When it comes to finding people to promote or champion a brand, companies typically look outwards in search of happy customers.
However, this means many could be overlooking a far more valuable internal asset – their own employees.
Employee advocates are those that actively promote the company they work for. This can be through posts on social media, word of mouth referrals, or by becoming an expert or spokesperson for their organisation.
So, how can employee advocates enhance brand marketing – even more so than other customers? Here are just five benefits, along with examples of brands that have successfully used the strategy.
Greater reach
According to research from LinkedIn, employees collectively have social networks an average of ten times larger than a single corporate brand.
So, by utilising these networks, brands can automatically extend their reach, ensuring that more people become aware of their company (and something positive relating to it).
Interestingly, LinkedIn also suggests that, when employees share content, they typically see a click-through rate double that of their company. This is all to do with authenticity, as the majority of people are said to be more likely to trust recommendations from people they know above all other forms of advertising.
Fujitsu is one brand that has capitalised on this notion, using its own employee advocacy program to hugely extend reach. Upon discovering that a large percentage of employees were already posting positively about the brand on their personal social accounts, Fujitsu created a platform to make finding and sharing this kind of content easier (and less time consuming). With 700 employees from eight countries getting it board, it went on to increase reach by 70%. – Read more
