Several factors are leading to the rise of employees as brand advocates. One of the main reasons is the increasing use of social media, which allows employees to share their thoughts and experiences with a wide audience easily.
Companies recognise the value of having their employees act as ambassadors for the brand, as they can provide a more authentic and credible voice than traditional advertising.
Many organisations are encouraging teams to create content, and some companies even hire full-time social media content creators as employees.
Additionally, with the rise of employee engagement and empowerment, companies understand the value of empowering employees to speak on their behalf in general and on social media. And even the rise of employee advocacy programs and internal social networks are also contributing to the trend.
All-in-all, turning employees into brand advocates can be beneficial for a company because it can lead to increased brand awareness and credibility.
Let us get to the basics of it and understand how you can transform your employee into a brand ambassador.
What is employee advocacy?
Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organisation by its own employees. This can include sharing company news, products, or services on social media, speaking positively about the company to friends and family, and participating in company-wide initiatives to improve the company’s reputation.
The goal of employee advocacy is to build trust and credibility with existing customers, potential customers, and the community.
Employee advocacy can play a key role in encouraging employee retention by fostering a sense of pride and ownership among employees.
When employees feel like they are part of something bigger and are actively promoting the company, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to the organisation.
More so, employee advocacy can also help to attract new talent to the company, which can further improve retention by keeping the workforce fresh and dynamic.
Ideas to transform your employees into brand ambassadors
When employees are passionate about the company and its products or services, they are more likely to share positive information about the company with their personal networks, which can help to attract new customers and build trust in the brand.
Additionally, employee advocacy can improve employee engagement and satisfaction, which can lead to improved performance and retention.
Here are a few amazing ideas to transform your employees into brand ambassadors
Nurture your customer relationships
Your customer relationships are the most important part of brand building. Having a strong relation with your customers is the key to any business’ long-term success.
Maintaining customer relationships is important for several reasons. It helps to build trust and loyalty with customers, which can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth(No-follow) recommendations. It also allows for the collection of valuable feedback, which can be used to improve products and services.
Maintaining customer relationships can also help to identify and address any issues that customers may have, which can help to prevent customer churn.
Overall, maintaining customer relationships is essential for the long-term growth and success of a business.
Ask for feedback, and take it seriously
Your employees are people who know about your brand and its principles in the most depth. A major part of turning your employees into brand ambassadors is asking your employees their genuine feedback and also taking it into consideration by making changes and amendments according to their feedback.
Employee feedback matters because it provides unbiased opinions about your brand – as users and as employees. This information can be used to improve employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
With the help of employee feedback, you can identify and address any issues or problems and improve your brand exponentially.
Have a referral program in place
Referral programs can be a powerful tool for employee advocacy because they motivate current employees to actively promote the company to their networks.
Having a referral program at your workplace can result in the acquisition of high-quality candidates who are likely to be a good fit for the organisation.
Referral programs can help to foster a sense of community and engagement among employees by giving them a tangible way and reason to contribute to the success of the company.
Furthermore, it can also help to reduce the cost and time of recruitment process. Because as we know, employees retention is a major result of making employees brand advocates.
Display a live social wall
A social wall is a digital display that aggregates content from various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
By displaying a social wall on your office screen, you can keep your team informed about what’s happening in the world, what your customers are saying, and what your competitors are doing. Additionally, you can use the social wall to promote your own content, such as upcoming events or new products.
To set up a social wall, you will need to choose a social media aggregator tool and connect it to your office screen. Once you have the social wall set up, you can customise the layout and content to suit your needs.
Assign the right employees to write informative content
Assigning the right employees to write informative content for employee advocacy can result in better results for several reasons.
First, employees who are passionate about their work and knowledgeable about their field are more likely to produce high-quality content that is engaging and informative.
Second, employees who are well-respected within the organisation and have a strong personal brand can be effective ambassadors for the company, helping to build trust and credibility with their audience.
