Read any article on the subject and you’ll soon find yourself bogged down in terms such as the psychological contract, human capital and organisational citizenship to name but a few.

At a very simple level, if employees have job satisfaction, believe in the company’s products or services, are committed to doing a good job (and going the extra mile), have no desire to leave and will speak positively about the company, they can be said to be engaged. 

And an engaged workforce is considerably more likely to be professional, productive and deliver the Holy Grail that is improved business performance. 

Extensive employee research by organisations as diverse as the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), the Institute of Employment Studies (IES), Melcrum and Accenture, has repeatedly demonstrated the links between the way people are managed, employee attitudes and business performance.  Such research has revealed that the main drivers of employee engagement are:

• Leadership
• The organisation’s culture and values
• 2-way communication – freedom to share views and voice ideas to which managers listen; feeling well informed about what is happening in the organisation
• Involvement in the decision-making process
• Resources and autonomy to perform well with opportunities to develop the job
• Promotion prospects
• Faith in managers and a belief that they are committed to the organisation
• Work-life balance

It’s true, employees are your most important asset and you neglect them at your peril.  Most of the above bullet points are HR and line management issues but as a marketing professional I am very interested in the area of communication.  All too often companies focus on communicating externally with customers and prospects and fail to devote enough attention to their workforce. 

You may have a great product line and a recognisable brand but, if your employees don’t understand it or believe in it, then it’s going to seriously hold you back.  If you fail to communicate key messages on a regular basis then you run the risk of turning this vital community from ambassadors and advocates into saboteurs. 

As Melcrum Publishing found out during the course of its research: “According to seven out of 10 survey respondents, communicating a clear vision of the future is the most important task of senior leaders in driving employee engagement.” (2005)

If an organisation is going through a merger or acquisition, launching a new product or service line, or revitalising its brand, then getting support from employees during the crucial early stages could make the difference between success and failure. Ideally all employees should be ‘on message’ but, at the very least, all customer-facing staff should be up to speed to make sure that they deliver on your brand promise every time they have contact with customers. 

At the risk of repeating myself – do not underestimate the importance of employee communication.  Whatever the size of your organisation, make sure you communicate with your employees.  Don’t just pay lip service – make it thorough, inclusive, timely and appropriate.  Depending on the size of your company and the nature of the campaign, it might require the involvement of specialist external agencies liaising with internal teams to come up with the best approach.  It could mean workshops or training events but it could just as easily be a regular newsletter, email bulletin, company meeting, team meetings, an up-to-date intranet or even a Facebook page!

If you’d like to find out more, contact jayne@marketingwithzest.co.uk

 A well written and well presented piece of communication can make the difference between getting noticed and getting binned.  Sounds obvious doesn’t it and if you give it some thought and a little time you can stand out and be remembered (for the right reasons!).  If you keep these 10 steps in mind every time you pick up a pen or sit down at your computer, you’ll not go far wrong:

1.  Audience – who is going to read your communication: employees, job applicants, shareholders, the media, customers (current, potential and lapsed), suppliers, subsidiaries, partners, affiliates, local community, opinion formers, trade union, etc?  In most cases you will have a primary audience so always write with them in mind.  In some cases it may be more than one audience group so you may have to tailor your message to appeal to a broad cross-section.  Which leads me on to …

2.  Tone of voice – casual or formal? Don’t upset your audience by getting this wrong.  And if they think they’re being patronised they’ll switch off.  You need to convey an air of gravitas – you are an expert in your field and you understand the subject.  But don’t get too technical if it’s not a technical audience.  Again, you’ll lose them.

3.  Medium – there’s no point blogging or tweeting if your audience isn’t interested in social media.  Have they opted in to your email list or do they prefer hard copy?  If you’re not sure, ask them.  One medium they will be interested in is your website.  This is your “shop window” so neglect this at your peril.

Now for the content itself:

4.  Clear – what you write must be unambiguous to avoid mixed messages.  Stay away from jargon and cliché.  If you use acronyms make sure you explain what they stand for the first time they appear.  Don’t be tempted to use words or phrases you wouldn’t normally use to describe your product or service – you have to feel comfortable with your communication.  Check for spelling mistakes and always get at least one person to proof read it for you.  Better still, employ the skills of a copywriter – it will be money well spent.

