The Role of Social Media and Employee Advocacy

Social mediahas really advanced from where it all started. We are moving into the artificial intelligence era for social media as well.

Before we begin the blog, let us go through this short story to prepare the ground.

Consider This:

Mid-level manager Varsha of asoftware companyposts on LinkedIn regarding the most recent project on her staff.

She discusses their difficulties, creative ideas they applied, and effects it had on their clients. In a few hours, her post goes viral. Her content is interacted with by colleagues, industry peers, even possible customers. The profile of her organization sees swings and questions about their offerings flood in. Varsha became a brand advocate using her social media profile to increase the credibility and reach of her business, not only sharing a post.

This is the power of employee advocacy and social media. Its about enabling employees to be storytellers,influencers, and credible voices for their companies, not only about brands sharing content.

Industry Statistics Emphasizing the Value

Do not believe us! Believe the stats!

Here are some striking numbers highlighting the importance of social media and employee advocacy before reading further:

1. Content created by employees gets eight times higher interaction than that of brand-owned materials.(Source)

2. According to 74% of consumers, social media guides their buying choices.(Source)

3. Businesses employing employee advocacy initiatives find a 28% lower employee turnover rate.(Source)

4. 79% of companies say employee advocacy improves digital visibility.(Source)

These numbers clearly show that social media and employee advocacy are not only fads, they are rather crucial tactics for contemporary companies.

Social Medias Role in Employee Advocacy

Social media has changed the companys marketing, communication, and connection building. Companies cannot, however, rely just on their formal channels anymore, that would be just insufficient.

The new influencers are your employees, and their voices have great weight in the digital space. Heres how employee advocacy and social media interact to propel success:

1. Establishing Authenticity and Trust

People are growing dubious of conventional advertising. They yearn for authenticity, and the individuals that work for the business are the best ones to offer it.

Employees giving their knowledge, experiences, and stories humanizes the brand and encourges trust and credibility for the company.

2. Extensive Engagement and Reach

Companies implementing employee advocacy initiatives report 25% more leads and a five-fold increase in online traffic.(Source)

Sharing information by employees connects them to their personal networks, typically far more varied and expansive than the follower count of a business.

This generates more interaction and greatly expands the availability of the material.

3. Raising Retention and Employee Morale

86% of participants in advocacy initiatives say they are more hopeful about the direction their firm is headed.(Source)

Employee advocacy benefits employees as much as it does the brand. Employees who feel free to present their efforts and successes will feel more appreciated and engaged to their firm.

4. Prominent Thought Leadership

What is thought leadership?

Those that actively provide industry knowledge and ideas present themselves and their business as thought leaders.

This improves the brands standing and draws elite talent and possible customers as well.

Developing an Effective Employee Advocacy Program

How to create an effective employee advocacy program?

We got you!

Having now discussed the value of social media and employee advocacy, lets understand how companies may develop and carry out successful initiatives:

1. Teach and Coach Employees

In this modern world everyone is onsocial media. Everyone! Everyone? Are you sure?

Well, not everyone!

Here:

Not every employee naturally uses social media.

Moreover, train your employees on content standards, best practices, and the value of advocacy.

Give them the skills and knowledge they will need to thrive.

2. Offer Shareable Content

Establish a library of pre-approved posts, stories, and images to let staff members easily distribute that content on their profiles. Make sure the content fits the brands messaging, is engaging like a real human and not some robotic content and must be relevant.

3. Acknowledge and Value Involvement

Hey Rishabh! Saw your reel on Instagram you made in the office event. It was fun, good work.

Yes, it is that easy!

Acknowledge employees who take part actively in advocacy campaigns. Recognition might be as official as a rewards program or as straightforward as a shout-out in a workplace meeting.

4. Technology Must Use

Your employees are being your companys advocate in their digital space, but are you able to keep track of the reaction and brand image in that space?

Track engagement, assess ROI, and simplify content distribution using employee advocacy tools including LinkedIn Elevate, Hootsuite Amplify, or Everyone Social.

Click hereto learn more.