In this post, well take a closer look at what employee advocacy is, why its so important today, and the long list of benefits it offers to businesses and the people that keep them running. When your employees emerge as thought leaders and impactful voices, they, basically, look good in front of their peers and networks. They are natural advocates for your products and services. They are your most valuable asset. The report states that socially engaged employees are more optimistic, inspired, connected, and tenured. In addition to branded content, industry and company articles and insights can also be shared. Regular evaluation of progress against these goals helps gauge an employees participation in the growth of the company overall. Many platforms also provide a wealth of resources, training, and guides to help you make the most of your program and the platform. Employees are people, just like you. One of the biggest blockers to employee advocacy is fear. Will it affect your current workflows? This is a great way to make them interested in your brands activities. A formal employee brand advocacy program can help you significantly increase your reach. If employees amplify your content across their social channels, it is a great way to humanize your brand. It allows employees to: What Are the Benefits of Employee Advocacy? This, in turn, builds a trust among employee brand advocates to advocate on behalf of your brand online. The benefits of an Employee Advocacy program can stretch across the enterprise. It can bolster their unique web presence and add a layer of authority to their channels. Various types of content can be shared to support employee advocacy. Outsourcing support and strategy development for an employee advocacy program is one of the easiest ways to implement this effective campaign. Providing employees with a range of content that is highly relevant to their industry and that reflects well on the organization they work for allows them to share that information from their personal accounts. With the right employee advocacy strategy, you can generate benefits for both your organization and your employees. Theyre also seeing them in the context of an authentic campaign selling how great your company is, from an employees perspective. However, it has a strategic business potential but a lack of familiarity is a key challenge in adopting it in many organization. This concept is a topic that often appears in employee experience books. What Are the Main Benefits of Employee Advocacy for Businesses? There are real perks employees see from . In all likelihood, the audience you want to reach is potential new employees (i.e., job applicants) and customers. 1. One of the most significant and notable benefits of employee advocacy is the massively enhanced brand visibility that comes with it. They want growth opportunities and new ways of connecting with the world to diversify their careers and extract more pleasure from their work. Aside from the benefits of being more engaged and successful in their chosen professions, theyre also able to develop their personal brands and establish themselves as thought leaders and industry experts. When businesses rely on their employees to advocate for the company, it can reduce the amount of money invested in advertising and marketing companies. The tools that power the PostBeyond platform. 3. You need to position your employees as thought leaders, experts, and credible voices. It will also give the company valuable insight into their corporate culture and highlight ways to improve it, which not only boosts productivity and positivity for existing employees but also attracts top talent when recruiting new hires. The advantages of employee advocacy for businesses are clear: increased brand visibility, attracting top talent, spending less on social media advertising and a whole lot more. In all likelihood, the audience you want to reach is potential new employees (i.e., job applicants) and customers. This, in turn, create wonderful opportunities to foster thought leadership using your content marketing efforts. Employee advocacy is a social media marketing strategy that places employees voices and experiences center stage. Employee advocacy is important because it helps amplify brand reach and engage employees. In fact. Watch on-demand featuring customers and industry experts. These are folks who already post or engage your content on social media. You have the ability to maintain consistency and control over messaging. Your employees will advocate for your brand because of the workplace experience theyre already getting. More a Its 2023 and were well and truly into the age of social media. But we dont want to reduce employee advocacy to just another content distribution platform for social media. Think about giving rewards (like gift cards) for seasoned employee advocates and your top performers. One, you want employees to understand what is and is not appropriate to post, as well as how to personalize posts. So, HR leaders are beginning to engage employees innovatively using collaboration and advocacy tools and technologies in todays digital workplace. This returns to one of our earlier steps where you need leadership/executive and cross-departmental buy-in. Competitive benefit packages that address employees' well-being, health, and financial security act as powerful incentives. Salespeople who . Employee advocacy programs also: Here are six benefits of employee advocacy: Todays business reality is that disengaged employees are present in almost every organization. Edelman and LinkedIn highlights that decision makers