It's widely accepted from research that less than 5% of people in an organisation understand the strategy.

Yet they’re the ones that operationalise it. It’s the teams of people that deliver it every day, they either move you closer or further away from where you want to be.

If that’s the percentage of people on average, that understand the organisation’s strategy, it can only be assumed that where there is a marketing strategy, the level of understanding and engagement will be a lot less than that! 

I’m just going to focus on one key issue – your people ARE your brand and they ARE your business.

Unless you have a business that’s fully automated with no humans, and a sure-thing long-term client, then this stuff really matters - and has a huge impact on your bottom line. 

Your marketing strategy, which is all about the customer’s you wish to serve, needs to be shaped with input from those that deeply know your customers. So how to engage your people? No rocket science here – invite a cross-section of people to develop or validate the first draft of your marketing strategy. 

Too often it’s the marketing manager or team and an external facilitator or agency. Involve more of your team. Getting customer-facing staff involved and to be the voice of the customer is powerful, real experiences and real feedback being fed into the planning is smart.

Once you’ve landed on the strategy, don’t make it the best kept secret, make it simple, understandable and get it out there! Team meetings, discussions, presentations – all the usual tools can be used here, but nothing beats face time with your team and allowing two-way dialogue for helping people get a deep understanding of where you’re heading and their role in achieving that 

Most people come to work to do a good job and want to know how they help the organisation be more successful, so embrace this and empower them.  Explain what the aim is and why, and how they contribute.

It’s like if you ever been camping with a first-time camper. They’re usually excited, unsure, and have no clue about what to actually do. When you outline how to set up camp and discuss where to base yourselves, why (kinda obvious!), and the areas you want them to lead the charge on, its so much easier – like you’re directing their energy and enthusiasm toward the outcomes that you have pre-determined are the right ones 

We often make strategy and business so much more complex but the key principles are the same - engage people in shaping the outcome, share the game plan and empower them with the tools to do their part well, learn along the way and celebrate successes!

Employees are a company's greatest asset - they're your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company's mission.
Anne M. Mulcahy