Understanding Internal and External Branding

Every company has a different approach to solving problems. While the approach may be vastly different in how they get things done, they still follow the same formula that every other company does out there: defining their internal and external branding.

While many people are familiar with what external branding is, they may not be as familiar with internal. We're here to dive deep into this subject and help you understand the difference between these two aspects of a company and how they can greatly impact your work.

Internal Branding

Your internal brand is all about creating an experience for your employees that promotes the company culture and makes workers proud to come to work every day. That includes aligning your HR and benefits departments to work toward team camaraderie and creating a positive employee culture that the public doesn't necessarily see.

The impact of having a good internal brand is that your employees will feel welcome, accepted, and appreciated. A successful internal brand makes employees feel like their efforts are going toward a greater good.

It also helps with recruitment and retention.

Some companies that emphasize the importance of a strong internal brand are Google, Facebook, and Apple. They understand that an employee who has the tools and environment to succeed will go above and beyond in their work every time.

External Branding

Almost everyone can recognize McDonald's golden arches. When you drive down the highway you can spot them from miles away.

They're symbolic and they instantly make you think of McDonald's food. External branding uses visual resources, symbology, advertisements, and more to attract more customers. Using external branding ties directly into internal branding.

You want to strategize and determine what is your company's mission and values and how do you put that together into something that people can experience via external branding. Both external and internal play into each other and the most creative minds can use both of these aspects to their fullest potential.

Understanding What Your Company Stands For

Identifying the values and goals of your company will help you shape your internal and external branding voice. There is a sea of companies out there who are all competing for the same thing: discoverability.

Being creative in both of these departments will help you stand out from the rest and find your voice. Being honest, unique, and transparent are always good values to have whenever you are building a business. Standing out doesn't mean you have to be the loudest person in the room but simply the most relatable or approachable.