are significantly impacted by the perception of thought-leadership within an organization. Let's take a look at some of the biggest benefits of implementing an employee advocacy program: Benefits for Employers. Implementing an employee advocacy program means that your audience network grows exponentially bigger, allowing for more online traffic and conversions. Get access to a dedicated team of experts who solve issues & answer your questions. Your in-house marketing department or external agency is likely to already have a social media marketing strategy in place, which can be adjusted to include employee advocacy. Companies like Amazon, Tesco, Ford, and Hilton use Firstup every day to improve outcomes for their employees. hbspt.cta.load(4986491, 'ecc198b4-1451-4707-9eb6-4a6943cba2f4', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Employee advocacy is the promotion of a brand through its employees. 7. Drive More Brand Reach Without Paying for More Ads Another benefit of employee advocacy is that it can amplify your brand reach on social media - but without the need to up your ad spend. PostBeyonds. and breathe new life into your marketing strategy. PostBeyonds Results are visible and measurable. Rather, theyre active participants who should have a voice in your program. Greater Trust, Authenticity and a Humanized Brand Continually establish how youre supporting departmental KPIs and your companys overarching goals. According to Social Media Today, posts by employees achieve 8 times the engagement of content shared directly by a brand. Because people tend to trust their peers more than brands themselves. hbspt.cta.load(4986491, '1a59a2ed-2653-4538-a1d2-9b47a7f1a308', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); You also need to get departmental heads and managers on board too. You may be concerned about placing your brands reputation in the hands of people who are not professional marketers. Its also one of the easiest and quickest way to reach a diverse and large audience with a relatively low ROI. 71% More Likely to Purchase Based on Social Media Referrals [Infographic], Making the Case for Employee Advocacy: A Pocket Guide, Why Social Media Marketers and Brand Managers Should Care About Employee Advocacy. Employees can become advocates for the company in different ways. employee advocacy grew 191% between 2014 and 2018, with more than 50% of company managers realizing its benefits. , and engage with consumers at a deeper level. Third, organize time for coaching your team on the employee advocacy program. It can provide cost savings. A mission and vision outline an organization's why and overall goals to help people want to get behind it. For example, some companies segment their employee advocacy programs based on region, business division, and other categories. Provide incentives. If your team has a well-defined understanding of their expectations, as well as the ability to reach out if they have any follow-up questions, theyre much more likely to succeed. The social media reach you generate through employee advocacy is organic. You should work to link employee advocacy to those KPIs. See how PostBeyond helps customers get results. On the surface, employee advocacy on social media involves employees spreading brand awareness on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others. Various types of content can be shared to support employee advocacy. Employers can provide job-specific feedback that can be more helpful for the employee than generic feedback. When it takes off, you can save a lot of money on your marketing spend when trying to reach more audiences. Thats why employee advocacy and brand advocacy as a whole is an amazing marketing asset, especially in todays environment where trust is valuable currency. In companies that do not have a strong corporate culture, an employee advocacy program can bring employees together and give them something to participate in that breeds friendly competition and boosts morale. 7 Amazing Employee Advocacy Benefits [Guide] By Liza Shuttleworth 14 minute read Employee Advocacy In this guide, we're exploring some of the amazing employee advocacy benefits and how an employee advocacy program can take your business to the next level! Research shared by. Your employees carry authenticity and relatability with your audiences. This is a guidebook or code-of-conduct for your employees when they post on social, be it as part of their job or in their personal capacity. Employee advocacy programs empower employees to share company content, and their own, to engage customers and prospects in a way that builds employees . Our goal is to help make recruiters out of [our employees] that say, Hey, tell your friends and family, if you enjoy working for us, tell more people to come and join us. When employees are actively interacting with the company as a whole, rather than just within their specific role, it creates a new level of awareness and engagement. An employee advocacy program is also a good way to upskill your employees on social media. tried-and-true marketing tactics still work, Benefits of Employee Advocacy on Social Media, Employee Advocacy Guide and Strategy | 13 Steps. Consider the following for your own benefits program: In addition to unlimited PTO, software company Asana provides employees with mental health coaching, nap rooms, daily yoga programs, free gym memberships, an in-house culinary program, and wellness workshops. If youre in the market for an employee advocacy platform vendor, look for one that can link you up to a community of other employee advocacy program admins. For example, you