by Julie Tuggle-Nguyen and Danielle Bateman Girondo
As a leader of a small business, you know better than anyone that your team is your biggest asset. But finding and retaining the best people is a continual challenge, particularly in this market. How do you set your company apart as a place where people want to work?
The answer might be sitting in your marketing department. A collaboration between HR and Marketing can become an engine that attracts and retains top talent, all while fostering a company culture that is understood and embraced by everyone in your organization.
Here’s how a marketing approach can boost your HR strategy:
Showcase Your Team:
Partner with marketing to shine a light on your team through multiple communication channels. Our Bank, for example, is in the relationship business, so we highlight our team members who build relationships. Submit employees for meaningful awards and celebrate their wins internally and externally. Help them author thought leadership pieces in various publications. Train them to be good brand ambassadors and activate their social media platforms and networks.
Position Your Organization as a Top Workplace
Marketing can cement your status as a top place to work. A place where smart, happy, purpose-driven people can grow professionally. Consider pursuing workplace awards. Market your employment opportunities like you would your company’s products or services. We partnered with marketing to create our HR recruitment landing page, BestJobsInStL.com, using the same level of sophistication, focus, and energy as they would a new product launch.
Manage Employee Reviews
Marketing builds brands. Negative reviews can tear them down. Just as you pay attention and respond to customer reviews, you need to do the same for employee reviews on platforms like Glassdoor. Marketing can help you evaluate and activate your strategy on Glassdoor to reinforce your position as an employer of choice.
Reinforce a Strong Culture
Marketing can help paint a clear and consistent picture of your organization, both internally and externally. One that truly tells your brand story, communicates who you are, differentiates you in the market, and reminds employees why they should be proud of the work they do. Culture is rooted in purpose. Define your organization’s purpose - your North Star - and let it guide your culture. This makes a difference not only for your employees, but for the candidates you are recruiting from the market.
Onboard Employees Effectively
Every employee should be introduced to your company, people and culture through an onboarding experience. At MBC, our onboarding program is a 12-month process that allows our new employees to build a network across the orgnaizaiton, while being introduced to our values and culture, what those mean to us and they drive how we do our business. This helps to bring our culture to life for all employees, those local in a branch, hybrid in the region, or throughout the United States. Marketing can be a great partner in creating this experience to ensure alignment with internal and external communications around your company’s culture, expectations, and values.
What if you don’t have a marketing team? Or HR? I hear you. Our Bank supports thousands of micro-businesses. You are marketing your organization every day, whether you have a dedicated department or not. My advice to you is to take the above points and implement them among your colleagues to the best of your ability. Regardless of your company’s size, you always have the opportunity to connect – and connections are the key to business growth.n
Julie Tuggle-Nguyen is Chief Human Resources Officer at Midwest BankCentre.
Danielle Bateman Girondo is Chief Marketing Officer at Midwest BankCentre.