Marketers know that a happy and engaged employee can be a brand’s number one advocate. However, it can be difficult to get buy in from executives to run an employee advocacy program.
This week at #SproutChat, Sprout All Star, Jen Kirk of Jenius Consulting joined us to discuss the benefits of a social-first advocacy program and ways to convince leadership that it’s worth the investment. From setting up and rolling out an advocacy program to educating employees on social media best practices, our community offered a wide array of insights on the topic.
Set Employees up for Success
Employee advocates shouldn’t have to work more to spread the word about a brand. Make sure you communicate to employees in a clear and concise way. Social content should always be accessible, shareable and include pre-approved, suggested social copy. The less barriers there are for employees to advocate for their organization, the better.
A1 Executive buy in is the biggest IMO. Followed by consistency – both in communication and engagement #SproutChat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) May 10, 2017
A1: First, make sure they believe in what they're advocating for. Employees can be your most powerful tool! #sproutchat
— BrandExtract° (@BrandExtract) May 10, 2017
A1: Set your goals & watch performance, create fun incentives for employees, and let employees share their lives, not just work #SproutChat
— Jeff Higgins (@ItsJeffHiggins) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A1: Simplicity is key. If there are any hoops to jump through, you won't get the results you are looking for. #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/NPyVNKYwLH
— Richard Hostler (@CNXN_Hostler) May 10, 2017
A1 Create/maintain a supportive environment/work culture. Give both your employees and your customers the confidence to be heard #SproutChat
— Venture Icon Media (@VentureIcon) May 10, 2017
A1: Make sure you communicate expectations for involvement clearly. Communication is key! #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/0CmBqXHyDc
— Mallie Rust (@malliefe2o3) May 10, 2017
Educate Teams on Social Media Best Practices
When working in social it can be easy to assume that everyone is as up to speed as you are. By giving employees guidelines and social media best practices, you’re giving them the tools to effectively communicate about your business. Advocates should be consistent in messaging, so provide them with the necessary training and resources.
A2 I taught the basics to social media newbies & gave specialized classes to sales & marketing https://t.co/FZY5djYH0r #sproutchat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A2 We've trained our team on social best practices, with some "don'ts" mixed in. Important to keep it positive. #sproutchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) May 10, 2017
A2 Don't assume employees know about social media or the same platforms you know about. Talk with them to gauge their knowledge. #SproutChat
— Jim Katzaman (@JKatzaman) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A2: We still in the planning stages, but I'd like a combo of best practices & basic rules. Gotta have a bit of structure! #sproutchat
— Kris Hadley (@krishadley) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A2. Too many rules might limit the team's creativity. Group discussions on trends or questions are encouraged![JP] #sproutchat
— Social or Nothing (@socialornothing) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A2: We educate employees on best practices. We don't want to take away from their authenticity or be a joy-kill. #SproutChat
— Javier Sanabria (@SanabriaJav) May 10, 2017
A Little Recognition Goes a Long Way
Offering incentives or rewards for being an employee advocate can prove to be useful, but try to stray away from using it as motivation for opting into the program. Focus on your community and recognize them for their awesome work and contributions. These moments can help to maintain engagement and also foster new relationships.
A3 Custom t-shirts to the first 100 to sign up for bragging rights (numbered in sign up order) was a fun motivator #sproutchat http://pic.twitter.com/8hg4OmipXd
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A3. Some sort of recognition, rewards such as swag or giftcards. The keyword is reward, not incentive. [JP]#SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/p6NnHqc7eq
— Social or Nothing (@socialornothing) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A3: Starbucks gift cards or lottery tickets make for great, inexpensive incentives! #SproutChat
— MyCorporation (@MyCorporation) May 10, 2017
A3: At VIM, we constantly cultivate an advocacy-friendly work environment. Open communication and lunches with our leaders are 👌#SproutChat
— Venture Icon Media (@VentureIcon) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A3 #Sproutchat a) Recognition and fame on our social channels b) Exposure to the company c) Cash Prices d) Trip as a grand prize
— Sonia Rosua-Clyne (@soniarosuaclyne) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A3 – Every quarter, we give out the Contributor Award (complete with a fancy cartoon rendering of the winner!) and a gift card. #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/3eL38isX9B
— Rebel.com (@rebeldotcom) May 10, 2017
Grow Your Program With Consistent Communication
Maintaining a consistent cadence of communication with employees can help keep them engaged, but tapping into your existing base by running referral programs can help grow your community. Once you have buy in from executives to run an employee advocacy program, ask them to lead the pack and highlight their engagement as an advocate.
A5: Each new employee gets a welcome email listing our social links. Best "candidates" follow us on the same day 🙂 #sproutchat
— Val Vesa (@adspedia) May 10, 2017
A5 I run referral contests & have also been known to set up a table in various work locations to bribe new recruits w/ swag #sproutchat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A5 #Sproutchat Send out a monthly newsletter, rely on organic word of mouth, remind at events, get leaders doing it, onboard new starters..
— Sonia Rosua-Clyne (@soniarosuaclyne) May 10, 2017
A5: Get leaders on board. Highlight success & outcomes. Make the platform you're using really valuable & relevant for employees. #sproutchat
— Stephan Hovnanian (@stephanhov) May 10, 2017
A5: Get your current team involved and ask them to help spread the word. Happy employees are great advocates! #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) May 10, 2017
@SproutSocial A5. Show examples of other employees who've done a good job and their rewards. Introduce it as the norm. [1/2][JP] #sproutchat
— Social or Nothing (@socialornothing) May 10, 2017
Join us on Twitter at 2 p.m. CT every Wednesday for #SproutChat. Next week, we’ll discuss all things hashtag from analytics to the difference between branded and community hashtags. In the meantime, network with bright folks within the industry in our #SproutChat Facebook group.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Running an Employee Advocacy Program originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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