Six Mistakes to Avoid When Launching an Employee Advocacy Program
•
0 likes•90 views
Employee Advocacy is a highly effective marketing strategy that is quickly gaining popularity as the leader in brand marketing. With the concept still in its nascent stage, many companies end up at roadblocks that can be easily avoided with the right insights.
More Related Content
Similar to Six Mistakes to Avoid When Launching an Employee Advocacy Program
Similar to Six Mistakes to Avoid When Launching an Employee Advocacy Program (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Six Mistakes to Avoid When Launching an Employee Advocacy Program
- 2. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram Page1 Executivesummary ........................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 WhatisEmployeeAdvocacy? ..................................................................................................... 4 HowdoesEmployeeAdvocacyhelp companiesincreasesocialreach? ............................................................................................ 5 HowinvestinginEmployeeAdvocacyincreasesloyalty, trust,leads&talent? .................................................................................................................... 5trust,leads&talent? .................................................................................................................... 5 Topmistakestoavoidwhenlaunching yourEmployeeAdvocacyprogram ........................................................................................... 7 Tableofcontents
- 3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page2 Today'sdigital&socialgenerationdoesnot relyasmuchonadvertisingascomparedto thewordofmouthrecommendationsfrom theirfriends,influencers,orevenonline reviews.Inordertomovewiththistrend, brandsneedtoestablishthattrust.Theyneed happypartnersandmoresoemployeesto advocatetheirbrandtoensurepositive associationandconnectionswithtoday’s customers. Inthiswhitepaperwetalkaboutthecore conceptsofEmployeeAdvocacy,discuss somesuccessstoriesandalsosharethe DO’sandDON’TSofagoodEmployee AdvocacyProgram. DO’sandDON’TSofagoodEmployee AdvocacyProgram. Employee Advocacyisevidentlygaining groundinitbeinganauthenticconcept strategicallyutilizing the company'sown employeestoreachouttotheirpotential customers.Butbeinganascentconcept,it bringsupnumerousquestionsrelatedto theexecutioninthemosteffectiveway. Whatarethecommonpitfalls?Whatcana companyrealisticallyexpectfromit? ItisimperativetodwellontheWhy’sand How’sofitbeforeyoudecidetointroduce thisconqueringconcepttoyouremployees. Ifyou’vealreadyimplementedaprogram, don’tfret,youcanstillFIXit! Atitscore,EmployeeAdvocacyisabout workingwithyourbiggestassetstocreate Atitscore,EmployeeAdvocacyisabout workingwithyourbiggestassetstocreate anarmyofbrandambassadorsonDigital. Yes,theseassetsareyouremployees,and bytalkingaboutthecompanyontheirown personalsocialnetworks,theycan take yourbrandtonewhighs. ExecutiveSummary Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page3 Iamsureeverycompanywhohasplannedand launched an Employee Advocacy program would have seen greatresultsin termsof increasedreach,engagementandmore,but only a smallpercentage continue to see successfewmonthsdowntheroad.Itallboils down to starting right and sustaining it strategically.Ifyoubelieveyouhaven’thadthe rightstart,thegoodnewsisthatitisnevertoo latetotakeastepback,planagainanddoit differently. Employee Advocacyisan ongoing process whichtakestimeandeffort.Moreimportantly, Employee Advocacyisan ongoing process whichtakestimeandeffort.Moreimportantly, theefforthastobestreamlinedonthecontent thattheemployeeisessentiallypromoting.The contentisthekingandthefaceoftheprogram! There'snothinglikehavingyourbrand promotedbyyouremployees-thosewho notonlyknowthecompanyandproducts inside out,butare amongstthe most passionatepeopleaboutit. Onethingisforsure,brandadvocacyisOnethingisforsure,brandadvocacyis here to stayand with the cumulative brandaffinityandsocialpresencethat youremployees have,itwould be a shameifyoumissedoutontappinginto theirpotential.Inthiswhitepaperwewill