Employee advocacy on social media plays a crucial role in modern marketing strategies. It adds a human touch, builds credibility, and extends the reach of your brand’s message in a way that resonates with audiences.
In this article, we’ll explore actionable strategies for effectively leveraging employee advocacy on social media. You’ll discover the benefits of this approach, learn how to identify brand ambassadors, monitor and measure your advocacy efforts, and more.
Learn About Employee Advocacy on Social Media
What Is Employee Advocacy on Social Media?
Employee advocacy on social media is a powerful strategy in which employees voluntarily promote and represent their organization on various social platforms. This goes beyond routinely sharing company news; it’s about cultivating a network of trusted brand advocates within your workforce.
These advocates authentically interact with their connections, sharing personal insights, experiences, and relevant content that aligns with the company’s values and goals.
Benefits of Employee Advocacy
When your employees engage on social media, the benefits extend far beyond just the digital realm. Here are some key advantages you can expect:
Increase in Brand Visibility and Reach
- Having your employees actively share content and insights related to your company significantly expands your brand’s visibility. Their networks, comprising friends, family, colleagues, and industry contacts, become new avenues for reaching potential customers or clients.
- Each share, like, or comment on social media contributes to increasing your brand’s reach, potentially leading to more exposure and opportunities.
- Additionally, a report by Sociabble found that employee advocacy can lead to a 561% increase in branded content reach, as branded content is more likely to be shared and engaged with when it comes from an individual rather than the brand itself
Building Trust and Credibility through Employee Voices
- In today’s world, trust is a cornerstone of successful relationships, including those between businesses and their customers. When your employees share their experiences, expertise, and genuine enthusiasm for your products or services, they naturally build trust with their audience.
- People are more likely to trust recommendations or information coming from individuals they know and respect. This trust translates into increased credibility for your brand, making it more appealing and trustworthy in the eyes of potential customers.
Amplifying Marketing Efforts with Genuine Content
- Employee-generated content is often perceived as more authentic and relatable compared to traditional marketing materials. When your employees share their perspectives, stories, and insights, they create a more genuine connection with your audience.
- This genuine content not only resonates better with viewers but also helps in humanizing your brand. It adds a personal touch that goes beyond corporate messaging, making your brand more approachable and engaging.
Humanizes the Brand
- Employee advocacy humanizes your brand by putting faces and voices behind the corporate identity. When customers see real people sharing their experiences and thoughts, it creates a more personal connection.
- This humanization is crucial in building lasting relationships with your audience. It shows that your company isn’t just a faceless entity but comprises passionate individuals who care about their work and the value they bring to customers.
Employee advocacy on social media has a host of benefits that strengthen your brand’s presence, reputation, and customer relationships. It’s a powerful tool in today’s digital age, where authenticity and genuine engagement are highly valued.
Strategies for Employee Advocacy on Social Media
Identify Brand Ambassadors
Identifying brand ambassadors among your employees is a crucial first step in your employee advocacy program. Look for individuals who are not only passionate about the company but also have a strong presence on social media platforms.
These ambassadors should embody the company’s values and be enthusiastic about sharing their experiences and expertise with their online networks. By identifying and empowering these brand advocates, you can amplify your message and reach a wider audience that trusts their recommendations and insights.
Provide Training
Offering comprehensive training sessions is essential to ensuring that your employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for effective social media advocacy. Provide training on social media best practices, including etiquette, privacy settings, and platform-specific features.
Educate them on content creation techniques, such as crafting engaging posts, using multimedia elements effectively, and incorporating storytelling techniques. Additionally, train them on brand guidelines to maintain consistency and alignment with your company’s messaging and values.
Encourage Authenticity
Authenticity is key to successful employee advocacy on social media. Encourage your employees to be genuine and transparent in their communications. Emphasize the importance of sharing personal experiences, insights, and real-life stories that resonate with their audience.
Authenticity builds trust and credibility, making your advocacy efforts more impactful and relatable. Encourage employees to express their unique perspectives and showcase their personalities while staying true to the company’s brand identity.
Create Shareable Content
Developing shareable social media content is essential for empowering your employees to engage their networks effectively. Create a range of content formats, including blog posts, videos, infographics, and social media graphics, that employees can easily share on their social channels.
Ensure that the content is relevant, valuable, and aligned with your brand messaging. Encourage employees to personalize the content to make it more engaging and appealing to their followers. Provide them with tools and resources to easily access and share the content, making advocacy seamless and efficient.
Implementing these strategies can help you harness the power of employee advocacy on social media to amplify your brand’s message, foster genuine connections with your audience, and drive meaningful engagement and conversions.
Examples of Effective Employee Advocacy Campaigns
Here are some examples of companies that have successfully leveraged employee advocacy:
Kelly Services
Kelly Services has also implemented an employee advocacy program to promote its brand and engage with its audience on social media platforms. The company uses employee advocacy software to help its recruiters curate and share content on social media, which has led to a significant increase in brand awareness and a stronger company culture. By using employee advocacy, Kelly Services has grown its daily website traffic by more than 1,150% and has seen its recruiters become more active on social media.
Dell
Dell has a robust employee advocacy program known as the Dell Champions program. The company recognizes the power employees hold in strengthening internal and external communication for the brand and offers brand and social media certifications for all employees to become subject matter experts. Once employees complete their training, they can officially become part of the Dell Champions network, along with more than 1,200 other employees across 84 countries.
Mastercard
Mastercard has been leveraging employee advocacy benefits even before people coined the term. It runs a MasterCard Employee Ambassador Program through which employees share brand-related news and information on social media platforms. The organization has realized the power of employee advocacy and how it can transform the company’s online presence.
Adopt Employee Advocacy for Effective Marketing
When employees authentically engage with their networks, sharing genuine stories, experiences, and insights creates a deeper connection with the audience. This authenticity builds trust, credibility, and loyalty, making your brand more relatable and appealing to potential customers.
Ready to harness the power of employee advocacy for your brand? Partner with our Atlanta digital marketing agency. Our digital marketing experts specialize in crafting effective strategies that build trust, credibility, and loyalty with your audience. With our quality services and proven strategies, we’ll help your business grow nationwide.
Book your free strategy call today, or you can also call us at (404) 301-9189 with questions. Work with our team at Newman Web Solutions to kickstart your employee advocacy program today!
