Unleash the Power of Your People: A 101 Guide to Employee Advocacy for Your Business

In today’s dynamic business landscape, differentiation is the key to success. While your products or services might be top-notch, a secret weapon separates thriving brands from the rest: their most valuable asset, their employees.

Employee advocacy emerges as a powerful marketing strategy, empowering your passionate employees to become brand ambassadors. These enthusiastic individuals create and share compelling content about your company on their social media platforms, transcending traditional marketing to spark genuine conversations that build trust and credibility.

Whether you’re a burgeoning startup or a seasoned enterprise, unlocking the potential of employee advocacy can be a game-changer for your business. Here’s how:

What Is Employee Advocacy?

Employee advocacy is the act of your employees promoting your company and its brand through their own personal and professional networks. This can take many forms,  from sharing positive experiences about your company culture on social media to recommending your products or services to friends and family.  Employee advocacy goes beyond simply liking and sharing company posts.  It’s about empowering your employees to become authentic brand representatives, leveraging their unique voices and firsthand experiences to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

The impact & influence of advocacy

Brand advocacy has a significant ripple effect on your business success, influencing everything from brand awareness to customer loyalty:

• Building a Strong Community: When your employees advocate for your brand, they’re creating a network of support and loyalty. They humanize your brand, making it more relatable and engaging for potential customers. This fosters a sense of community, where people feel connected to your company and its mission.
• Increased Customer Loyalty: People trust other people, especially those they know and respect. When your employees share positive experiences about your company culture, products, or services, it builds trust and loyalty among their networks. This can lead to increased customer retention and a more positive brand image.
• Enhanced Brand Reputation: Employee advocacy allows you to control the narrative around your brand. Positive word-of-mouth from your employees combats negativity and helps you establish a strong reputation for authenticity and excellence.
• Accelerated Organic Growth: Employee advocacy allows you to reach a wider audience through your employees’ established social networks. This organic reach can significantly boost brand awareness and drive growth without relying solely on paid advertising. Imagine the exponential increase in reach when each of your employees shares your content with their own network.

Identifying the need for an advocacy program: Is it right for your business?

Employee advocacy programs can benefit businesses of all sizes and across various industries. Here are some signs that your business may benefit from implementing a formal employee advocacy program:

• You have a growing customer base and are looking for organic ways to scale your reach. Employee advocacy is a cost-effective way to expand your brand awareness and reach new audiences.
• You see the value of building genuine connections with your audience. Employee advocacy allows you to connect with potential customers on a more personal level, fostering trust and long-term relationships.
• You have an active online presence and want to leverage it for further growth. An employee advocacy program can help you amplify your existing social media efforts and extend your online reach.
• You’re in a competitive industry. Employee advocacy can help you differentiate your brand from the competition by showcasing the unique value proposition you offer employees. Happy and engaged employees are more likely to become vocal advocates for your brand.
• You’re looking to improve employer branding and attract top talent. A strong employee advocacy program can showcase your company culture and values to potential recruits, making you a more attractive employer.

How to build trust through authentic employee advocacy

In a world fueled by trust, your employees, through their authentic voices and firsthand experiences, play a crucial role in building and maintaining it.  A well-managed employee advocacy program goes beyond simply encouraging employees to share company content.  It fosters an environment of trust and transparency, ensuring your advocates feel confident and empowered to represent your brand effectively.

• Consistent Communication: Advocates are kept informed about key company updates, product launches, and marketing initiatives. This allows them to share information accurately and confidently, avoiding any miscommunication or misinformation.
• Transparency: Building trust requires transparency. By fostering open communication and encouraging questions, you empower your advocates to be genuine and reliable representatives of your brand.
• Reliability: Consistent messaging and actions across all platforms, including those of your employees, build trust and reliability. When your brand voice remains consistent, it strengthens the bond between your brand and your advocates.

4 Key elements of a successful advocacy program: 

1. Identify and Nurture Organic Advocates: Look for employees who are passionate about your brand and are already actively engaging on social media. 
2. Equip Advocates with the Right Tools and Resources: Provide social media training, pre-approved content and access to relevant brand assets to ensure they feel confident and empowered to share their stories. 
3. Recognize and Reward Advocacy Efforts: Publicly acknowledge and appreciate your advocates’ contributions through shoutouts, rewards and gamification programs. 
4. Foster a Sense of Community and Engagement: Create a platform where advocates can connect, collaborate and share their experiences. This fosters a sense of belonging and encourages them to stay actively engaged in the program. 