giveyouadetailedlistofthingstoDOand the mistakesto avoid whenlaunching youremployeeadvocacyprogram. Rememberthe dayswhen FacebookBrand pageswerebecomingpopular?Yes,Iamtaking youbackto2010/11.Thosewerethetimeswhen ambitious companies jumped on social networkstobuildcommunitiesandmarkettheir brands.We callthem the early adopters. Howevertoday a Facebook presence isa “checkinthebox”foreverycompany. With Employee Advocacy,2015/16 waslikeWith Employee Advocacy,2015/16 waslike 2010/11forFacebookPages.SeveralFortune 500 companies adopted it,created pilot programsandmosthavescaleditquiteabit.My predictionisthatby2019,havinganEmployee Advocacyprogram&toolwillbecomea“check inthebox”foreverycompany,BIGorSmall. Introduction YourSocialMediaChecklist FacebookPage TwitterAccount LinkedInPage Instagram Snapchat Employeeadvocacy program ? ? Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page4 AsexplainedonWikipedia,EmployeeAdvocacyisatermusedtodescribetheexposurethat employeesgenerateforbrandsusingtheirownonlineassets.Essentially,withEmployee Advocacy,youremployeesareinvitedtoparticipateinyourorganization’scommunication efforts. Whetheryou’relookingto:1)gethelpfrom youremployeestoincreaseproductawarenessWhetheryou’relookingto:1)gethelpfrom youremployeestoincreaseproductawareness through theirown personalnetworks,2)engage youremployeeswith corporate social responsibilityinitiatives,3)getmorecustomersthroughwordofmouth,or4)increasethe numberofrecruitsthroughreferrals,employeeadvocacyprogramshaveabetterchanceof amplifyingyoursocialreachandboostingemployeeengagement. WhatisEmployeeAdvocacy? ThebasiclogicthatsupportsEmployeeAdvocacy EmployeesNetwork(s)onsocialmedia canbepotentialcustomers,potential employeesorevenbrandadvocates! Employeesareclosesttothecompany brand(s).Theyhavelotofbrandaffinity andareactiveonsocialmedia. Employeeswanttosharequality contentfromtheirorganizationasit makesthemlookgood. 1 3 2 Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 6. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page5 Inthisresource,you’lldiscoverwhatmistakes to avoid when launching an Employee AdvocacyProgram. ArecentstudybySocial@Ogilvyfoundthata FacebookPage withmore than500,000 likes,doesn’treceivemorethan2%organic reach(analltimelow)!50% ofemployees postmessages,picturesorvideosonsocial mediaabouttheirwork,and1/3ofthem do sowithoutanyencouragementfrom their employer.Youshouldinvestinemployee advocacybecauseitincreasesyourreach. Together,employeeshaveagreaterreach andinfluencethanthebrandstheyworkfor. Enablingtherightpeopletoadvocatewill increaseawarenessandengagement. Thesharerateofcontentincreasesby8X whensharedbyemployees,comparedto contentsharedoncompanychannels.Some organizationssaythattheydon’thavetime to run an employee advocacy program. However,inmostcasesemployeeadvocacy isalreadytakingplace.Studiesshow that employeesnotonlywanttoadvocatefor theircompanyonline–mostofthem are alreadydoingit. AccordingtoastudybyPostBeyond:Where trustbuilds the bottom line,there’s an alarminglackoftrustinorganizationsand employees are key for building brand credibilityaswellastrust.Turnyourworkforce intoamarketingforce!Employeesaretrusted morethanacademics,consumeradvocates, mediaspokespeople,andevenyourCEO. Allowing employeesto engageconsumers canprovidebrandsthebestwaytocreate human-to-human interaction about a product/service and unify theirenterprise voice. According to a recentstudy by LinkedinandtheAltmeterGroupofmorethan 1,000 employees, they came to the conclusionthatemployeeengagementdoesconclusionthatemployeeengagementdoes indeeddrivebusiness. HowdoesEmployeeadvocacyhelp companiesincreasesocialreach? HowinvestinginEmployee advocacyincreasesloyalty, trust,leads&talent? Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 9. