; digital marketing; social media; marketing research; branding and marketing communications. Kerry is also a public speaker, podcaster, and business communications coach. Kerry believes that marketing can’t be successful without, first, having strong employee engagement and brand advocacy.
Useful links
Link to a relevant episode of the podcast: https://thebigpicturepeople.co.uk/blog/podcast/building-brand-promise-from-the-inside-out-with-arafa-heneghan-s1-e1/
Kerry-Ann’s links:
Kerry-Ann’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerryastimpson/
Kerry-Ann’s podcast website: https://the-internal-marketing-podcast.simplecast.com
Kerry-Ann’s podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-internal-marketing-podcast/id1539260134