Building a vocal champion team & how to identify the right people

Not every employee is cut out to be a brand ambassador. To ensure the success of your program, it’s crucial to identify individuals who possess the right qualities and characteristics. Here are some key factors to consider when recruiting advocates for your program:

• Passion and Brand Affinity: Look for employees who are genuinely enthusiastic about your company, its mission, and its values. These individuals are more likely to be vocal proponents of your brand and share their positive experiences authentically.
• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential for effective advocacy. Your advocates should be able to articulate the benefits of your company and its offerings in a clear, concise, and engaging manner.
• Social Media Savvy: Identify employees who are active on social media platforms relevant to your target audience. These individuals understand the social media landscape and can tailor their advocacy efforts to resonate with your ideal customers.
• Influencer Potential: While not every advocate needs to be a social media celebrity, consider the potential reach and influence each employee holds within their networks. Look for individuals who have a strong network of connections and are well-respected within their communities.
• Enthusiasm and Commitment: A successful advocacy program requires active participation from its members. Look for employees who demonstrate enthusiasm for the program and are committed to contributing their time and effort.

Strategies for Identifying Ideal Advocates:

Here are some strategies you can use to identify potential advocates within your organization:

• Employee Self-Nomination: Launch an internal campaign inviting employees to express their interest in participating in the advocacy program. This allows passionate individuals to self-select and provides valuable insight into employee sentiment.
• Manager Recommendations: Encourage managers to identify employees who embody the characteristics of a strong advocate. Managers have a unique perspective on employee strengths and communication styles, making them valuable resources in the recruitment process.
• Social Listening & Engagement: Monitor employee activity on social media to identify individuals who are already organically promoting your brand or industry trends. These engaged employees may be prime candidates for your advocacy program.

Building a diverse advocacy team:

It’s important to build a diverse advocacy team that reflects the demographics of your customer base and your company culture.  A diverse team brings a wider range of perspectives to the table and allows you to connect with a broader audience.

By following these tips, you can identify the right people to build a strong and vocal advocacy team that fuels the success of your employee advocacy program.

Tracking your advocacy program’s success

Just like any strategic marketing initiative, measuring the success of your employee advocacy program is crucial.  A data-driven approach allows you to gauge the program’s effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) to stakeholders.

Here are some key metrics to consider when evaluating your employee advocacy program:

• Employee Engagement: A healthy program thrives on active participation from your employees. Track metrics such as the number of employees who have enrolled in the program, the frequency of content sharing, and the types of content being shared. This data provides valuable insights into employee sentiment and helps you identify areas for improvement, such as content variety or training needs.
• Social Media Engagement: Monitor key social media metrics like reach, impressions, clicks, shares, and comments generated by employee advocacy efforts. This data helps you understand how effectively your advocates are amplifying your brand message and the level of engagement they are generating with your target audience.
• Brand Awareness and Visibility: Track metrics such as website traffic, brand mentions, and follower growth on social media channels. A successful advocacy program can lead to increased brand awareness and a wider online reach for your company.
• Customer Acquisition and Retention: While directly attributing sales figures to employee advocacy can be challenging, consider tracking website traffic sources and referral codes shared by employees. Social media listening tools can also help you identify instances where employee advocacy has influenced customer purchasing decisions. Employee advocacy can contribute to customer acquisition and retention by building trust and credibility with potential and existing customers.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): This metric measures customer loyalty and satisfaction. By tracking NPS over time, you can assess how employee advocacy efforts are impacting customer perception of your brand.

The value of qualitative data

While quantitative metrics provide valuable insights, don’t neglect the importance of qualitative data.  Here are some additional ways to gauge the success of your program:

• Customer Feedback: Actively seek and analyze customer feedback to understand how they perceive your brand and how employee advocacy efforts may be influencing their perception. Positive customer testimonials about employee interactions can be powerful indicators of the program’s impact.
• Employee Testimonials: Gather feedback from your employee advocates to understand their experience with the program. What are they finding valuable? What challenges are they facing? Employee feedback helps you refine the program and ensure a positive experience for your advocates.

By combining a data-driven approach with qualitative feedback mechanisms, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your employee advocacy program’s effectiveness.   Remember, a successful program is not just about numbers; it’s about fostering a culture of brand advocacy within your organization and empowering your employees to be your most valuable brand ambassadors.

Did you know?

Companies with strong employee advocacy programs experience a 2x higher customer retention rate¹

Additionally, 74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth (including online advocacy) as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions²

By investing in a well-structured employee advocacy program, you can transform satisfied customers into passionate brand advocates. This creates a powerful ripple effect, positively impacting your reputation, customer base and bottom line. 

Ready to unlock the power of your people and unleash the full potential of your brand? Book a free demo and consider implementing an employee advocacy program and watch your business thrive.

1. G2 | Employee Advocacy Software ↩︎
2. Invesp | Word of Mouth Marketing ↩︎