My Employee & Her Mother Are Making More Money Than The CEO - Here's Why!

'Social Media' can be a life saver for brands if they understand that social media is about being social first, and selling second.

The cost don't increase because being social means you measure 'engagement' over reach.?

You don't need a database, so no GDPR issues, if you operate an 'employee advocacy' strategy your outsourced 'social agency' could pretty much become redundant.

So, what does this tell us about the power of influencers?

"Lauren, who as a part-time influencer makes money by partnering with brands on sponsorships. Lauren said she charges around $350 for an Instagram or YouTube sponsorship (but that price varies).

She emails the brands she wants to work with directly, DMs smaller brands on Instagram, and sometimes finds an influencer marketing contact for a brand on LinkedIn and then messages the person."

In simple language, an influencer is someone whose story you are prepared to listen to, and maybe act upon, something we all do every day in real life - example;

Jenny from marketing comes back from the sandwich shop that's just opened down the road, she tells you it looks really cool, and here's the sandwich she just bought, so you decide to take a trip in your lunch hour and buy a similar sandwich - now all you have to do is multiply that story on social media and that sandwich shop just got some very cheap, indirect, and yet highly relatable marketing from Jenny.?

Brands can also tap into existing micro-communities by partnering with niche influencers.?

People are likely to be moved to buy the products on screen if they perceive a creator as competent and credible. Users look to creators to “have a fit with the product or service” as a badge of authenticity, says Angeline Scheinbaum, associate professor of marketing at Clemson University’s Wilbur O and Ann Powers College of Business, in South Carolina, US.

Kate Lindsay, a journalist who covers internet culture, gives the example of a stay at home mum using a cleaning product. “They're going to have a following of really like-minded people. When that person who looks like you says they're a mom, they're tired and this cleaning solution helps [them] get through the day … there’s a level of connection and trust where you're like, ‘you look like me and this helpful for you, so it'll be helpful for me’.”

A creator’s source credibility skyrockets when their recommendation is organic – an unpaid endorsement. “Organic influencers are so much more authentic … their motivation is to genuinely share a good or a service that has brought them joy or convenience in their life,” says Scheinbaum. “They sincerely want to share that with others.”

This authenticity can be especially powerful to drive purchases in niche categories, as creators are often deeply passionate and project specific expertise in areas few have claimed. “With these micro-influencers, the consumer is able to feel more confident that they're buying from someone [who] uses that product … they have a little bit more of an emotional relationship”, says Scheinbaum.

The best of these have a clear vision or personality that is perceived as authentic and trustworthy at a time when Instagram is flooded with manufactured fake followers.

A Social Strategy is about being authentic, and growing 'followers' and is not something that can be bought, it has to be earned.

Employee advocacy strategies seem to scare the pants off those in the C-Suite, mainly because they feel they're not in control of what the employee can/can't say.

Well, let me tell you that's just a huge insult to your people, and a complete waste of an amazing opportunity for your company, especially when the C-Suite are included as part of the 'employee advocacy program'.?

Who better to tell a company’s story than its employees? Team members are far more capable than any external marketing agency. When team members generate content, they themselves become the face of the company, and consumers often find it easier to relate to a real person than a company entity.