Employee Advocacy: The hidden marketing power of your workforce

Your employees are a powerful (and probably overlooked) marketing channel

A few years ago, a prospective client for the SaaS company I worked for was undecided between our company and a competitor. During their research, they found a LinkedIn post by one of our team members sharing a story about our work and why it mattered. It wasn’t prompted by any KPI or incentive. This endorsement tipped the scales in our favour.

Authentic brand ambassadors

Employees as brand ambassadors have massive potential to influence and persuade, yet this potential is often untapped. Even at a basic level, where employees may not fully become 'ambassadors' but actively support your company's social media content, this can still significantly enhance your company's reach.

The most recent Merriam Webster word of the year was ‘authenticity’. It’s what consumers crave, and with the increase in AI-generated content, it can often seem difficult to come by. Against this backdrop, employees can be one of the most powerful marketing and external communication channels. However, many marketing and PR teams deprioritise employee advocacy, or worse, characterise it as ‘fluff’, and as thus miss out on opportunities to enhance brand perception and reach.?

Culture before advocacy

However, there’s an important prerequisite. Implementing employee advocacy programmes when there is a lack of cohesive company culture will fall flat. Without a genuine sense of belonging, public sharing of company-related content will come across as superficial, staged or forced.

It’s not all about employer branding

Employee advocacy refers to the promotion of a company by its staff members. When employees share their positive experiences, successes, and insights about their work and company, they naturally become brand ambassadors. While this strengthens employer branding efforts, the impact of employee advocacy extends far beyond that. From social media posts and blog contributions to speaking at industry events and participating in community activities, employee advocates don’t just improve the perception of the organisation for prospective new employees, they can improve it for other external stakeholders including potential customers, investors and partners.

Employees bring several advantages to the marketing table:

1. Authenticity: Unlike traditional ads, which can be perceived as biased or even manipulative, messages from employees are generally seen as more genuine and trustworthy.
2. Reach: Each employee has their own network of friends, family, and professional contacts, extending the company’s reach far beyond its official channels.
3. Engagement: People are more likely to engage with content shared by someone they know personally, increasing the likelihood of shares, comments, and likes.

A study by LinkedIn revealed that content shared by employees receives eight times more engagement than content shared by brand channels. Furthermore, consumers are three times more likely to trust company information shared by employees over that shared by the CEO. These statistics underscore the impact that employee advocacy can have on a company's brand and reputation.

Why employee advocacy is overlooked

Despite its potential, employee advocacy is often sidelined by marketing and PR teams. Some of the contributing factors to this may be:

1. “Marketing belongs to marketing”: Many organisations believe that marketing should ‘keep to themselves’! This siloed approach overlooks the collective power of the entire workforce, and the more successful businesses I have worked with have a sense that a ‘growth team’ should seek to include tactics that support growth goals more broadly.
2. Lack of awareness Some companies simply aren’t aware of the potential benefits of employee advocacy or how to harness it effectively.
3. Concerns about consistency and off-brand messaging There is a fear that allowing employees to speak on behalf of the company could lead to inconsistent messaging or off-brand communication. This concern, while valid, can be mitigated with proper guidelines and training, which is well worth the effort and time investment.
4. Organisational silos Corporate structures often create silos that impede cross-departmental collaboration. When marketing, HR, and other departments operate in isolation, opportunities for building employee advocacy can be missed. Integrating employee advocacy into the overall marketing strategy requires breaking down these silos and creating opportunities for collaboration and open communication.

From employee to advocate

To turn employees into advocates, companies need to provide support and incentives.?

Training and Resources

Equip employees with the knowledge and tools they need to represent the company effectively. This could include social media training, content creation workshops, and clear guidelines on what’s acceptable to share and what isn’t. Providing these resources not only empowers employees but also ensures that their advocacy aligns with the company’s brand and values.

Encouragement and incentives

Encourage employees to share their experiences and successes by recognising and rewarding their efforts. This could be through formal programmes with rewards for participation, or informal recognition, such as shout-outs in company channels or internal newsletters. Making advocacy part of the company culture will motivate employees to participate.

Success stories

Sharing success stories of employee advocacy can inspire others to get involved. Highlighting instances where employee advocacy has led to tangible benefits for the company, such as increased brand awareness or new business opportunities, can demonstrate the value of these efforts. For example, IBM's approach to employee advocacy , which encourages employees to share content related to their areas of expertise, has significantly boosted the company's social media presence and engagement.

But… what if no one wants to take part?

Advocacy programmes are unfortunately not off-the-shelf strategies, and how successful they are will depend greatly on the health of your company culture.?

Employees who feel a strong sense of belonging are more engaged and motivated. They are not only more likely to advocate for the company but also do so with genuine enthusiasm. This authentic advocacy is more likely to resonate with external audiences and positively influence their perception of the brand.

In my next article, I’ll delve into the building blocks of belonging to create the perfect conditions for employee advocacy that will make a tangible impact on your company’s brand perception and growth. If you already want to hear more, just drop me a message or check out our website and we’ll set up a time to speak.