Looking for new ways to boost your brand? By bringing in ambassadors who put your brand in the spotlight, you create trust and brand awareness.
What is employee advocacy?
When employees take on the role of brand ambassador and actively promote the company, we can talk about employee advocacy. A very good move, if you ask us. After all, who knows better what's going on inside a company than the people who put in the work and contribute to its growth every single day?
Okay, but why?
In marketing your ultimate goal is to reach as many people from your audience as possible. Not making use of your employees' networks? You're missing out. And here's why.
Low cost solution
First of all, you don't need a giant budget. Your employees are already on the payroll and — if all is well — already fans of the company. A little training can help your staff put your brand in the picture.
Easy to trust
A company posting content online praising its own positive points? No thanks. We have to take that with a pinch of salt. An employee speaking full of praise about the company they work for? That's something we value and are far more inclined to believe.
New talent in sight
The best calling card you can offer as an employer to attract people to work for you? Your team of rock-solid professionals whose infectious enthusiasm gets like-minded people ready to join you too.
What's the strategy?
Every social channel can be used, of course. Think LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and so on. Want to make an impact in the business world? Then LinkedIn is the answer. LinkedIn is the largest social network focused on business and networking. A well-set-up profile is where it all starts. A good profile photo clearly showing your face in business-appropriate clothing is the way to go. And as always: fill in as much as possible.
Set priorities
What's the goal? First of all it's important to demonstrate the impact of shared posts on the business. Are you focusing on brand awareness, sales or recruiting? The content topic changes depending on the priorities you set.
Ready-made content
Yes, in comes content. Most of us have social media but don't post that often ourselves. Often because it's hard to know exactly how and what to share with the world. Give them a hand. Provide ready-made but genuinely enjoyable content to share. That makes the mental hurdle a lot smaller.
Keep your staff in the loop
When you decide as an employee to take part in the employee advocacy programme, it's obviously nice to know exactly what the impact on the company is. So share figures about the success achieved so far on a regular basis. Make sure there's a way to keep the drive going too — think a nice package to congratulate them, incentives or a shout-out in the monthly newsletter for whoever achieved the highest engagement rate on a post.
Conclusion
Are you an entrepreneur looking for an organic way to increase the reach of your posts and create more brand awareness? Then an employee brand advocacy programme is the way to go.
Want to know more? Our Hippos are itching to share their knowledge about LinkedIn and the role your employees play in it, so get in touch.
