3 STEPS TO EMPLOYEE ADVOCACY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

By Victoria Stoklasa, CEO

When employees speak well of their workplace, it is an indicator to others that their company is good. After all, don't we all want to work at an awesome company? (I mean, I already work at an awesome company, but that's beside the point.) A business that uses employee advocacy on social media can promote a company culture of open communication, cohesiveness between employees and management, and satisfaction in the workplace. Here's how you can develop employee advocacy in your own agency.

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STEP 1: BUILD YOUR CASE

To develop an employee advocacy campaign, a company should first approach their employees and address the importance of sharing via social media. Express that social media is an easy and fun way to connect with potential customers, and how employees can change how the company is viewed. You can also include case studies of successful employee advocacy in other organizations--for example, this case study about Microsoft--to show how your employees' efforts can make a difference. Consider developing incentives as well, such as promising that any employee who brings in a new client via social media receives some sort of finder's fee. 

STEP 2: SET YOUR GOALS

Once your employees understand why you want them to advocate for the company on social media, it is important to give them the "how" behind the "why". Communicate with your employees what outcomes you expect from employee advocacy. The best way to do this is by developing a written policy on employee use of social media. Answer question your employees might have: How often should they post? What is acceptable content to post? How should they respond to any replies?

STEP 3: PICK YOUR ROCK STARS

Launching an employee advocacy strategy on all your employees at once can be overwhelming on both sides--you have too many posts to monitor, and your employees have no examples to base their work on. Before thrusting your strategy on your organization as a whole, identify employees who are active on social media and have a pattern of being early adopters. Run a soft launch with these "rock stars" and allow some trial and error as you perfect your plan. Then, you can safely present it to the rest of your employees.


Has your company tried employee advocacy? What advice do you have? Leave a comment and let us know!