5.  Concise – get to the point as quickly as possible; draw attention to the benefits (not the features) and leave your audience in no doubt as to what you can do for them.  Don’t waste time with waffle – if it doesn’t add value, leave it out.

6.  Cogent – all communication must be convincing, believable and relevant.  Don’t lie and don’t make promises you can’t keep – it’s always better to exceed expectations.  If it doesn’t stand up to rigorous scrutiny, don’t use it.  If it sounds contentious, libellous or might cause offence, definitely don’t use it.  And if it’s just plain wishy washy, then start again!

7.  Compelling – if you’ve observed steps 1-6 so far then you’ve followed the AIDA principle of awareness, interest, desire and action.  With any luck you’ve whetted their appetites so give them a call to action whether it’s to ring, email, text, order online, download a voucher, find out more …

8.  Consistent – whether it’s online or offline, internal or external, make sure that all communication is consistent both from the point of view of content and how it looks.  From business cards to purchase orders, invoices to an ad in the local paper, website to company brochure, be consistent.  Make sure that everyone in your business is familiar with the house style – any inconsistencies will be at best confusing and at worst make you appear amateurish and untrustworthy. 

9.  Distinctive – appearance matters.  From your branding to the font you use, think about the impression you are creating.  Excellent quality materials will say something about the quality of your company, product, service and people.  By the same token, if it isn’t visually appealing it could be telling your audience that you lack attention to detail.  This is not to say that your artwork must be flashy or worthy of hanging in the Louvre.  On the contrary, in most cases less is definitely more.  If you want to be seen as a modern, forward thinking, 21^st century company then that should be the image you portray.  And be consistent.  Think of companies or brands that you admire – in some cases you need only see their colours or part of their logo to know who they are.  Admittedly, they have probably spent vast sums creating this audience reaction but you can still replicate it on a smaller budget.  It could be worth employing the services of a graphic designer – it doesn’t have to be expensive and, executed properly, would almost certainly be a good investment.

10.  Differentiating – often referred to as your USP (unique selling proposition), this is arguably the most important element and is certainly the most difficult to articulate.  You know in your heart and your head that you can beat the competition and you’ve no doubt spent time with your marketing colleagues working out your USP but when it comes to communicating this to your audience I would draw your attention to tip number 6 – it must be convincing and believable.  Be honest with yourself and resist the temptation to roll out the same old hackneyed words and phrases that everyone else is using. 

In a crowded world of “me toos”, “looky likeys” and “also rans” you have to stand out.  Whatever you say must sit comfortably with your business objectives and overall marketing plan.  Be clear about what it is you want to say and to whom.  It’s never worth rushing to communicate only to find that two months later your story has changed.

If you’d like to find out more, contact jayne@marketingwithzest.co.uk

The juice of 2 Limes Plus a little of the zest
4 Skinned and boned chicken breast fillets
1 level teaspoon of ground coriander
1 level teaspoon of ground cumin
½ level teaspoon of ground saffron
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint
170g tub of houmous
170g tub of greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons of  olive oil (for cooking)
4 white pitta breads

Simply mix together the lime juice and a little of the zest with the coriander, cumin, saffron and fresh mint in a shallow dish. Slice the chicken breast into strips and add to the marinade, then refrigerate for at least ½ an hour.

In a separate bowl mix the yogurt and houmous together, cover with cling film and place in to fridge to chill for later.

When you are ready, heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden. Whilst the chicken is cooking warm the pitta breads, either under the grill or in the toaster, then cut in half and open up to make a pocket. Fill each pocket with a generous spoonful of the yogurt mixture and some chicken, and as an extra crunch add some thinly sliced yellow pepper.

Serve with a fresh green salad and a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.

Let’s take a look at some of them. Red stands for lots of things: passion, fire, action, danger, love, hatred, anger, strength, aggression. It is never middle of the road. You want to get noticed? Wear red. You want to draw attention to something? Make it red. We see something red – we look, whether it’s a warning sign or a Ferrari. It has been proven that the human eye recognises the colour red three times faster than the colour blue.

