Beyond Onboarding: Fueling the Long Haul in B2E Marketing

Recruitment marketing gets them to choose you. Onboarding brings them in and introduces them to the culture. But it’s the ongoing Business to Employee (B2E) marketing that keeps them on the team and productive.

Without continuous engagement, even accurate and on point onboarding fizzles out. Fast-forward and you hit what I call the “Second Slump” — that creeping doubt about where an employee fits and what comes next.

Igniting the Spark, Again

This isn’t high school chemistry; you can’t just reignite a Bunsen burner and call it a day. Reigniting employee engagement, especially after a year or two or ten, demands a deliberate B2E strategy. Like its cousin the “Reality Slump,” the Second Slump is bred from a mismatch between what was promised and what’s lived. Ignore it, and you’ll see your talent walk right out the door.

Long-Term Loyalty is a Two-Way Street

Here’s how you keep the home fires burning and your employer brand glowing:

• Don’t just talk; communicate with clarity and candor leveraging anecdotes and analogies that make an emotional impact.
• Reinforce your vision and values not as empty slogans, but as daily practices. Showing what a Core Behavior looks like is more powerful than just a list of Core Values on a card.
• Offer real paths for growth — show them there’s room to rise and provide examples of others who’ve done just that.
• Keep tabs on the pulse of engagement— numbers don’t lie. Systematically gather insights on what your employees are thinking and feeling.
• Listen through surveys and focus groups; then actually act on what you hear.
• Take improvement suggestions seriously — it’s like free consultancy.
• Celebrate the wins and the years — every milestone matters.

Effective B2E marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about authentic storytelling, true listening, and trust-building. Create a workplace where every person is all-in with the company’s saga — that’s the secret sauce of sustained success.