How to motivate your employees in employee advocacy program?

Employees as company ambassadors is one of the hottest topics and important trends?of?2024. We?have been engaged in such programs and training on their launch for?5?years?already?and have accumulated considerable experience. Besides, communication with colleagues from different countries and studying the practices of?different?companies allowed us to collect?cool?cases and ideas.?

Today?we?would like to discuss one of the most taught topics - motivation of ambassadors. Participation?in an employee advocacy program is not a?sprint,?but a marathon. However, many people on such a long horizon quickly "run out of steam" and get off the track. Therefore, the task of providing motivational support along the whole way is one of the most important for a person who is responsible for the implementation of such programs. How?can you?make sure?that your team fully reaches the finish line and shows a good result? That?is what we will talk about in this article.?

Theory of ?motivation: scientific approach

The?obvious?formula?"everyone is?different" is often forgotten. One?of the most common mistakes of an employee advocacy program is to form motivation based on what the leader or manager likes.?To?avoid this trap,?we recommend providing opportunities for different types of people.?

We often use Gerchikov's basic theory of labor motivation as a basis (you can choose your version, as long as it reflects the needs of different types of people).?

It allows you to think about benefits for different people. So, who do we have

? Avoidant type of motivation ("lumpen"). Such?people,?who do everything to avoid being punished and at the same time not to overwork, we do not recommend to take into the program at all. Identify?them at the entrance and reject them.

? Instrumental type of motivation. Work?and activity?itself?is not a priority for such a person,?he/she needs?to?be rewarded.?Such?people can be taken?into a team, and?gifts and gamification tools will work well for them, where?you will offer specific bonuses - vacation days or material gifts - for the points gained.??

? Professional type of motivation. Such?people appreciate in work its content, the opportunity to prove themselves and prove (not only to others but also to themselves) that they can cope with a difficult task, which not everyone can do. Such?a person is motivated by the very content of the work and?can offer new ideas.?For?such people, one of the best types of motivation will be training, as well as?interesting?and challenging tasks that you can offer them.

? Patriotic type of motivation. These?employees care about the common?cause,?they strive to be part of the team, and?it is?important?for them to feel their importance to the organization. They?work with?full?dedication, but for comfort, they need good atmosphere, recognition from the head, and regular gratitude for his successes and actions.?

? Ownership type.?This?is one of the most self-reliant employees?as?he is willing to take full responsibility for the outcome of the work. He?is one of those who takes the initiative and is ready to bring results. At?the same time, freedom, authority, and support for his actions are important to him.?

Knowing these types of?people?you can offer something special for each of them in your program.?

What you can offer your ambassadors: a "collection of?ideas"

For you to?offer?different bonuses to those who actively support your company, we decided to share a ?bank of ideas?.??

Recognition is the way to an employee's?heart

We like to be appreciated. If?a person does something for you, it's?important?to thank them. There?are several opportunities to do this.?

Here are some ideas on how?it can be done:

??Create a "Hero of the Week" section on the portal, where you will talk about the achievements of your ambassadors, praise them

?? Collect stories involving your?ambassadors,?and?tell about them through the company channels so that the employee sees?his/her?merits recognized.

?? Be sure to recognize the most active ambassadors and their accomplishments (e.g., the?popularity of their posts and social media activity) in your ambassadors' community every week and across the company?every month.

?? Regularly promote the employee advocacy program?itself, popularize it, and raise the status of its participants.?

??Include a special nomination in your employee incentive program?on a?monthly, quarterly, or?annual basis?to reward ambassadors.

?? Create a gamification program?as part of?your ambassadorship program: allow employees to prove themselves, earn points, and get?useful?prizes.?

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Ambassadors' personal brand

One of the most important motivations for employees to participate in an employee advocacy program is the opportunity to create and develop their brand. Employees?realize that by gaining a new status and sharing?useful?content?they are not only working for you but also positioning themselves as leaders and industry experts. Help?them do this more professionally.

What you can do:

?? Be sure to provide training on the topic of personal branding, help them develop their positioning and personal brand foundation

?? Provide training on personal brand promotion, particularly on the use of social media. Offer?tips on how to optimize your profile on popular platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook

?? Invite influencers and experts to meet with your ambassadors to inspire them to develop their brand.

?? Offer individual consultations on developing personal profiles, offer mentors/coaches on developing their brand

?? Hold regular (once a month) training events where you will talk about content creation, content promotion, and development of social networks, personal blogs, and trends in this area

?? Use company channels to promote your ambassadors.?

The importance of teaching ?ambassadors and supporting their career?development

Starting an ambassadorship program without training is impossible. Moreover, learning opportunities are also one of the most frequent motivations (especially for the professional type). So?plan?your training program a year in advance.?

Here are examples of what you can do:

?? Make the ambassadors themselves internal experts and invite them to train others

?? Give ambassadors access to the best educational courses on the platform or at the company's corporate university

?? Invite?cool?external experts to train (and inspire) your ambassadors

?? Collect wishes and feedback from employees on training provided and desired

?? Use a variety of formats: face-to-face, online, and hybrid forms to maximize the engagement of your ambassadors.

?? Hold special community meetings where ambassadors can share their experiences

?? Implement a Random Coffee format in the community where the theme of the meetings is sharing experiences, ideas, or learning specific skills.

?? Help them get a mentor from a higher level within the company. Let?this help them in their career development

?? Motivate and enable the ambassadors to expand their network of contacts within the company, to express themselves and?thereby?become "visible".?This?will increase their chances of promotion within the company (and?of?course, support them with recommendations).?

We also recommend supporting the career development of your ambassadors. Through?participation in such programs, ambassadors can prove themselves, become recognizable, acquire new skills (for example, public speaking or project management), and expand their network of contacts. All?this will contribute to their career development.?

Material rewards and gifts

People need to see not only virtual but also material recognition. However, we strongly discourage paying employees as ambassadors. Instead, use gifts and prizes.?

?? Make special unique merch, high-quality and?interesting, which will be received only by the program participants

?? If you have a gamification system?in place, create a set of?useful?items that employees can purchase with their accumulated points. For example, exclusive merch, a trip to a restaurant, some additional material things, or?very popular?bonuses - additional days of vacation and lunch with the CEO

?? If the company has its merchandise store, allow your program members to earn extra points to purchase it

???In addition to?"thank you" to the best ambassadors, buy valuable gifts, ideally tailored to their individual preferences. For?some?it will be theater or concert?tickets,?it will be?books or good training courses, and for others, you will buy new rackets or a gift for the kids.?

?? Expand and vary the set of your?bonuses,?while being guided by the feedback and requests of your employees.?

Hopefully, our approach to motivation will make it as?demand-driven,?and?comprehensive as possible. Never force people to participate in the program, let?it be not only voluntary but also honorable.?

And, of course, keep in touch, collect feedback, and?listen to your people, and then your program will be the best, high-quality, and attractive for employees. That means they will actively support you and help you solve the tasks you set for such programs.?

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