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page8 AwarenessofSocialNetworkingplatformsisthebackboneofthisconcept.Tellingemployeesto shareisn’tgoingtocutit.Makesureeveryoneisonthesamepage. Oneofthebestwaystoencourageparticipationinadvocacyinitiativesisbyeducatingeveryone onthebestpracticesofsocialmediaacrossalldepartments. Train the emloyees about the objectiveoftheprogram andthe endresultexpectedoutofit. Showtheadvocateshowtheycanhelp improvethecompanyoverallbrandand supportyourmarketingeffortswhich theycantakepridein. Differentiatebetweentheexpectationsof thisprogramandtheirmonthlyroutine tasks/targetsandapproachitaccordingly. Makesocialmediatrainingapartofyour onboardingprocessasithappenstobethe launchingpadoftheprogram. 1 2 3 4 Asemphasizedabove,educatingtheemployeesabouttherippleeffectoftheprogramcanhelp getthemexcitedanddrivesignificantresults. 2)Onboardingemployeeswithoutaproperorientation Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 10. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page9 Itisimportanttodifferentiatetherealbrand advocates from the ones thatpostjust becausethey’reaskedtodoso.Employees who genuinely are passionate aboutyour brand’sproductwillportraythatlanguage. SelectrealbrandadvocateswhoyouknowwillSelectrealbrandadvocateswhoyouknowwill showgenuinepassionforthebrandandhave no problem sharing contentthrough their personalhandles. TheobjectiveisnottoneglectthosewhoareTheobjectiveisnottoneglectthosewhoare notendorsingthebrandwithasmuchvigor. Onthecontrary,itistobringeveryoneonthe samepagethroughproperguidance. Theword“trial”isoff-putting.Asmentioned above,anemployeeadvocacyprogramisan ongoingprocess.Itshouldn’tbetreatedas shortterm. Someemployeesmightgetit rightandbeactivelyinvolvedatonce,while othersitmighttakesometime.Employee advocacyisaworkinprogress,thereforeif youexpecttoseeresults,itshouldn’tbe measuredbyashort-term trialperiod.It’sa long-term processthatinvolvescuratingthe right content which should be easily discoverableviadesktopormobile.Itshould includecustomizationcapabilities,browser extensions,SlackandFacebookmessenger integrations.Theconnectionofanemployee andaprospectneedstodeepenoncea relationshipisestablished&thattakestime. Donotcreatepuppetmarketersastheymight betoopushyonsocialmediawithposts.This mightturnoffprospects.Thereareindividuals whoneedtobetaughthow tobuildtheir personalbrand online by sharing content THEYarepassionateaboutandevencreating their own form of content.Build social competencywithinyourstaffandnotmere roboticamplifiersformarketing. 3)Creatingpuppetmarketersrather thanadvocates 4)Tryingitasa60-daytrial Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram
- 11. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page10 Someorganizationsrelytoomuchonincentivizingtoincreaseemployeeparticipation.You shoulddebunkthewholeincentivizeoptionasputtingitatthestartofyoureffortsisnot recommended.This way youremployees always willexpectsome sortofincentive. Over-gamificationislikeplacingallyourcardsonthetable.Canyoureallysustainrewarding employeesforeveryactiontheytakeonsocialmedia? Employeeadvocacyprogramsarestillverynewanduniqueforbrands.Youwillneedtocontinue totweakandrefineyourprograminordertoseeitsbeneficialresults.Yourplatformshouldbe flexibleenoughtointegratemultiplenetworksontoit.Employeesshouldfeelit’stheholy grailofthecompany.Contentshouldbeeasilydiscoverable,andshouldhaverobust analyticsbothforemployeesaswellasforthecompany.Constantdevelopmentoftheplatform isimportantastechnologychangeseverysingleday.Aboveall,theplatform shouldbe customizedtoacompany’sbrandandlook.Thisgivesemployeesafeelingofcertaintythatthey areusingacompanyendorsedplatformratherthananuntrustedthirdpartyplatform. Youmightnothaveasolutiontoeverychallenge,butit’simportanttoseektheinputofyour employeesandseniorsinordertoimprove.Constantcommunicationalsoensuresthatyour employeesareuptodatewiththedirectionthatyourbrandisheaded. Youshouldmotivateyouremployeesinamore sustainable way and provide easy to digest, targeted contentso thatthe team feelsitis important. Graduallyintroducingincentives2-3monthslater istheanswer,onceyoustartseeingresults. Incentivesshouldnotbethefocusatthe start.Intheinitialphaseoftheprogram,the employees are already self-motivated tryingthisnewfeaturethatallowsthem to officiallysharetheirworkupdatesontheir personalsocialnetwork. 5)Incentivizingtoomuch 6)Usingitasasubstandardplatform Top6MistakestoAvoidwhenlaunchingyourEmployeeAdvocacyProgram