Multi-brand comms demand a single enterprise home

A multi-brand strategy is a great way to appeal to different customers, and position your products or services competitively in markets that have otherwise been difficult to reach. However, with this comes the challenge of managing a united company culture through multi-brand comms, and this is where a single enterprise home can prove extremely beneficial.

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Whether an enterprise executes a multi-brand strategy by gradually establishing new brands, through acquisitions, or a combination of both, connecting them all to create a cohesive and collaborative culture comes with the risk of diminishing each brand’s individuality.

So much effort and investment get poured into establishing any successful brand’s identity, as well as embedding brand awareness within its target market, and these are things that any multi-brand enterprise should want to protect at all costs. But this doesn’t mean that umbrella organizations should shy away from building a culture that connects their brands. When executed well, a cohesive culture comes with various benefits.

The advantages of a cohesive company culture

In a 2021 survey, PWC found that 66% of C-suite executives and board members from different organizations believe that when it comes to performance, culture has a bigger impact on the organization’s strategy or operating model.

In the same Global Culture Survey, PWC reported that a distinctive culture will reap an organization more rewards. It found those with a distinctive culture were:

• 48% more likely to see an increase in revenue
• 80% more likely to see an increase in employee satisfaction
• 89% more likely to see an increase in customer satisfaction

These aren’t the only positive factors of a cohesive company culture. As the struggle to retain and attract skilled workers continues through the Great Resignation, it can only take one sub-brand’s reputation for a less-than-perfect company culture to impact the reputations of the other brands owned by the umbrella organization.

With these points in mind, here’s how a single digital home can help multi-brand enterprises thrive.

A single digital home for your multi-brand enterprise

The factors above can be made easier to manage when the culture and communication of each of those brands are approached as if they were part of one single enterprise. So, how can multi-brand enterprises reconcile those two things; building a cohesive and connected culture between brands, while also maintaining individual brand identity?

This is where an employee experience platform (EXP) can be hugely beneficial, serving as a single enterprise home that enhances company culture and unites brands without compromising the hard-earned identities of each singular entity.

So, what exactly is an EXP? Imagine your own internal social media platform, but one that allows communications to be deployed across a variety of channels such as email, mobile, chat platforms, and digital signage, and also integrates with your organization’s data sources, tools, and resources. A modern intranet with the right collection of features is a prime example of an EXP because it encourages connections, collaboration, and productivity across an organization’s workforce, no matter how dispersed.

Need help naming your organization’s digital home? Check out our comprehensive list of intranet name examples.

Preserving multi-brand identities while enhancing communication and collaboration

Modern intranet software can allow multi-brand enterprises to preserve each individual brand’s identity through targeting and personalization features. For example, certain pieces of content shared through the platform may be highly relevant for employees in specific brands within the enterprise, but not relevant at all for others. Similarly, information shared across the platform may be suitable for all employees in a certain region, regardless of which brand they’re part of, but unsuitable for employees in other regions.

Targeting and personalization features can help to ensure that communications and information that are relevant to each employee will reach the right audiences, without overloading others with information that isn’t relevant to them.

Homepage personalization can also ensure each worker sees the branding of the specific brand they work for when they access the platform, and the tools and resources that are specific to their role are accessible from their homepage menu.

Essential considerations for a multi-brand company culture

There are various elements to consider when looking for a platform that can unite multiple brands, from multichannel comms, to community building, and ensuring everybody feels empowered to have their own voice. Let’s dive into the essential considerations you should look for when it comes it comes to a multi-brand company culture.

Multichannel communications to connect your multi-brand enterprise

Each of your employees will have their own preferred way of communicating and receiving internal comms. It’s important to bear this in mind as sending out important messaging through one channel, such as an all-company email which can easily be ignored or opened days – or even weeks – after it’s sent. Choosing an intranet that features a multichannel CMS editor will allow you to send the same comms out across a variety of channels, and ensures employees only receive them through the channels they are most engaged with.

Interact’s intranet software features advanced engagement technology that autonomously detects which channel each employee is most receptive to using historical data. All the comms team needs to do is press send, and the platform will distribute via the optimum channel for every employee, whether they’re more receptive to email, app notification, SMS, or digital workplace platforms like Teams and Slack.

Connecting multi-brand enterprises through communities

Communities and discussion groups can play a pivotal role in creating a thriving multi-brand company culture. These, along with discussion groups, can be set up on your intranet by intranet admins and employees alike, and they can cover anything work or non-work related, sparking engagement, driving collaboration, and serving as insightful sources for understanding what resonates with employees when it comes to perfecting multi-brand comms.  

The social intranet

For employees, internal comms can often feel like they’re top-down communications, with no real opportunity for recipients to answer questions or have their say. In recent years we’ve seen more and more customers embracing the idea that internal communications should be viewed as a two-way conversation, where employees are encouraged to provide their input. This is another great way to increase engagement – particularly within a multi-brand enterprise – and improve employee recognition.

When your multi-brand comms spark conversations, you can expect to see stronger interpersonal connections being established within each brand and between each brand. For example, an intranet homepage post that has a comment section will provide an inviting conversational space where interactions can take place. These ‘social intranet’ features can encourage interactions in the same way that a social platform does – through the dopamine buzz that you feel when something that you post resonates with others and you begin to receive notifications about the likes and comments your post is receiving. On a workplace platform this can be all the more meaningful, increasing the sense of value people feel from their colleagues.

United brands work better together

There’s no denying that facilitating connections and collaboration between each brand can help them to innovate and progress through knowledge, while building a culture of communication and human connections. By investing in the right platform that allows multi-brand comms to be deployed across the right channels, encourages two-way conversations, and builds communities through social features, multi-brand enterprises can improve productivity, and retain and attract skilled people, which now matters more than ever.