Hasta La Creative!

by Mike Handy

What is your internal marketing plan with those on whom you are depending at your place of business? Sure, you might be at the top of your game, but what internal inspiration pieces have you put in place to keep yourself and your team up there? Better yet, maybe you’re at a company that is struggling in the current economy. What internal marketing have you done to inspire those around you to put the blinders on and give their best at what you hired them to do?

I know what you’re thinking: That sounds expensive, and I don’t have any extra right now to fund this type of thing, right? Sure, it can be expensive, but can you afford not to have everyone giving their very best right now? I didn’t think so. I’m not here to say you should go out and hire a top-dollar guru or scare them into a Jonestown-like Kool-Aid fest. Turn up the internal marketing machine to give them a little inspiration.

Here are some affordable internal marketing plan ideas that can do just that. They might not be ideal for every situation, but adjust them to fit your situation.

• Have a contest. No, we’re not talking about the one in which you have that wild snake oil salesman look in your eye. Try a real honest-to-goodness contest from which everyone can benefit, one that increases quality, one that forces them to think, or one that gets you some new business. Competition brings out the best in most people; anyone who tells you different is lying.
• Read a book as a group. Go to www.half.com (they’re cheaper there Scrooge), and pick out a business book you can read as a group. Doing this will get you talking as a group, will get them closer as a group, and will help you come up with ways to produce more revenue for your company.
• Ask them what they want to learn. Instead of giving employees a raise, ask them if there is a class or seminar they would like to go to, and then offer to pay for it in full. Not only does it show you care, but it also gets you a more knowledgeable employee who will produce higher results for your organization.
• Create a new product or offering that will get them excited. Call me crazy, but why don’t you get a little innovative and create something new your company can talk with customers about. This one could go hand-in-hand with the first one, killing two birds with one stone. Nothing perks customers’ ears more than a new idea that would help them grow their business.

Everyone always worries about marketing to the outside; it’s the nature of running a business. Trust me, if you do a little on the inside, too, you’ll see the outside get better.