Come big corporates and organizations have invested a lot of their budget into getting popular and attractive personalities to work as influencers. But the truth is, influencers will never really know the companies they are advertising. Do you know who does? The people inside the company. They know almost every detail about the organization they work with and this is something companies need to use to their advantage. Now, you as a company have put a lot of effort into designing, planning, and executing social media campaigns and content. But posting it on your company pages is just half the work. This is why today I want to work on the basics of Employee Advocacy.
If we have a company page on LinkedIn we have seen that small tab called "Employee Advocacy", but what does it exactly mean?
Employee Advocacy is the promotion and awareness done by the employee, about the company, its products, and services. Everyone in your organization can engage in employee advocacy activities. And is not just those that you can track, though those are the ones we will be talking about on today's posts. But there are a lot of Employee Advocacy activities your employees can be done without you even knowing. The important thing about this concept is that the actions they take are genuine and are born out of their own motivation to take a part in them and in your company.
If we feel a connection with our company we want to see it doing great numbers in many aspects. But not everyone is prone to feel a connection with the company. This is where most Employer Branding Strategies focus. But it is very likely that having a good Employer Branding will subsequently provide you with excellent Employee Advocacy results.
Which you can track. These can be performed by, again, anyone in your organization that feels compelled to get involved in them. And includes sharing your company's posts on their personal social media as well as with their professional networks. If you have encouraged a sense of identity and engagement among your employees, this will happen naturally. But it also includes your employees taking a part in discussion with other professionals and workers of other companies, in regards of your company.
Employee advocacy activities also include those reviews on websites such as Glassdoor or Trustpilot. Everything your employee does in regards to your company or your brand will earn you a lot more trust from potential customers and candidates. Yes, everything your marketing team does is important. However, it won't get you far if no one rolls out the word around.
Sometimes people will just share your content because they feel like they have to because they really resonate with what is being said. But we can find employees that do not engage with our company's social media and professional network. For these, we can implement Employee Advocacy Programs (which will also benefit that do it in the first place). On these programs, we will offer everyone the opportunity to join the content sharing and promotion with rewards and incentives for different tiers and milestones.
You must let your employees know that by participating they will get these rewards and incentives. But an added value is that their networks and personal brands will be nurtured. The nature of the recompenses you offer can vary depending on your budget. They can be monetary or include more aspects to their emotional salary, such as paid-days-off and so.
You must also determine and train them on the most optimal ways to share the content you have on your company page. People want to take a part in the program, but are not sure how? Stablish sessions and leaders that will assist you in getting everyone on the same page. Everything you do on your Employee Advocacy Program is determined by your own Employer Branding and Business goals.
Having strong Employee Advocacy results is heavily linked to everything you do in your organization. Everything you do to make your employees feel like they belong, are appreciated, and recognized. It must be in line with your Business goals as well as your Employer Branding strategy. Employee Advocacy is also promoted by providing your employees some gear and merch that they will be able to use outside of work, but still identify you. However, measuring the success from that part of employee advocacy is a lot harder, but it can be very representative.
Strong Employee Advocacy will have many benefits for your company, your brand, and your employees. You just need to determine where exactly you want to be aiming your program and marketing content. In a future post, we will be talking about the different benefits these programs can bring. In the meantime, contact us to help you set up your Employer Branding Strategy and get you started on the path to a great Advocacy program.