By giving employees the opportunity to contribute to the company’s content marketing efforts, organisations can foster a sense of ownership and engagement among employees, which can lead to better employee retention and increased productivity.
Give incentives
Giving incentives to employees to encourage employee advocacy can have a positive impact on a company’s overall performance and reputation.
Employee advocacy refers to when employees promote and represent the company and its products or services to their personal networks, which can help to increase brand awareness and trust.
By providing incentives, such as bonuses or recognition, companies can motivate employees to participate in employee advocacy efforts and make it more likely that they will actively promote the company to their networks.
Incentives can also help to boost employee morale and engagement, which can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction. Overall, providing incentives for employee advocacy can be a valuable investment for companies looking to increase their visibility and reputation in the marketplace.
Benefits of having employees as brand advocates
Having employees as brand advocates can bring a number of benefits to a company, including:
- Increased Credibility: Employees are often seen as more trustworthy and credible sources of information about a company than external marketers or advertising.
- Greater Reach: Employees have their own networks of friends, family, and colleagues, which can help to extend a company’s reach beyond its existing customer base.
- Improved Employee Engagement: When employees feel invested in the success of a company and are given the opportunity to share their enthusiasm, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work.
- Cost-effective Marketing: Employee advocacy can be a cost-effective marketing strategy, as it leverages the existing resources of the company to promote the brand.
- Increased Customer Loyalty: When customers see that a company’s employees are passionate and knowledgeable about the brand, they are more likely to develop a deeper level of trust and loyalty towards the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can an employee become a brand advocate?
Employees can be brand advocates by actively promoting the company and its products or services through their personal social media accounts, speaking positively about the company to friends and family, and consistently providing excellent customer service.
They can also participate in company events and meetings, wear company-branded clothing, and share company-related content on their personal social media accounts.
Additionally, providing employees with the proper training, resources and support to do their job well, can enhance their engagement and motivation to be brand advocates.
How do you turn your employees into brand ambassadors?
Your employees can actually represent your brand most powerfully. Especially employees who have been a part of your organisation for a long time. There are several ways to turn your employees into brand ambassadors.
- Communicate your brand’s mission and values clearly to employees.
- Provide opportunities for employees to get involved in and contribute to the company culture.
- Encourage employees to share their experiences and thoughts about the company with others.
- Provide ongoing training and resources to help employees understand and communicate the brand effectively.
- Give your employee the opportunity to speak to the media or to give speeches on behalf of the company.
- Provide your employee with incentives to share their positive experiences with the company.
How do you develop brand advocates?
Brand advocates are customers or individuals who actively promote a brand to others. To develop brand advocates, companies can take several steps such as offering incentives, asking for feedback from the customers and acknowledging their contribution to the brand by giving them something in return for the same.
You can also give your customers an exclusive access to products or events, to encourage customers to promote their brand.
What is one way to turn a client into a brand advocate?
One way to turn a client into a brand advocate is by consistently providing excellent customer service and exceeding their expectations.
This can be done by actively listening to their needs and concerns, addressing any issues promptly and effectively, and going above and beyond to provide them with a positive experience.
Adding to that, building a strong relationship with the client and keeping open lines of communication can help ensure their satisfaction with your brand.
In Summary
In summary, turning employees into brand advocates can have a significant impact on a company’s overall success.
By fostering a positive work environment and creating opportunities for employee engagement and empowerment, companies can inspire their employees to become passionate about the company and its mission.
Additionally, providing employees with the necessary tools and training to effectively communicate the company’s message can help them become more effective brand ambassadors.
Ultimately, a company’s greatest asset is its people, and by tapping into their potential as brand advocates, companies can achieve significant growth and success.
About the Author
Prakash Rawat is a digital marketing specialist at Taggbox. For the past two years, he has been specialising in SEO, PPC & Marketing Strategy. He has a super sharp analytical mind and a finely tuned creative eye for marketing initiatives that optimise brands.
