PACE PERSPECTIVES

BRAND + TALENT: The Impact of Employee Storytelling Experiences on Brand Health

By Gordon Locke

with Molly Gentile and Gordon Bass

Overview

The Opportunity: Voice of the Employee

Five Pillars of the Employee Experience

Overcoming Obstacles

The Payoff

Key Takeaways

Works Cited

About the Authors and Contributors

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Today more than ever, consumers want to know as much about brands as the products they sell. And often that extends to wondering—who are the people behind the brand? What are their stories? What’s it like to work for the brand? What is their real story? Do I want to do business with this brand?

It turns out that employees are eager to tell their stories and represent brands, but there are a number of hurdles when positioning the “voice of the employee,” leveraging them as spokespeople or ambassadors (while keeping it real). For example, there can be different views between human resources and marketing departments about how to integrate all of the aspects of the employee experience into one cohesive program.

From employee engagement and communications to sentiment tracking and public brand perception to adherence to regulatory and compliance guidelines in complex industries, bridging the divide between the intent of building an engaged and happy culture and the ways those efforts can better serve the brand can be a tough road to navigate.

ENTER, THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE Yet, research reveals that the public sentiment toward, and engagement with, a brand can increase when employees are allowed to be transparent about their experience, share brand love and even become a resonant part of the brand’s story, internally and externally. Moreover, when brands remove the varnish and Teflon coating from the employee voice, they allow a more real and grounded perception to develop toward their products and services.

This paper will explore proof points and examples, as well as some trending research and statistics, that will help readers develop a point of view on how to consider this as an opportunity for their own brands. Additionally, this body of work is designed to spark interest in exploring how to leverage employee storytelling.

BRAND + TALENT

OVERVIEW

EMPLOYER CONTENT & COMMUNICATION ECOSYSTEM

For the employee. On behalf of the employee. With the employee. By the employee.

That is the crux of how brands can build and develop their character and personality with their most important resource. There are many measurable dimensions of perception and sentiment by consumers toward brands. Granted, as we see in net promoter score methodology, it can appear quite simple—a consumer will either be part of promoting and referring your brand, or they won’t. They have a developed sense of who you are, or they have low awareness of what your brand stands for. But, as we will show, those simple black-and-white metrics can get nuanced when consumers are creating emotional attachments with a brand.

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BRAND + TALENT

THE OPPORTUNITY: VOICE OF THE EMPLOYEE

RECRUITMENT

RATINGS & RANKINGS

EMPLOYEE SOCIAL

INTERNAL PLATFORMS & ERP

SYSTEMSCOMPANY WEBSITE

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

HUMAN RESOURCES

EMPLOYEE STORY/CONTENT

HUB

EMPLOYER BRAND &

EMPLOYEE VALUE

PROPOSITION

At Pace, we serve many global and national brands, as well as small startup companies growing their brands. What we see across the board is that how a company harnesses and creatively deploys the rich stories of employees’ contributions, talents and passions has both a direct impact on emotional connections with the brand and a halo effect on consumer preference. This, of course, must be complemented by products and services that appeal to and satisfy the customer.

The question becomes, is this hard to master? Yes, it is, but it’s worth it.

There is always a starting point and an investment to be decided upon. A number of brands have proven that the typical internal-facing stories and experiences of their invaluable employees, when used correctly and tastefully, can become an engine of brand growth and fuel for positive sentiment. For example, employee support initiatives at Google contributed to a 37% increase in employee satisfaction. In some cases, highlighting and promoting the employee experience can even help brands survive tough times reputationally and can also make the difference in an otherwise even playing field.

Employer branding is also critical to attracting and keeping top talent. Often extensions of culture, intellect and thought leadership, as well as behind-the-scenes looks, employer brand practices are evolving into a primary seat at the brand strategy table. They’re more than just a human resource recruiting platform. The ones that work best are those that put the experience of the employee first and remove the veneer for prospective talent to see a brand’s authenticity.

Happy employees magnify what a brand stands for. And these days, considering our stressors and nonstop way of life, this can be the deciding difference in how consumers and talent flock to a company.

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THE OPPORTUNITY: VOICE OF THE EMPLOYEE

Everyone wants to be heard, so when you give employees a platform to share their stories you’re benefitting both them and the customers who want to know your brand better.Gordon BassVice President, Group Creative DirectorPace

Brands often focus solely on the voice of their consumers and what they want. But just as important as their consumers are their employees. A strong, positive employee voice can have a great impact on, and even strengthen your relationship with, the consumers that your brand is trying to reach.

