Your employees could be your most powerful marketing channel. Brands like Starbucks and Gymshark have shown what’s possible when the people who work for a business become its biggest advocates. If you’re serious about your brand and social media, it’s time to get serious about employee advocacy.
What is employee advocacy?
Put simply, employee advocacy is the promotion of your organisation by the people who work in it. It happens offline too, but here I’m focusing on social media, where it can make the biggest difference.
Why it works
1. People trust people
Audiences are increasingly tired of polished brand content and paid celebrity endorsements. Your employees are real people who know your business inside out, and they give your brand a unique, authentic voice.
2. It reaches further
Social platforms tend to favour posts from people over posts from brand pages, and your employees’ combined networks are often far bigger than your company’s following. Content shared by employees typically gets more engagement than the same content shared by a brand account – extending your reach without extra advertising spend.
3. It delivers results
The pay-off can include greater brand awareness, more website traffic, better-quality leads and stronger recruitment – because people want to work where others are proud to work.
4. Your employees benefit too
Advocates build their own profiles, networks and reputations as experts in their field. It can boost their career, both inside your organisation and beyond. And it can be fun!
Happy employees are natural advocates. Give your people what they need to thrive, and they’ll want to talk about where they work.
How to make it work
Set clear, simple goals
Take it seriously as a brand, but keep it easy for your people. Give your advocates three simple goals:
- Share: engage positively with company news and campaigns.
- Tell their story: share authentic experiences of their work and your organisation.
- Be the expert: talk about their area of expertise and recommend your products or services where relevant.
Give them the tools
- Simple guidelines: a one-page guide, not a 20-page policy nobody reads. (I’ve seen far too many of those!)
- A clear social media policy: one that protects both your people and your brand.
- Training: practical, hands-on sessions on the channels and tools they’ll use.
- Ready-to-use content: suggested posts, templates, images and key messages.
Help them find their voice
- Help each advocate choose a focus – the topics they know and care about – and a tone that feels natural to them.
- Explain the value of engagement: commenting, connecting and conversing matter as much as posting.
- Encourage them to follow and learn from others in their field.
Motivate and celebrate
- Recognise and reward your most active advocates.
- Share results, so people can see the difference they’re making.
Trust them
Give people the confidence and creative freedom to post – to occasionally get things wrong, and more often get things brilliantly right. Micro-managing every post isn’t the answer. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be authentic.
Bringing it together
Employee advocacy turns the people who know your organisation best into its most trusted voices. With clear goals, simple guidance, the right support and plenty of trust, it can transform your reach and reputation – and help your people grow at the same time.
Want to launch an employee advocacy programme? I run practical social media training that gives teams the confidence to champion your brand. Get in touch to find out more.