In this post, we show you a highly effective way to incentivize employee advocacy by using an app that makes the process more convenient and seamless. But first, let's understand what we mean when we say "employee advocate", how employee advocacy helps the brand and what’s in it for individual employees.
Definition of Employee Advocate
An employee advocate is someone who works at an organization and promotes and amplifies the organization’s messages and social media content. This person can also be known as a brand ambassador. We prefer the term employee advocate, especially in the context of B2B firms.
Advantages for the Employee
Advocating for the company is often seen as only advantageous for the brand but not necessarily for the employee. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While sharing internal updates does boost credibility for the company and expands reach, there are also important benefits that directly impact employees.
Building a Personal Brand
Today’s professionals must market themselves to manage their careers successfully. In a recent study almost 86% of employees in an employee advocacy program said that being involved in social media had a positive impact on their career. Being an employee advocate is an easy way to consistently produce and publish content that supports a team member’s brand image. This will help them become part of more online conversations and build customer and professional relationships.
Sharing content about projects they’re working on and commenting on company posts is a free source of high-quality content for them that will live on their timeline.
Reinforcing a Professional Image
A documented history of enthusiasm for their work and their company shows future employers and current management that the employee is passionate about their job. Social media allows employees to record their careers in real-time, boosting their professional image online.
While a portfolio or resume is the best way to showcase projects, future employers will be impressed to see a history of social media posts supporting the work they’ve done in the past.
Motivating Employees
When an employee is actively involved with a project and publicly exhibits a passion for their work, they will inevitably become a better team member. They will be more engaged and invested in their job if they frequently review their company’s content and updates and share them on social media with a sense of pride.
A culture of employee advocacy also holds team members accountable when collaborating. Everyone wants to showcase their impact when they know progress is being shared.
Advantages for the Brand
Most brands underestimate the reach of their employees and don’t make the most of their staff’s networking capabilities. Employees are connected to key influencers and decision-makers. When employees post content, it is seen as more credible than the brand’s message, which leads to higher engagement and conversion levels. With that in mind, a B2B social media strategy should always include employee advocacy.
Employee advocacy content also offers a unique insight and perspective, which leads to a more personal relationship with the brand.
Improved Reach, Engagement and Conversion
Employee advocacy programs lead to vastly higher reach as well as engagement and conversion rates compared to paid ads on social media. According to Forbes, employees’ social media messages get 561% more reach than company messages. Research shows that 79% of firms report more online visibility after the implementation of a formal employee advocacy program. Sixty-five percent see increased brand recognition. Employee shares typically achieve click-through rates two times higher than when their company shares the same content.
Trust and Validation
The unique perspective and validation provided by employee advocacy help build trust between consumers and a brand. Seventy-six percent of people have more faith in employee messages than brand messages. Genuine excitement from workers validates the company and communicates that the business is successfully taking care of its employees and customers.
Challenges of Creating Employee Advocates
While the advantages for the brand and individual team members are apparent, execution can be tricky. Offering an easy-to-use solution that encourages employee advocacy incentivizes engagement without putting pressure on employees to post.
Please Share delivers a brand new way to create a culture of employee advocacy. It allows employees to share company content directly from Slack, making the process more convenient and seamless.
You can try Please Share for 14 days free of charge. Setting up the application in your team’s Slack channel takes just a few minutes, so you can be on your way to increasing employee advocacy today!