What do HR and marketing departments have in common? Not enough, say the guests on this episode of The Marketing Water Cooler Podcast. Your host Jeremy Francese sits down with Julie Livingston of WantLeverage, a PR firm specializing in brand storytelling, and Erin Mohideen, the People and Culture Lead at the “unconsulting” firm Inspirant Group, to discuss what happens when you create an effective link between HR and marketing and why that might help you to push through the Great Resignation.

Erin begins by talking about her work with Inspirant Group and how they’re leading the change by ditching annual reviews, keeping C-suite executives accessible to all employees, and personalizing communication methods. She then dives into what’s happening to the company culture as Inspirant Group expands and the difficult balance of managing growth while still maintaining a tight bond with each employee. Julie explains the benefits of broadcasting your company culture and shares her top tips on driving engagement through sharing your brand values on LinkedIn.

This episode is full of actionable insights and strategies that you can implement today to help your business culture to evolve and to support your company’s growth. Please share your takeaways on your social media channels and don’t forget to subscribe to The Marketing Water Cooler Podcast to catch upcoming episodes.

Timestamps

[0:29] Jeremy introduces special guests Julie and Erin

[1:27] Grab those actionable insights from this conversation!

[3:07] Julie’s take on the state of PR and marketing today

[4:26] Why should you link up your HR and marketing departments?

[6:15] Erin talks about her background in recruitment and her move to Inspirant Group

[7:55] What recruiting looks like at Strategic Branding Studios

[9:45] The questions that Erin asks candidates during an interview

[12:00] Shifting the focus away from revenue and towards brand promotion

[17:07] A happy workforce is your most valuable business asset, and it’s now easier than ever for an employee to tell if the job doesn’t make them happy

[20:05] The incredible challenge of scaling growth while maintaining culture at Inspirant Group, and why you should get rid of your annual performance review

[23:58] Why you need to keep your C-suite executives accessible to all employees and how that impacts the brand’s PR

[26:52] Offer your employees a test drive of your company culture

[28:07] You need to give your employees a roadmap

[30:25] LinkedIn, still the most underutilized platform to broadcast your company culture

[32:00] Fostering non-verbal communication in a digital world

[39:28] What’s the first step in building up your brand awareness?

[42:43] Brand values as a screening tool in recruitment

[44:25] Advice from Julie about creating your brand’s presence on LinkedIn

[46:30] Erin’s thoughts on getting through the Great Resignation

[47:30] Closing words from Julie on the benefits of connecting marketing and HR

Links

Strategic Branding Studios website

Strategic Branding Studios on LinkedIn

Strategic Branding Studios on YouTube

Julie Livingston on LinkedIn

WantLeverage website

Erin Mohideen on LinkedIn

Inspirant Group website