What is employee advocacy?
Before we get into the value of employee advocacy for both employees and businesses, let’s look at what we mean by employee advocacy with a well-rounded definition. This section also goes deeper by exploring the types of employee advocacy that exist.
What is employee advocacy?
By advocacy, we mean promotion or advertisement. This means that employee advocacy is when employees promote the organisation that they work for – they advertise the brand. With the rapid evolution of social media, employee advocacy now makes up a large part of a company’s marketing strategies. Indeed, employees who are satisfied in their job and pleased with their company culture thrive at promoting the brand. They share their experience on social media or through other channels and increase brand awareness. They promote the company culture and create a spotlight for the business.
What are the types of employee advocacy?
When it comes to company advocacy, employees may have different styles. These styles will depend on the employees themselves and how they prefer to communicate. Let’s explore these styles below:
The classic freebies
The classics are proven to work. Giving away freebies, essentially promotional material with the company logo, increases brand awareness. Freebies are visible and, these days, often shared on social media. This technique is an effective yet easy way for employees to increase brand awareness.
Employee internal recognition programmes
Internal recognition programmes give employees something to aim for. It makes them feel valued and enhances the company culture. Celebrating accomplishments internally often has repercussions outside the organisation. If you elect the employee of the month, it is likely that this will be posted on social media and will naturally generate publicity.
Advocacy on social media
Social media is at the centre of marketing strategies. When it comes to company advocacy, it is a no brainer as it provides an easy channel for employees to share on their personal accounts. Businesses may create a social media advocacy strategy to guide their employees on what they share.
Why is employee advocacy important?
Employee advocacy has a direct impact on the business. However, it also influences employees and brings benefits to them. In the section below, we highlight why employee advocacy is important for both employers and employees and how it can boost awareness while increasing engagement.
For employees
By promoting the company’s brand, employees also develop their own. The simple act of sharing a post on social media might bring them closer to the leadership teams and to the CEO. They grow their online reputation and show that they are active in their industry and engaged in their job.
For the business
It is essential that businesses work with their employees to utilise company advocacy to its best potential. When the message comes from an individual who already has a strong relationship with customers, it is more trustworthy. As such, the promotion of the business is more organic.
To ensure that employee advocacy is somewhat controlled and in line with the desired company tone of voice, businesses can deliver training sessions on this topic. These will allow employees to understand the importance of their voice for the organisation.
Nine benefits of employee advocacy
Now that we fully understand employee advocacy, its different types and its importance, let’s take a closer look at its benefits. The list below is by no means exhaustive but will give you a good idea of why you should develop an employee advocacy marketing strategy.
Better brand awareness through employee networks
Increased brand awareness is by far the largest benefit of employee advocacy. Through their personal networks, employees promote the brand, share their personal experience and create awareness. Their networks will trust their opinion of the brand as it is organic and not the product of advertisement. Beyond building brand awareness, employee advocacy generates a positive image of the organisation.
Enriched company reputation through employee recommendations
Employee recommendations go beyond increasing awareness, they lift up the brand’s reputation. When an employee recommends a product or a solution, they become ambassadors of the brand. Their opinion will be trusted by their network. This behaviour is likely to bring new customers through the door.
Boosted employee engagement and job satisfaction
Businesses with happy employees are generally more successful, with an impact on employee productivity and overall job satisfaction. As such, giving employees the opportunity to advocate for their company empowers them and gives them a voice. It demonstrates to them that their opinion and contribution are valued. Employee advocacy generates enhanced employee engagement.
Cost-effective marketing
The cost effectiveness of employee advocacy is an important element to mention. Traditional advertisements or promotions can be costly; with employee advocacy, the power of employee networks is leveraged. The business has access to a potential customer base that is targeted and at no or very little cost. This element makes the ROI of this marketing strategy extremely effective.
Access to a large yet customised audience
Employee advocacy gives the organisation access to a somewhat large yet targeted audience. It increases the reach of the organisation and can be more effective than traditional marketing methods. Here, it is not only the access to the audience that has value, but it is also the way that the audience is being addressed. Employees’ networks are likely to be more interested in what their contact has to say rather than a paid advertisement that might come across as less genuine.
Growth of employees’ personal brands that boosts their development
When employees are given a voice and the freedom that they desire, they are more engaged and have the opportunity to build their personal brand. By encouraging employee advocacy, businesses also inspire them to be up to date with market trends. As such, they boost their development and growth.
Enhanced relationships with customers
Employee advocacy has a direct impact on customer trust. If employees believe in the business, they are likely to be aligned with its values and will promote these. It is highly likely that their customers are part of their network and as such they will feel more connected to the business and trust it. In other words, employee advocacy has an impact on customer trust and customer engagement by creating a more personalised customer experience.
Enhanced brand protection
Brand protection is a hot topic in today’s highly connected environment. Employee advocacy can be useful in the event of a crisis. Indeed, employees can rapidly spread the word by utilising their network. Their effort can help mitigate the impact of the crisis. In addition to crisis management, employee advocacy can contribute to proactively protecting the brand by identifying challenges before they arise. Encourage your employees to share any insight that might be harmful to the business.
Improved employee retention rate and easier talent acquisition
Employee advocacy results in more engaged employees who have a voice. It also promotes the brand to their network. These positive effects naturally result in an improved employee retention rate and easier talent acquisition. Human resources teams see their work eased as turnover is reduced and promoting the business to new hires is effortless.
Employee advocacy brings many benefits to organisations. Providing guidance to employees in that matter ensures that the desired brand voice is communicated outside the organisation. This marketing strategy is becoming popular due to its cost effectiveness and the results it brings.
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