Most people like blue and that goes for males and females alike. It is the colour of loyalty, respectability, depth, reliability and security which might explain why insurance companies and building societies are quite keen on blue. Blue makes us think of the sky, the sea, of endless horizons. It is a fresh and cool colour. Ice and snow have a blue tinge as does the skin when it gets cold. To package a product such as, let’s say, Deep Heat in blue could confuse the consumer as the product wouldn’t match the emotions triggered by this colour.

Yellow is the colour that people seem to feel quite ambivalent about. Associations made with yellow can either be very positive or very negative, depending on the tone of yellow. A warm, golden yellow is associated with the sun, richness, optimism, fun, energy, health, life itself. Just imagine a glass filled with golden-yellow juice. You just know it is full of goodness and will taste delicious.
A pale, more acidy yellow, however, symbolises something entirely different: envy, deviousness, jealousy, hatred, greed, shrillness.

Green, unlike red, is a passive colour. It is the symbolic colour of life. It is the holy colour of Islam. Wherever we see the colour green, be it on packaging, on a logo, in a room, we think of nature. To mind springs Greenpeace, the green spot on environmentally friendly products, which the Germans thought up, green fingers or the Green Party. With green we associate peace, calmness, steadiness, growth, but also beginning, immaturity and the opposite – things that have gone off. Just visualise mould for a second… Using green packaging for perishable products could trigger some undesirable associations.
Mix green with yellow and you get the best of both these colours. Lime green combines calmness and growth with excitement and fun. It is one of the most positive and vibrant colours. It is lively, fresh and zesty. You want to inspire? Motivate? Create change? Lime green is your colour.

It’s worth thinking about – paying attention to colour might just pay off.

New marketing site to help small to medium sized businesses.

Check it out http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/ for top tips and opinions.

In the last few weeks I’ve seen my networking efforts pay off as my two latest clients have come this route.

Trouble is it may fill you with horror. You may also find too much to choose from.

Here’s what I’ve learned on my travels …

1. Pick the right event. You may have to try a few out. Look at the business sections in the local papers – East Anglian Daily Times on a Tuesday for example. Check out Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, they are running some good e-business events at the moment as are Menta. There are lots for women – 1230 Lunch Club, The Athena Network, Women on Top, Menta’s Stepping Out to Lunch! If you are really brave and fancy an early start you could try Business Networking International and still be in the office by 9.30.
2. Prepare yourself. Plan a 6-10 word self intro. Mine’s “Hi, I’m Carrie, Marketing with Zest”. Always manages a raised eyebrow and further questioning. Next plan your 60 seconds about your company, product or service. Really focus on the problems you solve for people and not the boring bits.
3. Prepare yourself 2. Read everything you can on and offline. Listen to local radio so you know what’s happening in your area. It will make you more interesting.
4. Be interested in the people you meet. Listen. Really want to hear what they have to say.
5. Practice small talk. Don’t try to sell straight away. Sell by default.
6. Use open body language. Even when engaged in conversation make it possible of another to join in.
7. Smile. Enjoy yourself.
8. If you love your business, chances are others will too.

It may take a while. I’ve read that you may need to meet someone six times or more before they truly understand what you do.

Always worth a read, the Tom Peters blog is 4 today so Happy Birthday to one of my favourite marketing gurus.
You can read more of his marketing wisdom here.

A recipe for the best ever Vodka Tonic, perfect for those moments when you need a break for some fresh inspiration before tackling that next item on the to do list.

Find a large glass
Fill with ice
Cut and squeeze as much lime as you fancy over the ice
Add a good slug of vodka
Top with tonic
Stir
Find a pleasant place to sit (with pen and paper or electronic recording device)
Sip and dream
Write it down.

Your business card is a vital part of your marketing toolkit and in these hardened times you need to get every penny working harder. Make your business card a talking point with clever ideas from Moo.

Create your own by following a few simple steps on their web site. Every card in the pack can have a different image. Perfect for showing off different products and services. Use them for invites too.

Take a look www.moo.com

I’ve just read Bright Marketing by Robert Craven and he might not be able to answer the question for you but he really gets you thinking with some fast practical steps towards taking your business to the next level. One section he offers as a ‘buffet or a box of chocolates … a …help yourself approach…take as little or as much as you want!’

Definitely worth a read:
Bright Marketing – Why should people bother to buy from you? by Robert Craven 2007