• An empowered staff can be a great brand advocate. 
• A motivated staff would go the extra mile to get the job done. 

Interestingly, the “Empowering the Staff” marketing strategy is about making the employees into brand advocates, shattering the traditional top-down approach. Customers understand that things could go wrong occasionally, and companies are not judged on what goes wrong but on how they manage to put things right. 

Correcting such problems is customarily reserved for managers or complaint handlers; in most cases, it works fine. But if the customer has to go from person to person for a solution, it paints a bad picture. The staff can solve the problem quickly if they are empowered to make decisions.  

Businesses should focus on empowering their staff to take specific actions and decisions. This scenario is entirely based on trust, so companies should hire trustworthy people and then trust them. Plus, empowered staff have a sense of accountability and responsibility, making every individual a valuable employee. 

How does Starbucks become a market leader by empowering its staff? 

Starbucks is believed by many to be a third home, a place where you can relax and enjoy a cup of coffee apart from home and office. This success heavily relies on their approach towards empowering their staff. They made their employees into passionate partners, fostering customer connection, and used empowerment as a marketing tool. 

Employees were Now Passionate Partners

Interestingly, Starbucks doesn’t call its employees’ workers’ but ‘partners.’ The company spends heavily on training and developing its employees and baristas with in-depth coffee knowledge and customer service skills. When a company is passionate about training its employees, the passion is transferred to them, allowing them to connect with their customers on a deeper level. 

Starbucks’ baristas are not mere robots following a particular recipe. They are free to use their expertise and knowledge to personalize drinks, suggest modifications, and cater to individual tastes. Obviously, they still have certain limits to follow, but they feel empowered, and calling them partners is like the cherry on top. 

Fostering Customer Connection

Empowering the baristas to change and tweak the drinks helps them build rapport with customers. With their signature changes in a cappuccino, they can boost sales. Plus, they have time and autonomy to learn the customers’ names and preferences and engage in casual conversations. 

This sense of personalization creates a sense of community and loyalty. It could draw back customers for the warm atmosphere as much as the delicious coffee. Starbucks successfully positioned itself as a ‘third place’, a place of relaxation and connection. With empowered baristas passionate about coffee and comfortable interaction, Starbucks creates a significantly welcoming environment. 

Using Empowerment as a Marketing Tool

A happy and empowered staff can be a natural brand ambassador, increasing employee advocacy. Starbucks baristas are passionate about their jobs, fostering a positive company culture. This culture is actively promoted through social media and word-of-mouth recommendations. 

Customers paint a positive brand image for Starbucks based on happy interactions with Baristas. These empowered baristas greatly help create a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable environment, cementing a positive brand image. This hard-earned positive perception strengthens customer loyalty, which eventually helps attract new customers seeking a welcoming environment. 

How Starbucks Solved the Challenges

Starbucks skillfully balanced empowerment with consistency. They empowered the baristas while maintaining specific product quality and customer service standards. They managed to strike the perfect balance. However, as Starbucks expands globally, retaining that unique culture and level of employee empowerment has been a challenge that the brand is actively working to solve.

The Key Elements of “Empowering the Staff” Marketing Strategy 

Starbucks’ case study proves this marketing strategy can be successful yet challenging. The success depends on some vital elements as follows. 

• Building Trust and Transparency
• Delegation with Development. 
• Training & Resources
• Setting clear goals and analyzing the metrics
• Recognition and feedback. 

The “Empowering the staff” marketing strategy is based on trust. Some companies might feel that empowering employees could steal away the power and authority from their hands, but counterintuitively, it doesn’t. Employers must be willing to trust, and employees should be comfortable taking the initiative and making decisions within set boundaries. 

There must be trusted and open communication between them about marketing goals and company visions. This could help bring both parties on the same page. Brands must ensure that they are not merely delegating tedious tasks to employees. Empowerment involves entrusting the staff with projects that help them develop new skills and gain a broader perspective of the marketing landscape. 

There must be a mechanism to equip the team for success. Provide them with training on social media practices, content creation, and brand messaging. Employees must also get resources like brand guidelines and access to marketing tools. While empowering employees, the final goal must be clear for the staff. 

The goal could be to increase brand awareness on social media, generate customer leads, drive online reviews, or increase audience engagement. Install a mechanism to track the campaign’s progress with relevant metrics like social media engagement, website traffic, revenue, etc., all of which can be used to measure success. 

Whenever the staff successfully achieves desired results, their efforts must be acknowledged and celebrated. This gives them a sense of belonging and helps build loyalty to the brand. Plus, regular feedback to and from the employees could improve their skills and help them stay motivated. 

Pros and Cons of “Empowering the Staff” Marketing Strategy

Similar to every other marketing strategy, this “Empowering the staff” strategy has pros and cons, as discussed below. 

Pros

Empowering the staff who understand the brand dynamics and believe in the brand could create a sense of genuineness. Plus, it can help create content that feels genuine and resonates with customers. Employees would speak from real-world experience, thereby fostering trust and connection. 

When the team is diverse and passionate about providing fresh perspectives, they can brainstorm new ideas and approaches to marketing. This can lead to effective campaigns and provide a competitive edge. Plus, when the staff feels empowered to resolve customer issues, they will go the extra mile to provide the best customer service. 

Employees who feel valued in the company are more likely to become brand advocates and be involved in the company’s success. They might work on promoting the brand on social media, recommending it to their friends and families, and going above and beyond for customers. This could directly reinforce the brand’s organic strength. Empowering the Staff

When employees feel trusted and empowered at work, it is a great motivator. They develop a sense of ownership, accountability, and responsibility, increasing their job satisfaction. This could also lead to a more positive and productive work environment. 

Cons Empowering the Staff

Equipping the staff with the required skills and resources would require a considerable investment in training and development programs. It can also be a significant upfront cost, and most businesses might not be willing to pay it. Without clear brand guidelines and training, there’s always a risk of inconsistencies in the end messaging, narrative, and brand representation across the organization. 

Plus, if all the employees are not well-informed about the brand or its narrative, they could unintentionally spread untrue information. Marketing activities are time-consuming, and engaging employees could take time away from their primary jobs. 

It becomes increasingly more work to balance and ensure the workload remains manageable. When the staff is empowered to make decisions, mistakes are possible. A particular employee needing more experience and expertise to handle a specific situation could backfire. 

In the end, empowering the staff could be a highly effective marketing strategy if implemented properly and thoughtfully. Businesses must focus on training the employees well and making them understand the importance and boundaries of their empowerment. Again, brands should focus on hiring trustworthy employees and then trusting them.