Interdependence of Internal and External Business Reputation

Your Internal Culture Reflects Your Brand’s External Message Let’s be honest: you can’t preach authenticity and inclusivity to the world if those values aren’t alive and well within your organization. Your internal culture speaks louder than any marketing campaign—it’s the foundation of how your brand is perceived. Think about it: the way your employees feel about their workplace directly impacts how they treat customers, represent your brand, and even talk about your business outside work. If they’re engaged and aligned with your mission, they become your best ambassadors. But if there’s a disconnect, even the flashiest external campaigns can fall FLAT. Have you ever stepped into a shop or office and instantly sensed how employees might be treated, just from the attitude of the front desk staff or other employees? That unspoken vibe says a lot about a company’s internal culture—and customers can feel it. Take this practical example: imagine a company publicly championing diversity and inclusion in their ads but failing to promote those same values internally. If employees don’t feel included or see diversity in leadership, the brand’s messaging will feel hollow—and customers will notice. On the flip side, when there’s harmony between your internal culture and external message, magic happens. This alignment makes it easier for employees to carry the brand’s values into every customer interaction, creating a consistent and authentic experience. 💫 Lesson: You don’t always need flashy ads to win hearts—sometimes you just need to get your culture right. When employees live your values, they become your most powerful influencers. So, here’s the question: Is your internal culture in sync with your brand message? Start inside, and the rest will follow. #employeeengagement #internalcomnunication #leadership #culture

Culture builds reputation. Reputation decides if you’re first—or ignored, overlooked, or irrelevant. In business, it’s easy to focus only on numbers, products, or prices. But the truth is: Culture shapes how your people show up. The way employees feel internally becomes the way customers are treated externally. Reputation is the echo of culture. It’s what employees whisper about leadership, and what customers share when you’re not in the room. When culture is weak, reputation fades. When culture is strong, reputation compounds. And in a crowded market, reputation is what determines whether you’re the first choice… or not thought of at all. So here’s the real question: If I am in the market for what you have to sell or offer—either for your external customers or your internal clients (your employees)—do I think of you first? Do I think of you second? Or do I not think of you at all? Build culture with intention. Protect reputation with consistency. Because in the end, those two decide everything.

I used to think PR and internal comms were worlds apart. I was wrong. My career started in external PR. Later, I moved into global communications and added internal comms to my scope. At first, I believed they were completely different worlds. The reality? They overlap at every level: - Both are about storytelling and reputation. - Both can strengthen or weaken trust. - What’s said internally goes external. And vice versa. The real difference is the audience. With employees, the bar is much higher: they see behind the curtain. If the story doesn’t match their reality, they won’t buy it. One lesson that stayed with me: if your employees don’t believe the story, no one else will.

Many employees tell us they learn more about their firm from LinkedIn posts than from being inside the business itself. In Professional Services, that signals a serious disconnect. When the external brand story runs ahead of the internal reality, sentiment erodes fast. People feel like spectators instead of participants, and in a business where culture and client impact rely on engaged teams, that gap is costly. The best firms close this gap by communicating and integrating with equal intensity inside and out. They treat employees as the first audience, ensuring the story shared externally is already believed, lived, and reinforced internally. The strongest brand equity comes when sentiment inside the firm matches the story told outside. Because in this industry, the market rarely sees you as better than your people feel you are.

Internal communications has never been more critical to external brand reputation. The line between “employee comms” and “public brand comms” is blurring. Simply put, employees who share their stories on LinkedIn influence how the world sees the company. DSMN8’s study of half a million posts shows that employees with 5–10k followers see some of the highest engagement rates, averaging over 12 engagements per post. But it also reveals that the bulk of advocacy comes from people with far smaller networks. That means it’s not about chasing “influencers” inside your organization. It’s about enabling every employee to feel confident telling their story. And that’s where comms leaders come in: → Training people on authentic storytelling. → Clarifying guidelines so employees feel safe to post. → Recognizing & rewarding contributions. The future of comms = enabling employees to be real, credible advocates. https://lnkd.in/eDDiPCEc #InternalComms #CommunicationsStrategy #InternalCommunications

