When Harry met Sally, an interesting movie was made and when Marketing met HR, an interesting learning organization emerged. Marketing and HR have traditionally been two separate disciplines. However, organizational success in the year 2017 and beyond demands that each of these disciplines come together and learn from each other. Some common areas in which an organization’s Marketing and HR department can have the same strategic focus are targeting, tracking, branding and integration.
Targeting: Marketers and HR Managers both need to ensure that their messages are segmented based on audience profile. This includes demographic, geographic and behavioral segmentation. For example, if HR sends generic e-mails to its employees, the message will be lost. However, if the content is personalized, it is likely to increase employee well-being and happiness which will in turn have a positive impact on productivity.
Tracking: Marketers have realized the value of measuring the impact of their campaigns on Return on Investment (ROI). They use techniques such as call tracking to optimize on their marketing channels. Keyword analysis allows them to cater to the precise taste of their target audience. HR too is now realizing the importance of using measurable reports to track performance. For example, a report can be generated to show the ratio of sales to calls for each customer agent. Compensation can then be linked directly to sales.
Branding: Marketers are extremely conscious about promoting brand equity. An effort is made to ensure that the brand message is consistent across all channels. A similar approach should be used by HR Managers to ensure that the brand personality message pervades to all employees. Such employees can serve as brand ambassadors, especially on social media channels.
Integration: Marketers realize that importance of integrating different systems to ensure that the all the user’s needs are met in one platform. HR has now recognized the importance of user-friendly systems. If the employee has to switch across different systems to access the various records of training, performance management, holiday schedules etc. then HR needs to re-think its strategy. Integration of various platforms is critical to achieving desired positive outcomes.
All in all, as we progress into the year 2017 and beyond, organizations that are poised for success will witness a fusion of their Marketing and HR strategies. Both departments will work towards the common company mission in a holistic manner combining best practices to optimize results.
