What healthy eating can teach you about handling internal marketing
I’m sure you know all about trends of fashion, interior design, politics etc., but what I consider a very intriguing topic for all of us is eating healthy and all its benefits for our body, mind and spirit. And because this is a business-related article, I’m not going to write about healthy eating per se, just borrow a few aspects. So, how is healthy eating so much like your healthy business and, most importantly, your healthy internal marketing & communication?
Let’s see where to start and what happens when you are putting the right nutrition into your company’s body. Here are some aspects:
First of all, you have to set your goal i.e. set the objectives: you want to make your internal marketing immunity strong, which makes your employees faithful and satisfied with their work. You might want to lose or gain employee weight. This might sound drastic, but you have to have colleagues that are heading in the same direction as you are. Basically, this means that they have to assimilate your style. You might want to change your marketing personality, which means you have to communicate and behave in a certain way. So do they.
Plan your regimen and adapt it i.e. develop your strategy: Healthy nutrition is very important, so make sure that your employees have the right mindset for their position. Find out what motivates them and do your hiring accordingly. Also, be a role model. Don’t expect to cheat your body parts with a few multivitamins, they will know it’s not the real deal. So, if you want your employees to be in a certain way, the most important thing is for you to first be that way. Don’t expect them to do something you wouldn’t do. Basically, if you’re eating candy all the time, don’t expect your blood sugar to be ok.
Stick to the new lifestyle (not diet) i.e. be consistent: Remember all the effort you put into all that research and thinking of how to reinvent yourself? It would be a big waste if you started eating hamburgers, even if it’s just once in a while. The point I am trying to make is: be consistent and stable in your communication and style! But that’s still not enough. You have to give your staff something they will embrace and connect with. That way, they will be your brand ambassadors inside and outside the company.
Do the clothes fit you? i.e. Is your strategy working?: It’s not enough to implement the changes. You have to be able to measure their impact, to see if there is a general improvement. Does your communication work well? Do your employees understand your message and do they like it? Did productivity improve? And so on. Define, measure, analyze, improve and control.
Enjoy the health benefits i.e. the results: Monitor your results and collect feedback permanently. Empower your employees and give them constructive or positive feedback. When you feel good and things are going well, you should eat a fruit salad, not a batch of fast food. Also, don’t forget to slow down and just appreciate once in a while.
Lastly, when your internal marketing organs are functioning well, your marketing skin is nice and smooth, your marketing blood pressure is stable and your marketing spirit is energetic. Things will just go their natural way and the outside world will happily hang out and do business with you.
I wish you a long and healthy internal marketing life.
Yours dedicated,
Melinda Madaras