Nearly 70% of American adults use social media, and 40% use social media to research brands or products. Your employees are part of those numbers. They are already on social platforms sharing their stories and voicing their opinions. Tapping into this existing power can take your brand to the next level. Companies can utilize employee stories to generate their own easy-to-access user-generated content, significantly impact their reach across social channels, and strengthen customer and prospective employee relationships by showcasing a positive behind-the-scenes atmosphere.

Happy employees also raise sales by 37% and increase productivity by 31%. Harnessing this power has to start from within. Brands need to use a holistic approach to create workplaces that promote innovation and work-life balance and prove to employees that they are a respected asset—not just a number. Doing this will create a long-term payoff.

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BRAND + TALENT

THE OPPORTUNITY: VOICE OF THE EMPLOYEE

Employees who trust their employer are twice as likely to engage in employee advocacy.

2x

The power of sharing employee experiences through mixed storytelling formats is most effective when five lenses of thought are part of the approach. These are:

1. Employee Communications The nature, frequency, and prevalence of essential and functional communications underpin employee clarity around tools, messaging, brand basics and company issuances. The key question here is, what about employee communications can contribute to public perceptual development? Most likely, it’s affected by how much your employees feel considered, informed and connected. How you communicate information can influence everything, including retention, Glassdoor ratings and employees being brand ambassadors with friends and family.

2. Employee Engagement Typically a practice unto itself, the key question is whether the methodology of engaging employees is a productive virtual waterwheel. The more employees see and hear their voices and feel appreciated through public storytelling of their successes and contributions, the more they want to engage, share and participate—therefore lifting employee and brand sentiment.

3. Culture and Diversity True dedication to company culture—and how that intersects with values on diversity—becomes a brand lifeline externally. Do consumers see a reflection of themselves in your brand and the people who work for you? How can you highlight and reinforce the behavior and good outcomes you want from your brand and your employees? The narrative here matters, way beyond lip service.

4. User Insights and Experiences Every story and every employee has a place in the equation. How you prioritize internal and external publication is one step; the other is how you use the eyes and ears of a creative technologist to bring these experiences to life in digital and print formats for the intended audience.

5. Employer Brand Attracting talent is a battleground. Untold amounts of money are spent each year on recruitment efforts, yet so many brands forget that the very people they employ may have the best stories to ultimately attract talent. The key is to avoid brand washing to get to the raw, organic stories that will make highly sought-after talent come knocking.

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BRAND + TALENT

FIVE PILLARS OF THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Steve KnoxFormer CEO of Tremor, P&G’s Word of Mouth Unit

The takeaway here is to not let these five elements exist in silos. Work to build a bridge between marketing and human resources. After all, the people who work at any company are the brand. They are the soul behind the name, products and services.

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FIVE PILLARS OF THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENICE

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DIGITAL

EXPERIENCES

EMPLOYER BRANDING

USER INSIGHTS & EXPERIENCE

EMPLOYEE STORYTELLING

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION

GLOBAL CULTURE & DIVERSITY

Implementing new employee experience initiatives is not an easy task. Marketing and HR departments often run into many obstacles on the path to a successful program. Below we discuss a few of the major difficulties and solutions to overcoming them.

1. Fear of InvestmentThe employee experience is a broad and complex issue to tackle, but it is essential for a company’s success. The key is to start small—brands don’t expect to change consumer opinions overnight, and the same is true for employees. Identify a few key personnel who are already sharing their experiences and are eager to engage. Use them to guide your strategy and activate their colleagues.

If cost is on the list of concerns, consider this example—at one Fortune 1000 company, the human resources and marketing departments could not agree on a digital site investment of $150,000 to better engage employees on all shifts. The cost per employee was only $1.30, yet the path to securing funds was obscured by traditional budgeting. By adopting a new POV, the project moved forward.

In fact, studies have shown that disengaged employees cost the U.S. around $500 billion per year (much more than that $150,000 investment), while brands with a highly engaged team outperformed the competition by 147% in earnings per share. Growing the employee experience is like building a giant snowball—slowly, consistently and deliberately adding to it will create the best end product: a happy, healthy and engaged workforce (and an increased ROI).

2. Tech LimitationsIt’s easy for employees to get bogged down in the endless number of systems and databases that are required to complete daily tasks. Providing simple, easy-to-use technology can vastly improve the overall employee experience, leading to a happier, more engaged workforce—particularly when it comes to human resource processes and internal content sharing.

