Over recent years I have seen lots of organisations trying to improve their internal communications. I have seen organisations with poor to terrible internal communication. I have seen organisations with them and us cultures, poor management and dictatorial leaders. Often these organisations play at internal marketing. They go through the motions, put out poor quality newsletters, send long-winded emails and offer poor quality staff away days.

At one organisation, the senior management locked itself away. They went from bunker mentality to an actual bunker. At another, if a member of senior management went onto the ‘shop floor’ it was akin to a royal visit. When the ‘visit’ was over, the staff sighed with relief; well, it would be another couple of years before they would be bothered again.

The problem with these organisations was that they saw staff communication as an un-necessary hindrance on their grand plan. they viewed internal marketing solely as a communications issue not as a core part of service delivery. After all, the best policy, like the security services was need to know.

These organisations also tended to have top down heavy, ‘do as I say’ management styles. They rejected the more modern, policy down/plan up approach to management.

Last week I discussed the marketing of services and stated that good internal communication processes were critical to service competitive advantage.

Internal marketing goes further than communication. It is the creation of an open, information-sharing organisational culture.

To offer superior customer service you need make a concerted effort to communicate better. Your staff need to know what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and attitude. They also need to know how superior customer service will be measured and evaluated.

Internal marketing should be seen as a powerful tool in managing your organisation. It helps align organisational stakeholders to your organisation’s values and goals.

Internal marketing is knowledge management, not just better communications. It communicates management intentions and expectations. It informs, educates and persuades employees to follow your intended course of action. It should aim to motivate employees and to clarify their responsibilities.

The aim should be to unite stakeholders behind your organisational goals. You shouldn’t only rely on formal communications channels. Informal channels should also be leveraged. Don’t just rely on formal communications plans and team meetings, one to one communications with staff are equally important,

The aim of communications should be to reduce conflicts, not to ignite them. Better informed staff are better motivated staff. Using a ‘Intentions down – Plans up’ approach means staff gain ownership of organisational goals.

You are not simply moving data around your organisation. the aim of internal marketing is to inform, educate, persuade, motivate and enthuse. If you view corporate communications as solely a data process you may end up with data overload.

The following are key factors in internal marketing success:

1. Clear Objectives: Clear objectives unite the workforce behind organisational goals. They promote organisational change and customer focus. they allow the clear communication and sharing of organisational values. Clear objectives commit staff to a total quality approach and they develop a commitment to customer service. Interdepartmental relationships improve when objectives are communicated; as is organisational knowledge and information sharing. Obviously to be clear objectives need to be SMART.
2. Identify your Stakeholders: You need to identify their perceptions and expectations; their needs and wants; their concerns and motivations. You need to establish how your organisation objectives deal with those stakeholder criteria. you also need to know the status of interdepartmental relationships.
3. Communications: What is to be communicated? What is the purpose of the communication? How will a communication affect the expectations of different stakeholder groups. Expectations need to be managed and it is important that you establish feedback mechanisms. You need to avid information overload whilst providing trustworthy, honest, timely communications. You need to avoid an information vacuum where gossip and rumour will fester.
4. Alliances: You need to create alliances across your organisation. This could be through personal exchanges. Avoid an ‘us and them’ culture; the management ‘bunker’. You need to encourage stakeholders to see issues from various points of view.
5. Training and Development: You need to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and skills required for them to do what is expected of them. Appraisals should specify internal marketing goals.
6. Control: Internal marketing and communications need a budget, a schedule and performance control mechanisms. Messages should be aligned with the communication norms of different organisational departments e.g. HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.