The financial firm I work for has been going through a long and complicated acquisition with an equally large firm. The effects of these merger are still being felt after many months. The team that I work for has a new name, a new charter, new mission. However, our immediate management is still asking the question: How do we brand ourselves?
I never thought about our brand. We're an internal team - our clients are within the firm. So that question got me thinking about internal branding. Very easy to neglect, because when we think about branding - we're thinking clients, the outside world, outside the firm, outside the industry...them.
I would think there are 2 indirect benefits of internally branding your team well.
1. Visibility - I say this because a team that brands well works together to keep up a consistent image. This image, assuming its positive (because its equally easy to create a negative image), can translate to visibility and through it recognition.
2. Internal branding also can create strong work ethics. Because if you start treating other teams within the firm as you treat your clients, you can never be accused of having double standards. An internal unhappy client can do as much damage to your reputation as an external one.
It is the responsibility of higher management to identify and create these internal brands. And maintain the ones that already exist. Because, these internal brands are more tangible and more real to your employees, especially in a large organization. And because the strength of all these externally invisible mini-brands ultimately translate into success for the externally visible one.
I never thought about our brand. We're an internal team - our clients are within the firm. So that question got me thinking about internal branding. Very easy to neglect, because when we think about branding - we're thinking clients, the outside world, outside the firm, outside the industry...them.
I would think there are 2 indirect benefits of internally branding your team well.
1. Visibility - I say this because a team that brands well works together to keep up a consistent image. This image, assuming its positive (because its equally easy to create a negative image), can translate to visibility and through it recognition.
2. Internal branding also can create strong work ethics. Because if you start treating other teams within the firm as you treat your clients, you can never be accused of having double standards. An internal unhappy client can do as much damage to your reputation as an external one.
It is the responsibility of higher management to identify and create these internal brands. And maintain the ones that already exist. Because, these internal brands are more tangible and more real to your employees, especially in a large organization. And because the strength of all these externally invisible mini-brands ultimately translate into success for the externally visible one.
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