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OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Studies have shown that disengaged employees cost the U.S. around $500 billion per year, while brands with a highly engaged team outperformed the competition by 147% in earnings per share.

However, selecting the right digital platforms and content management system for your company can be tough. PWC reports that 90% of C-suite executives believe they are paying attention to their people’s needs when introducing new technology—a stark contrast to the 53% of their staff who feel the same. Give your employees a greater sense of control by bringing them into technology discussions early in the selection process, allowing them to help shape the company and the brand. By empowering the people who will be using the platforms on a daily basis, you’re more likely to have a positive reaction and quick adoption when new systems are rolled out.

Don’t forget that the employee experience (especially with technology) begins at the recruitment stage. This is where the employer brand becomes a workhorse that creates emotional connections. Clunky application processes can turn off potential recruits before they even step foot in your office. Recruiting Daily reports that 42% of candidates who encountered a negative application process said they would never seek employment at that company again. On the flip side, a positive experience doesn’t just bring in top talent—it can also increase brand sentiment and sales. Twenty-three percent of applicants who had a positive user experience report that they are more likely to buy that brand’s products or services, regardless of whether or not they were hired.

3. GovernanceGiving your employees the power to take the reins on your brand voice can be scary. How do you control their thoughts, their opinions and the quality of content? The key here is to set clear and defined goals and share them with employees at all levels—often.

Companies will have to learn to trust employees with their carefully curated brand voice. A companywide email with a large packet of rules will cause employees’ eyes to glaze over, and it’s likely that they will ignore it altogether. Creating a set of easy-to-follow guidelines encourages employees to embrace their creativity and shows that you trust them enough to give them the power to share their stories in their own way. After all, your employees are the heart and soul of your brand.

Sending out these guidelines regularly in fun, digestible ways also ensures that employees will actually read and understand any company or industry regulations. Giving them the opportunity to contribute to these guidelines from the start makes them feel like an even more valued partner in the process (and makes them more likely to engage).

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OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Only 50% of staff and 64% of managers are satisfied with the resources they have at their disposal to learn to use new technology.Source: PWC

50% 64%

According to Forbes, 80% of executives ranked employee experience as important or very important to their brand’s success. Employee advocacy improves social media performance, enhances sales and encourages employee growth and retention.

Simple math proves that by leveraging into employees’ social media followings, brands increase their reach, often by more than 10 times. According to one Cisco study, employees’ social posts generate eight times more engagement than posts from their employers. Reebok has been utilizing this employee power and even took it a step further.

By tapping into their employees’ passion for fitness, Reebok encourages authentic sharing that doesn’t appear overtly sponsored or forced within the public feed. They also created a custom hashtag that allows for easy capture of employee content for repurposing on the brand’s own outlets. This makes it easy for employees to connect with each other and share fitness goals, all while showcasing a positive work environment and authentic use of Reebok’s products.

Nielsen reports that 92% of consumers trust the recommendations of their family and friends over any marketing tactic. Zendesk took advantage of this by creating an internal hub where employees could easily source shareable content from across the globe—allowing employees quick access to quality content with consistent messaging, increasing their reputation as thought leaders to customers and prospects. Consumers trust their peers more than brands, making all of your employees salespeople for the company. Brands that equip their teams with the necessary tools to positively spread awareness will reap the rewards in increased leads and return on investment.

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THE PAYOFF

Companies with employee advocacy programs saw a 26% increase in year-over-year revenue.Source: Aberdeen Group

26%

The employee experience doesn’t just impact sales. Nearly 86% of employee advocates say being involved in social media has positively impacted their career. By empowering employees, companies give them a sense of purpose and belonging, increasing productivity and brand loyalty. Starbucks is excelling in this strategy—giving employees the power and accountability with a set of clear social media posting guidelines and social pages dedicated specifically to staff.

Current staff reap the rewards of truly being a valued partner, while recruits long to be part of such a positive environment. When staff are engaged and committed to the brand, revenue increases, allowing doors to open for advancement opportunities within the company—keeping employees happy and out of the job market. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, Starbucks attributes a low staff turnover rate—just 20% of the industry average—to their fully developed advocacy program.

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THE PAYOFF

Employers that work to meet those demands by building a high trust culture, with a special focus on Millennials in leadership roles, will get ahead in both the talent game and in the marketplace.Chinwe OnyeagoroPresidentGreat Place to Work

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Embrace it or ignore it Your employees are already living and discussing their work experience on a daily basis, whether it’s in the break room, at lunch with a co-worker, on social media or via some other channel. Embracing the fact that the employee experience already exists—whether you’re actively trying to improve it or not—rather than ignoring it gives you the power to shape the story in a positive light.

