How to execute an effective employee advocacy strategy
Your marketing budget can only stretch so far. While paid channels play a role, there’s an untapped resource within your organisation that holds immense potential for organic growth - your staff.
When employees actively promote their workplace, they humanise the brand in ways corporate channels cannot. For employers, leveraging this network isn’t just about boosting social media engagement; it’s a strategic tool for recruitment, reputation building, and business growth.
What is employee advocacy?
Employee advocacy refers to employees promoting their organisation by sharing insights, experiences, or positive sentiments about their workplace.
While this can happen offline, it predominantly takes place on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). It’s more than just resharing company updates; it’s about sharing their own perspectives, celebrating achievements, and showcasing their employee experiences.
Key elements of staff advocacy include:
- Recommending the organisation’s products or services.
- Publicly embodying the company culture.
- Using expertise to build brand authority.
When done effectively, it transforms employees into active brand advocates, amplifying the organisation’s reach and credibility.
The benefits of employee advocacy
A structured approach to advocacy delivers value far beyond marketing metrics. It bridges the gap between corporate communications and authentic, market-level conversations.
Trust and authenticity
People trust individuals more than brands. A message from an employee feels like a recommendation, while the same message from a corporate account can feel impersonal. Employee advocates lend credibility to your organisation’s voice.
Exponential reach
If your company page has 5,000 followers and 50 employees, each has 500 connections, your potential reach grows by 25,000. By encouraging employees to share, you access networks beyond your official channels, boosting brand visibility without additional ad spend.
Stronger employer branding
Job seekers research potential employers extensively. Seeing employees share their experiences and celebrate wins creates a positive impression of your workplace, making it easier to attract top talent.
Employee engagement
Advocacy benefits employees as well as employers by fostering a sense of ownership. When employees feel trusted to represent the brand, they’re more engaged, productive, and loyal. This can also reduce turnover rates.
Cost efficiency
Because it relies on genuine sharing rather than paid placements, advocacy offers strong results with minimal spend. Any platform costs are small compared to the organic exposure gained.
How to implement an employee advocacy strategy
Advocacy must be voluntary to remain authentic. However, you can create a framework that makes participation easy and rewarding.
1. Define goals and metrics
Clarify what you aim to achieve, whether it’s increased brand awareness, improved recruitment, or higher sales. This will help you measure employee advocacy success effectively.
2. Establish clear guidelines
Employees may hesitate to share due to fear of saying the wrong thing. Provide clear employee advocacy guidelines to empower them. These should:
- Encourage authenticity while maintaining professionalism.
- Outline confidentiality rules to protect sensitive information.
- Promote the use of approved hashtags and brand assets.
3. Provide the right tools
Simplify the process by investing in employee advocacy tools or platforms. These centralise content, making it easy for employees to share updates with minimal effort.
4. Curate diverse content
Offer a mix of company content to keep employees engaged, such as:
- Industry insights and thought leadership.
- Cultural updates like team events or charity initiatives.
- Company news and achievements.
5. Highlight personal branding
Position advocacy as a career benefit. Teach employees how building their personal brand can enhance their professional reputation. When advocacy benefits both the company and the individual, participation increases.
6. Launch and motivate
Start with a pilot group of socially active employees acting as brand ambassadors. Once ready, roll it out more broadly. Motivate employees by rewarding employee advocacy efforts through recognition or small incentives.
Examples of employee advocacy programs in action
Successful employee advocacy initiatives produce diverse and authentic content.
- Day in the life posts: Employees share snapshots of their workday on personal social media accounts, offering an authentic glimpse into their workplace.
- Subject matter expertise: Team members share insights on industry trends, linking to company reports or blogs.
- Event amplification: Employees post live updates from conferences or events, using branded hashtags to boost visibility.
- Celebrating achievements: Sharing promotions, awards, or team successes reinforces a positive company culture.
Measuring employee advocacy success
Tracking key metrics is essential for refining your strategy and executing a successful employee advocacy program.
- Social media engagement: Monitor likes, shares, and comments on employee posts to gauge resonance.
- Brand reach: Use analytics tools to measure impressions and views of shared content.
- Sentiment analysis: Leverage AI tools to assess the tone of employee posts and overall brand perception.
- Employee feedback: Regular surveys can identify gaps and areas for improvement.
- Recruitment metrics: Track how many candidates are influenced by employee-shared content.
Building your employee advocacy plan
Whether you use advanced employee advocacy software or a simple content-sharing system, the goal remains the same: empowering employees to amplify your brand.
By implementing these strategies, you create a powerful, authentic marketing engine driven by your people. Whether you’re looking to enhance your brand’s reach or attract top talent, Hays is here to support your journey.