If you run or own a business, then making sure your employees are happy is one of the most important things you can do. Without happy employees, your profits will drop and it will be harder to get the customer base you want. Make sure to use every tactic available to you to get the most out of your employees every day. It’s easiest to apply principles you already know, so here are ways that marketing principles can help toward that end.

Recognition and Prestige

Everyone likes to be recognized for their efforts. An employee who isn't recognized may feel that they aren't valuable to the company. If this continues, their productivity might drop. They might even search for job opportunities with other companies.

To combat this, make sure you have an employee recognition program in place. It can be a great way of making employees understand how much you care. This will boost morale and results, as well as prevent key employees from jumping ship.

Reciprocity

There is a marketing principle called reciprocity. In essence, it dictates that you will get in return what you first give in a relationship. For instance, if you give someone a small gift, such as an employee, they will feel psychologically obligated to pay back the favor. Think of ways you can use this, such as going the extra mile for your employees and over delivering so that they will feel compelled to do the same.

Here's where reciprocity gets really interesting. It actually doesn't matter if the person giving the gift is liked by the person receiving it. They will still feel the obligation to return the favor. And another interesting thing about reciprocity is that the person returning the favor often feels like they need to give back more than they received. This feeling grows over time. Finally, making this tactic incredibly effective long term is that when someone returns a favor for someone else, they like the other person more. The philosophy is that the person they did a favor for must be worth receiving the favor. All of this can improve the way your employee feels about the workplace, and create a win-win environment for everyone.

Rapport

Without rapport, it will be hard to get anyone to have high satisfaction with their work. In essence, rapport is being on the same page. It's understanding that you have the same overall goals and principles. Find ways to connect with your team, whether it is the local sports team or another hobby. It will pay large dividends in the future.

Similarity

People tend to like environments where the corporate values are similar to theirs. What this means is that starting with recruitment you should make sure that the people you hire share your values. But once you have someone on board, it is also important to poll them periodically. Ask them what they truly want and value in a long-term career. Make changes where you can to bring your values in line with theirs. Then, they will feel at home in your company and their satisfaction will shoot through the roof.

Bracketing

Satisfaction is not a binary thing. It is a scale. On one end of the scale, you have an employee who is not satisfied at all. However, on the other end, you get an employee who is 100% happy. Realistically, you won't have the latter, but it is possible to get closer to that.

To get the most satisfied employees possible, bracket your demands. In other words, always make the employee feel like they are in control. If they have choices, they will be more motivated to produce.

If you are looking to improve the satisfaction of your employees, you have to use the right principles. Marketing doesn't just help you get more customers, it also helps in making sure your employees are loyal and bring their best work to the table. So put the above tactics into place so you can get the most out of your team day in and day out.