How Happy Employees Boost Your Marketing Efforts

Many things are good for marketing. Metrics, experimentation, and a well-documented strategy are a few of them. Happy employees are another.

There aren’t many company assets that match the value of employees. Without them, the road to success is a much bumpier ride. That said, employees’ happiness is the key to their effectiveness and value in the workplace.

But how they elevate a company’s marketing strategy is worth a more profound analysis. Let’s explore why happy employees are good for marketing.

Benefits of Happier Employees

Although all business leaders should inherently have the desire to make their employees happy, it isn’t always an easy job, and as such, it can fall to the wayside — especially when it comes to other marketing goals. However, there are plenty of benefits to having happier employees in every department, including marketing.

Productivity increases

Happy employees are more thoroughly engaged in the work they do, and engaged employees are typically the most productive. They’ll dedicate themselves to bringing the company’s marketing vision to life and be willing to step in wherever needed.

The happier your employees are, the more engaged they will be, prompting an increase in their productivity.

No shortage of creativity

Happy employees bring a high energy, innovation, and passion to work. In addition, they’re more open-minded and willing to try different things to come up with the best marketing messages and visuals.

Simply put, happy employees infect the workplace with creativity and can consistently develop unique marketing ideas.

Collaboration gets better

It’s an unfortunate fact of burnout: unhappy employees tend to self-isolate, even if it’s at the detriment of their work. This is especially count-productive since there’s so much to do in marketing and one person can’t achieve it all. Even if they could, they wouldn’t have the time to give every element the attention it deserves. Marketing, like all business ventures, is a team effort

However, when employees are happy, they’re more likely to form relationships with their coworkers that facilitate high levels of collaboration.

Turn potential customers into actual ones

FairPlayTalks reviewed a recent worker appreciation study that revealed 61% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company that treats its employees right. It makes sense that people would rather support a business patting its employees on the back rather than slapping them.

Imagine going into a business, and the manager berating the cashier about a simple mistake. Most people would be disturbed by this and walk out without making a purchase. A pleasant atmosphere with smiling, happy employees is more likely to make a consumer stay and shop.

All a company’s marketing efforts go to waste if they can’t convert. Company leaders can ensure this doesn’t happen by treating their employees well and ensuring their customers see it.

The team becomes brand ambassadors

A significant part of the marketing team’s job is promoting the brand. If consumers can connect with the brand, they will likely become actual customers.

A great way to tell a brand’s story is through the eyes of its employees as brand ambassadors. Out of all a business’s employees, who’s better to tell the brand story than the happy ones?

When those inside the business endorse the brand, it’s much easier to convince external audiences to support it as well.

How To Increase Employee Happiness

Happy employees’ positive impact on a company’s marketing efforts is indisputable. Now, the question is, how exactly does a company keep its employees happy?

Pay them a thriving wage and offer competitive benefits to start. Then, do the following.

Prioritize flexibility

Flexible schedules and remote work options contribute significantly to employee happiness for various reasons, but they also cut down commute times, which can have a surprising impact on an individual’s health — for good reason.

Studies suggest that it becomes intolerable when a commute runs past 45 minutes one-way. In addition, commutes can be unpredictable and stressful. Those that have a low tolerance for these things may see spikes in anxiety and have a poorer attitude once they arrive at work.

Flexible scheduling and remote work help employees reduce their commutes and avoid the harm they can bring to one’s health. Employees can also create a better work-life balance, furthering their happiness.

Businesses should approach flexible schedules with a strategy. First, they should figure out what’s financially and operationally feasible. Then, managers can sit down with employees to flesh out when they’ll be working remotely and what their responsibilities will be on those days.

Businesses should also ensure they have the software to support collaboration and communication remotely.

Help employees improve

If a company wants unhappy employees, keep them in the same position, doing the same thing every day. Don’t challenge them, offer them development opportunities, or training. Just put them in a box and keep them there.

On the other hand, happy employees are those that are constantly challenged and presented with opportunities to get better. So, companies that want happy employees must help them improve.

Businesses can support self-improvement by encouraging employees to push themselves personally and professionally. For example, leaders can inspire their workers to pursue a new hobby outside of work or volunteer. Inside the workplace, leaders can make space for development opportunities, mentorship, and accommodate those asking for more responsibility.

Adopt empathetic leadership

One of the most basic human desires is to be understood, which every marketing team should consider, especially when it comes to internal teams. According to a compilation of statistics collected by Forbes, 96% of employees believe that showing empathy, specifically leadership empathy, is one of the keys to employee retention. When a leader shows their employees that they genuinely understand where they’re coming from and how they’re feeling, those employees will feel much more respected and empowered, ultimately leading to them being happy and staying long-term.

Managers and owners must lead with empathy to inspire their workers’ happiness. Leading with empathy looks like:

• Showing compassion;
• Having every employee’s back;
• Doing mental health check-ins;
• Refraining from passing judgment;
• Jumping in to help where needed;
• Listening to employees more than anything;
• Tailoring leadership style to the employees;
• Understanding employee motivations and what attracts them to the company, and accommodating it.

More than anything, empathy comes with not trying to sympathize with employees, but actually understanding their problems and forming solutions for them. This may not be a simple task, but any effort is better than nothing.

Offer support for mental and physical health

Happy employees are often mentally and physically healthy. They may not be bodybuilders or self-proclaimed therapists. But they make a point to nurture their mental and physical wellness, whether through good nutrition, gym time three days a week, or mindfulness activities.

Businesses that want to boost employee happiness should prioritize mental and physical health in the workplace. By doing so, they align with something fundamental to their employees. This helps further their connection with the company they work for and their satisfaction with their specific roles.

Aside from ensuring preventative care and mental health services are covered under the company health insurance plan, leaders can do the following to support the psychological and physical health of their employees:

• Incorporate frequent breaks into the workday;
• Offer lunches longer than 30 minutes;
• Implement a four-day workweek;
• Partner with a gym to provide employees with free memberships;
• Grant access to personal trainers and nutritionists;
• Incorporate mindfulness activities into the workday;
• Offer PTO and ample vacation time;
• Create a positive company culture.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so building a comprehensive plan for employees’ health can slowly accumulate over time. However, it’s important to start prioritizing it as soon as possible.

Give employees the recognition they deserve

The positivity radiating from happy employees may make it seem like work is easy for them. But don’t get confused. They work hard, and they deserve to be recognized for it.

Businesses should recognize hard-working employees because it’s the right thing to do. But if they need another reason, recognition can take an employee from dissatisfied to happy, so long as the recognition efforts are genuine and consistent.

Company leaders can recognize their employees by:

• Hosting a monthly employee recognition event
• Genuinely thanking employees for their work at the end of each day
• Giving shoutouts to the employees doing well in morning meetings
• Putting employees’ names in the conversation when promotions arise
• Giving hard-working employees a small gift, like a gift card or extra time on their lunch

Every part of a business can benefit from happy employees, especially the marketing department. Company leaders aren’t solely responsible for the happiness of their employees. However, they can significantly impact it by implementing the tips above.

Originally published at https://facilethings.com.