I often find myself thinking about a company's brand. Not the one you see on advertisements, but the one that exists behind closed doors. The one employees talk about when they're with friends. This 'internal brand'—the culture, the values in action—is what truly defines a company. I’ve seen businesses with impeccable external branding fall apart because their internal reality was a mess. Their people didn't feel valued, their leaders weren't trusted, and it eventually leaked out, damaging their reputation. A strong board needs a voice that can connect these two worlds. A voice that understands that a company's greatest brand ambassadors are its employees. Do you believe your company's internal reality truly matches its external brand promise? The answer holds the key to long-term success. #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Branding #CompanyCulture #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeExperience #CorporateCulture #OrganizationalHealth #InternalBrand #BrandAuthenticity #FutureOfWork #PeopleFirst #CultureMatters #EmployeeEngagement #EmployerBranding #ReputationManagement #BrandIntegrity #AuthenticLeadership #TrustAndTransparency

How a business presents itself to the outside world is a carefully curated and strategic undertaking. This is equally true of its internal persona. Understanding the sentiment of our target audiences is fundamental to any approach and while there will be nuances, the overarching messages must align. This is why a close partnership between PR and IC is critical. For both disciplines, decisions around what, how and where we share significantly influences the impact of our engagement. Three things that hammer this home for me are: ☑️ Strong, transferrable skills and talent are being lost because the benefits of a symbiotic relationship between external and internal communication are neither well understood nor communicated. ☑️ The lines between external and internal communications continue to blur. They may be distinct disciplines, but in today's omnichannel world, they both share audiences, messages and platforms. ☑️ Organisations must tell their stories well to cut through the noise, flexing their approach to fit objectives and stakeholders. In an ideal world, when it comes to the 'owned/earned/paid' triumvirate I'd like to see 'internal' included more often as a fourth pillar. The blurred lines between our external and internal worlds make the symbiosis of PR and IC even more critical for effective communication. #storytelling #culture #communication #employeeengagement #symbiosis #publicrelations #PR #internalcomms #IC

Yesterday I went to the airport with my son, spent almost seven hours waiting around, and then came home. We were meant to see Arsenal F.C. vs West Ham United, but the Ryanair flight ended up delayed by eleven hours. To say he was gutted was an understatement. Throughout the day, the departure time changed, it went back and forward at a point. The Belfast International Airport team (who were not Ryanair) were good and tried to help, but they did not know what was happening either. Eventually, we were sent to the Ryanair desk on the way out, only to be told they couldn't help. Ryanair say they are 'committed to delivering the best customer experience at the lowest fares with the most on time flights in the business.' On paper, that sounds impressive. My experience, though, was very different. I already had a negative impression before booking but decided to balance it against the price. That was my mistake. They certainly delivered on the lowest fares, but the experience that came with it was different. There can often be a gap between what organisations say and what people experience. That gap is both external and internal. Externally, it is what customers see, the communication, the tone, the way problems are handled. It shapes trust, reputation and loyalty. Internally, it is what employees live, the culture, the consistency, the behaviour they see modelled every day. It shapes morale, performance and retention. If communication is poor or people feel like an afterthought, it damages both. You cannot expect people to deliver great service if they do not believe the company genuinely cares about them. Culture is not defined by what is written in a mission statement. It is defined by how people are made to feel every single day. Every journey leaves an impression whether it's in an airport or a workplace. #leadership #organisationalculture #employeeexperience

Value and Importance of Internal and External Customers of the Hotel: Internal Customers: Value: - Employee satisfaction and engagement directly impact external customer satisfaction - Departments rely on each other for efficient operations - Managers ensure quality and make informed decisions Importance: - Internal customers are essential for delivering quality services to external customers - Their satisfaction and engagement drive hotel success - Internal customer satisfaction impacts external customer satisfaction and loyalty External Customers: Value: - Guests: Revenue generation, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth - Corporate Clients: Repeat business, referrals, and partnerships - Travel Agents: Bookings, recommendations, and industry connections - Partners: Quality supplies, services, and collaborations - Online Reviewers: Credibility, reputation, and online presence - Local Community: Positive relationships, reputation, and local support - Stakeholders: Investment, guidance, and strategic direction Importance: - External customers are crucial for hotel revenue, growth, and reputation - Their satisfaction and loyalty drive business success - External customer feedback and preferences shape hotel services and improvements By recognizing the value and importance of both internal and external customers, hotels can: - Deliver exceptional service and experiences - Build strong relationships and loyalty - Drive business growth and success - Maintain a positive reputation and credibility - Foster a collaborative and engaged work environment.