In the following story, Head of Marketing at Omniva Monika Seimar tells us why brand image is important for the company and what brand ambassadors are.
Employers often invest a lot of time and money into shaping the external image of the company. However, it is even more important to invest in the internal environment of the organisation as well as the team and its wellbeing because the voice of employees is stronger than any paid marketing and can bring success to the company. The times when companies were decorated with loud but empty slogans are gone – the modern client wants to be part of something reliable and real in order to be loyal. An excellent opportunity for this is using company employees as brand ambassadors.
So what is a brand ambassador?
The answer is simple – all company employees, whether they speak publicly or not, are brand ambassadors. We all say things about our jobs to our friends, neighbours and colleagues, who in turn carry these messages to their friends. This is verbal marketing that starts with a person’s (a company employee’s) immediate experience. It has great power because sincere stories resonate with people.
The shared emotion may be positive or negative. But the good thing is that, as employees, we see our colleagues’ contribution towards solving these negative instances and we know how to highlight this aspect. Often, clients do not see such processes and this is what makes the employee’s role as the information sharer priceless for the company.
The employer, in turn, can establish a pleasant work environment and provide safety and benefits so employees have much to share that is positive. By posting a picture showing an emotional moment in the break room or at a company event, we show the company culture and create a certain image of the organisation. We organise various monthly company events at Omniva – currently virtually – that involve our employees. We include hundreds and thousands of employees and consider it important that these projects are strongly tied to our values. For example, twice a year, we focus on the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees. Since a large number of our employees sit in traffic in their daily work as drivers, during traffic awareness month, we organise various workshops on traffic behaviour. In this manner, our employees gain experience to share with others later on.
Each action is marketing, and this consciously or unconsciously forms the brand. Both the employer and the employee should be aware of this. A company that involves employees as brand ambassadors has a concrete competitive advantage because it creates additional value with great recommendations and consciously managed actions.
How to make employees believe and care for the company and share good things about it
From the practical side, employees are motivated by the employer’s value offer, i.e. the benefit package offered in addition to remuneration which makes the company an attractive employer. Omniva’s value offer is compiled of benefits that are important for our employees specifically. These include supporting a healthy and active lifestyle: Omniva sports club discounts, relaxing massage chairs near the sorting lines or special offers for personal health examinations. Also simple yet significant matters, such as discounted tyre exchange or special offers from partnering e-shops, for our more than two thousand employees.
More important than the rational aspect is the emotional. A company’s social media group allows colleagues from all over the country to communicate with one another, actively discuss current topics and share fun moments from mail carrying rounds. Four times a year, the Deed of the Quarter is selected, where anything from successful work achievements to support initiatives for ill colleagues are recognised. The time when organising joint events is possible will also surely return. All of this unites people.
The employer’s brand in addition to the value offer ensures motivated and loyal employees and the desired image on the labour market. This is how a reputation is formed, which allows a company to select employees with better experience and quality and thus grow the business. Our story – Omniva’s story – is “Work done with joy”. Just like we promise to deliver joy to our clients with a letter or a parcel, our promise to our employees is also to provide joy from working at Omniva. We care for our people and offer them great work conditions and benefits because we believe that happy employees will also make our clients happy.