Sometimes business travel has an upside. On a recent Southwest flight I was intrigued by their invention of a phrase called Transfarency, imprinted on the beverage napkin. Perhaps you have seen it.
Having some quiet time and staring at this napkin caused me to think of a methodology we suggest for clients when building out an employee engagement program, and subsequently a key component that sometimes is overlooked by HR. So I have invented a new catch phrase too. It’s called Mahrketing.
Don’t worry, it’s not a typo. Please notice how I cleverly embedded HR in my new word – I’m so proud of myself. So how does marketing relate to employee productivity, talent acquisition and retention? And why do we encourage HR to ask Marketing to become part of the task force charged with this mission?
It’s pretty simple from our vantage point. Your most important asset, your employee, should be considered your first customer. As marketing is customer centric, the same principles, disciplines and creative tactics used to entice and retain buyers can be translated internally to make your employees “brand ambassadors”. HR needs to garner this department’s creative talent and blend it with HR’s mission, thus fusing your internal collective resources to provide an optimum result.
Recently I was recruited to represent QIC on the executive board of a newly formed group within the Incentive Marketing Association. This group is called the Incentive & Engagement Solutions Providers Council, and its mission is to help corporate America design programs and communicate best practices to ensure positive outcomes. HR may get a strange look from marketing when recruited to be part of the internal task force – with a hint of uncertainty relative to “why me” ? If this brief story resonates, we have equipped you with the answer.
At QIC we take pride in helping clients with the methodology required to establish a formal – and successful – employee engagement program. Yes, we have the technology and the rewards to make it all happen, but it’s a sound design with just the right amount of marketing sizzle that brings it all together.
So remember HR folks, create a mahrketing task force. You’ll be glad you did!
