Grupo Imperquimia

It is very common to hear that there must be a close relationship between the Sales department and the Marketing area. Companies are committed to create a team with constant feedback between these two areas and it is very common to have meetings, workshops, events, etcetera, to align the expectations and objectives. It seems that this gap is getting smaller, and organizations now have a symbiotic scenario where Sales and Marketing are not only co-workers, but friends.

The result? A beautiful communication and marketing strategy where everyone is aligned... but perhaps no one has realized that there is a part of the organization that was left out and that, without it, unfortunately the strategy can be seriously compromised. How much? Difficult to say, but maybe will be too late for some companies.

The effect of exclusion of the most human area of ​​the company

Let's get to the point, how much can the Human Resources department help or hurt the brand?

I remember one family day event that Human Resources organized. The company had recently obtained a certificate for its sustainability practices in the use of plastic, but what was the surprise that upon arrival all attendees were greeted with plastic bottles without the recycled certification. The surprise did not end there, the food supplier was using a competitor's products.

Yes, probably the biggest area of ​​opportunity was communication, but I saw a bigger problem: Marketing had not involved the organization in its strategy, perhaps they failed to think that Human Resources is one of the main generators of brand ambassadors.

And this process starts even before hiring.

Recruitment, the first contact for brand building.

Many recruiters forget that candidates are also consumers. Factors such as canceling interviews, disappearing during the process, not sending a thank you email, have an impact on the perception of the company. Possibly that candidate the next time he is in front of a shelf prefers another brand and if this is multiplied by the hundreds of processes that are carried out per year, we could have an impact on the market share.

“Who is responsible for communicating a new recognition of the organization? Marketing or Human Resources?”

Another point that I frequently see is the inconsistency with the digital platforms that Human Resources uses for the selection process, which are normally disconnected from the brand's website, but where we can find problems such as the incorrect use of institutional colors, duplicate vacancies or vacancies that are months old. Finally, we have errors when uploading files, which lead the user to a feeling of frustration and associate the company or brand with a negative image.

Maybe the selection process is perfect, but is it reflected within the company?

Brand loyalty is also built within the company.

John, has been hired as an accounting assistant, according to protocol Human Resources gives him his contract, work tools and on this occasion an eco-friendly bottle with the company logo. The day progresses and they begin to talk to him about the company, its history, its brands, and the global strategy; later they introduce John to his team and at the end of the day Human Resources says goodbye to this new collaborator passing the responsibility to his boss of the specific training. However, his boss is also recently hired and went through the same process where he was not told in detail about the values ​​transmitted by the company's brands.

>And so the company lost the opportunity to create a Brand Ambassador<

Possibly when John returns home, his family will ask him what products the company where he now works sells, and yes, John will be able to answer that question, but he will never be able to delve into the advantages of those products or services, what values ​​they transmit and why now he, his family and his friends should start using them. OK maybe John could work in a niche company, which could even mean that he can't properly explain what the company does.

Don’t talk about brands! Let's be honest, how many people from the accounting, logistics and even production teams don't know the company's product catalogue? Although this responsibility does not fall 100% on Human Resources, the first moment of contact may be the most crucial to be able to transmit the values of the brand and other important information.

Institutional communication, the acid test.

OK, at this moment you may feel sure that your company has the necessary protocols in hiring and training, but how do you feel about the Institutional Communication strategy? Perhaps this is the area where Marketing and Human Resources converge the most, for therefore, it may be the most exposed.

Who is responsible for communicating a new recognition of the organization? Marketing or Human Resources? Or if we go deeper, who should make the “copy” of that communication?

Regardless of how the workflow for this situation is defined, both teams will necessarily have to sit down to work and offer a standard communication that conveys the values ​​of the brand and the key message. And without a doubt, this crude example is just the tip of the iceberg that is related to multiple documents and processes that we can ignore, but not establishing a correct internal communication protocol can generate a confusing internal and external message, which can range from the official templates for your presentations, to the use of logos on uniforms.

If you think that this has been solved with an exclusive Internal Communication department, take this simple test. How many of your employees have the same signature format in their emails?

Simple solutions for a long-distance relationship

The joint work of Marketing and Human Resources will continue to be "uncomfortable" to a certain extent due to their distant or non-existent relationship, however, these simple tips will make them go from divorce to honeymoon.

• Establish protocols in the recruitment and training process, to give applicants and collaborators the best experience.

• Establish communication tools that help promote the image of the company and brands, such as brochures, templates or even samples.

• Check the SEO of the recruitment site, maybe it is hindering or improving your web positioning.

• See how you can contribute to the training to create internal brand ambassadors.

• Validate that the institutional material is being used and distributed correctly.

• Hold regular meetings to evaluate the communication strategy, events, materials, etc. that Human Resources needs.

The main point will be that the marketing department should not only focus on transmitting its strategy to the sales team, but to the entire organization.

Undoubtedly, Human Resources is a priority to strengthen the brand strategy, but the best gift that Marketing has is to think that your internal customers are also consumers with whom you must work and fall in love.