• Humanize your brand and value authenticity over perfection

More people trust regular employees over CEOs and brand pages. Giving employees the power to share the behind-the-scenes of the company, their individual stories, and their opinions on products and services humanizes your brand. Remember, though, that what they publish will not be perfect—accept that their UGC is authentic, which is more important than a pristine brand image when it comes to consumer choices.

• Have fun Allow employees to have fun, both in the office and in how they share content. Consumers love to connect with brands that make them feel good, and prospective talent wants to know that they will be working at a place they enjoy. By showcasing genuine joy in the workplace and love for your product, both consumers and recruits are more likely to invest their time and dollars.

• Your employees are consumers, too They are part of your audience, and every employee has a sphere of influence. Authentically engage and lift them up, and they will be your best audience. Their reach and positive sentiment will radiate through their circles, compounding all of the other marketing tactics that your brand is using.

A positive employee experience doesn’t just help spread brand awareness—it increases innovation, lengthens tenure at a company and ultimately increases your bottom line.

1. https://www.saplinghr.com/blog/8-stats-employee-experience

2. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics-for-social-media-managers/

3. https://hbr.org/2011/06/the-happiness-dividend

4. https://blog.hootsuite.com/a-6-step-guide-for-creating-an-employee-advocacy-program-for-your-business/

5. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/tech-at-work.html

6. https://recruitingdaily.com/job-application-process-turning-off-top-talent/

7. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/01/02/ensuring-a-positive-employee-experience/#71174885589b

8. https://influencermarketinghub.com/8-employee-advocacy-examples/

9. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlywhitler/2014/07/17/why-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-the-most-important-social-media/#16098f5a54a8

10. https://getbambu.com/blog/data/engagement-to-advocacy/

11. https://hingemarketing.com/uploads/hinge-research-employee-advocacy.pdf

12. https://fortune.com/2017/06/27/best-companies-millennials/

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WORK CITATION

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GORDON PRICE LOCKE Executive Vice President & CMOGordon has 25 years of marketing leadership experience ranging from re-engineering well- known brands and product portfolios to developing strategic storytelling platforms. He is an author and speaker on a number of marketing topics, employer branding being a passion. At Pace, his role is to help new and existing clients develop winning content programs to reach their strategic objectives. Gordon is also an advisor, speaker and author on integrated marketing. His work, agency and client experience include Gold’s Gym, Hawaiian Airlines, Sabre, HP, TIAA, Dell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, American Express Rosenbluth, Teradata, Nestle Purina, Fossil, Wells Fargo and Intuit. He has traveled to 40+ countries and has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; Dallas, and now Greensboro, North Carolina.

MOLLY GENTILEBrand EditorMolly is a dedicated communications professional with experience working in both the marketing and entertainment industries. In her current role, she is responsible for managing the Pace brand voice, developing internal strategies and creating content for Pace digital and social channels. Before joining the Pace team, Molly managed productions for National Geographic Channel and NatGeo Wild, after receiving a B.A. in public relations from Penn State University.

GORDON BASSVice President, Group Creative DirectorAs a creative leader and storyteller, Gordon Bass develops and directs innovative, results-driven content programs for some of the world’s most respected brands. For more than 15 years he has led award-winning branded content programs for an array of consumer and B2B clients including Boston Consulting Group, Chase, Ford, Four Seasons, New York-Presbyterian, USAA and Verizon. Before joining Pace in 2013, he was VP, Editorial Director at the branded content division of Time Inc. Gordon has written, edited and consulted for brands including Amazon, CNET, Men’s Journal and Wired, and has worked on a wide range of media projects; in 2013 he signed a scripted series development deal with AMC, and his biography of adventurer Ben Carlin, The Last Great Australian Adventurer, was published by Penguin Books Australia in 2017.

BRAND + TALENT

ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Gordon Price Lockegordon.locke@paceco.com336.383.5601

ABOUT PACE Pace is a full-service marketing agency that specializes in integrated brand storytelling. We move your customers and employees to action through a potent combination of audience-first, data-driven thinking, smart strategies, technology and amazing creative. Our staff is made up of more than 300 creatives, strategists, analysts and technologists. Pace has offices and key client hubs across the U.S., working globally and locally.