can show the sales team how employee advocacy can help them close more leads. So, a social media policy is an effective way to clear up misconceptions. All of the followers your employees have will get to familiarize themselves with your brand, thus growing and diversifying the audience. Positive reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations from peers, friends, and family generate much higher levels of trust than marketing messages from a faceless company or brand. This marketing strategy is based on the well-researched idea that people trust the testimonials of other people far more than they do large brands. In conclusion, there are a great deal of employee advocacy benefits for those who implement an effective program. Increased reach and engagement are not the only employee advocacy benefits. We've compiled a Top 10 list of the good things that happen when brands give their employees the information and ability to be advocates on their personal social media networks. can be the solution to many corporate problems. Sounds great. Not only that, but invite suggestions from your employee advocates! PostBeyond shows that organizations with high employee engagement have a 202% performance advantage over those with unengaged employees. Clearview Social is a platform designed specifically to provide expert guidance for employee advocacy campaigns. helps cultivate a sense of confidence in behind-the-scenes operations and encourages consumers to see the brand in a more positive light. Customer Employee Advocacy Benchmark Report, Employee Productivity KPIs -- How to Improve Employee Productivity. This is a critical part to helping them build trust and authenticity with their audiences. For example, Laura Erdem from Dreamdata recommends you consider using TikTok-style videos on LinkedIn. One effective way to grow your employee advocacy program is to work with your HR team. Not only that, but audiences are increasingly expecting brands to align with their own values and beliefs. 11. The benefits of employee advocacy are numerous: Increase authenticity - When your employees shout about your brand, their voice is powerful. Well, for marketers, its getting harder to use ads and other conventional marketing tactics to create visibility, nurture prospects, and drive revenue. If your brand is struggling to increase their digital presence, an employee advocacy program could help rectify. Outsource Your Employee Advocacy Campaign To Clearview Social. Join 12,000+ smart professionals who subscribe to my regular updates. But how do you achieve that? Voice Search SEO: 10 Things to Implement TODAY! Here are some effective methods of nurturing employee productivity: Clear Communication and Goal Setting Establishing transparent communication channels and clearly defining individual and team goals fosters alignment, clarity, and motivation. Helpful resources to support your employee advocacy journey. Youll want to start with those who have the greatest interest both in their personal capacity and as part of their work to engage in social. Enjoy our blog? Precisely, communicate What is in it for me (WIFME) value proposition to your engaged and trusted employee brand advocates. You could even encourage employees to learn more about other jobs in your organization that may be of interest to them. These include improving your brands online presence, greater reach and engagement on social media, creating a stellar brand reputation, increasing employee engagement and productivity, recruitment and improved sales, conversions and revenues. And so thats been a very positive thing for us because this becomes a tool for not only building a community that exists but bringing new people to the fold.. Its important to have a pulse on how theyre feeling, both in terms of the employee advocacy program, and in general. Direct Customers Engagement. The social media marketing industry is fraught with constantly evolving challenges all of which can be tough to keep up with on top of everything else. Measure, optimize and report results all in one place. This marketing strategy is based on the well-researched idea that people trust the testimonials of other people far more than they do large brands. Remember, your employee advocates arent just a delivery vehicle or posting bots on social media. The goal of employee advocacy is simple: get more people talking about your product or service with the help of your workforce. You can also provide guidelines on how employees can provide an individual touch or perspective to specific components. Get them to contribute their insights, expertise, and even their own acts of advocacy (learn more about. In the highly competitive atmosphere of internet marketing, brands must do everything they can to increase visibility. Therefore, when you provide content for your employees to post, also encourage them to authentically personalize the posts. The Benefits of Hiring a Wage & Hour Attorney for Workers Advocacy By Space Coast Daily // May 24, 2023 As an employee, you deserve fair compensation for your time and effort. Content shared by employees receives 8X more engagement than content shared by brand channels (Source: Social Media Today). This means that every employee post has the potential to reach 10 times the number of people the same post shared by your company does. }); Why leading companies choose PostBeyond for employee advocacy. The onus lies with the business leaders to explain the advocacy goals to every employee brand advocates without fail. Your employees are also key stakeholders. Influential employee advocates have a number of common traits, such as large networks of relevant audiences, consistent content sharing, and ability to engage their connections. Incentives to participate. It can enhance their skillset. We dont want to treat our employees as posting and sharing bots either. According to HubSpot, people are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on a social media referral. If you want to reach a point where employees are positively talking about your organization, you need to explore issues like: When you work on these aspects, you can start improving employee engagement in your company. Put the employee at the center in as many areas as possible. The scale of organic reach from employee advocate posts elevates brand awareness and recognition far beyond what can be achieved by the companys social profiles alone. Social Media Today. This is something that not only increases productivity but also contributes to a generally more energetic and fulfilling environment. Always measure your campaigns progress. Sprout Social shares some examples of organizations that have successfully implemented advocacy programs that might just inspire ideas for your own! Thus, allowing your brand reach and visibility to increase organically. Moreover, it builds consumer trust while giving a human touch to your brand. hbspt.cta.load(4986491, '4c83c64a-90f8-4f60-8133-1b926e7072f6', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Depending on your industry, you may have to think about additional requirements, such as FINRA in the finance sector. The problem is, how do you achieve this? When your organization provides content and links for employees to use for social media, it not only gives them the opportunity to share content, but also helps them remain informed about whats going on within the company and industry. People trust information shared by individuals much more than messages shared directly by a brand. employees innovatively using collaboration and advocacy tools and technologies in todays digital workplace. KBI Benefits empowers organizations to design and implement employee benefits plans that align with their goals and enhance the overall well-being of their workforce. Increased Revenue As more and more people use social media as search engines to find information about the companies theyre considering doing business with, the human element of social media has become essential too. Gaggle AMP: Employee Advocacy: Whats in it For the Employees? Unleash the power of employee advocacy program to build an army of employee brand advocates who increase your brands social reach irrespective of how impressive your brands social media presence. It improves brand reach and awareness. Remember, if employee engagement starts slipping, it could hurt your brand advocacy program. Build reports of your programs performance. Where possible, start following larger employee advocacy programs of other companies. In fact, your employees voice in these contexts carry more weight compared to messages that come from your official brand accounts. Basically, audiences trust recommendations from family, friends, and peers i.e., people. You Put Faith in Your Employees Involving employees in an advocacy program shows you have faith in (and trust) your employees to act as agents on behalf of your business. An organization benefits employee advocacy through increased reach and engagement. When employees share company content, theyre connecting themselves to the content and putting a face and authentic human sentiment to the company content. Incentivizing your program can encourage employee participation. Additional Benefits for the Company and Brand, It increases employee engagement which leads to increased productivity. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) OKRs define specific, measurable goals aligned with the organization's overall objectives. When employees post and comment on such content, it builds their professional reputation and thought-leadership status in the field. Twitter Followers vs Following: What is the Ideal Ratio? Highly regarded individuals reflect well on their teams, and their organizations as a whole and this is something people take into consideration when looking to make the switch to a new company. of consumers value recommendations from people they follow over all other forms of content advertising. As part of a social media advocacy program, images of company merch and swag can be shared, as well as images of employees using or wearing branded items. P&C Customer Portal; On Demand; . A successful employee advocacy program ensures active participation of the employees in the organization and in ambassadorship programs. hbspt.forms.create({ hbspt.cta.load(4986491, 'aefc5803-02de-4919-a9df-fcc3d2135bf6', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); An employee advocate is an active agent who helps amplify your brand on social media through their networks. Company recognition was the most effective way to incentivize an employee advocacy program according to a study by As with any company program, its important to establish its mission and vision. Communication is also important when it comes to sharing how well the program is performing and acknowledging employees for participation. Are managers giving productive feedback to employees? Research shared by Connect your advocacy to their goals and youll get their buy-in. , and the long list of benefits it offers to businesses and the people that keep them running. If they are empowered, customers will love to connect and engage with them back-and-forth because consumers will feel like they can trust them.