Employee Advocacy: How To Approach It Without Invading Personal Networks

We currently live in an era in which online human attention has turned into one of the most sought after commodities in the world. On their quest for page views, likes and clicks, companies have turned to extreme strategies. Trying their best to create viral video’s and clickbait to generate views. Even though these might lead to millions of views and clicks, the actual company message often takes a backseat.

The problem is that to the average social media user, the total overload of available content has led to a sense of numbness and passiveness. Back when the internet was still an uncolonized world of endless opportunity, a lot of people used it to actively search for information. In the current age of online exuberance, most social media users just ‘follow’ or ‘like’ the things that interest them, after which they can sit back and be fed a continuous stream of content.

Even though it is true that the possibilities for social media marketing are huge and the market share of social-media marketing is growing, the sad truth is that no matter how great your company Facebook page looks, only very few people will actively look it up.

What’s more; Facebook itself also noticed the growing amount of branded content on their network, and found out this was often blocking out the content their users actually want to see, their friends and family’s Facebook posts . To counter this process, and at the same time lure companies into paid Facebook advertising, Facebook continually changes its algorithm to show more personal content, and less company content. They want to present Facebook as a social network, not an advertisement channel.

It seems logical and, in a way, unavoidable: social media is not some abstract place which is totally disconnected from the ‘real world’, it’s actually just an innovative way in which people communicate about the same old things. In this sense, Twitter is nothing more than the online version of watercooler talk. Just imagine how awkward and inappropriate it would be if some total stranger jumped in and joined the conversation. Not only interrupting, he starts shouting with flashy lights around him that you really should check out these shoes, or this restaurant or this new car…

To really reach people in social media you shouldn’t interrupt their conversation, but try to become part of it: There’s no better and more proven method of advertising than word-of-mouth.

Employee Advocacy; the alternative approach

By viewing your employees as not simply just a workforce, but also as human beings with huge online networks, you can actually bring word-of-mouth advertising into the digital world. To most people, their job is an important part of their lives, and something they talk about with their friends and family. By helping them find the right tone of voice to do this online, your company can greatly benefit. Using employee advocacy opens up the possibility to communicate with a huge pool of potential customers in a way that isn’t intrusive.

However, it may feel intrusive in a different way. The main reason companies are doubting whether or not to ask their employees to promote their company within their online social network is that this seems like quite a pushy thing to do. Most social media pages are regarded as personal space, and telling your employees to use their personal network for company purposes sounds like a very rude thing to do. The thing is — you shouldn’t. Forcing employees into employee advocacy isn’t going to work.

Our recommendation

As an employer you should approach employee advocacy from the opposite direction. The people whom are working at your company are proud of what they do, and their job is an important part of their life. People like to talk about their profession in personal settings, especially if they are knowledgeable of the latest developments in their field of expertise.

What they dón’t do in personal settings, is talk only about their company (well, some do but they are generally not the most popular people of the party). That’s why, if people have to promote something to their friends they get uncomfortable. But if they can show off their expertise and then experience what it’s like to be an thought leader, they become energized and keep sharing their knowledge.

This translates back to social media. If they would simply reproduce every message your company puts out, this would look very insincere and this would benefit neither the employee nor your company. That is why we recommend providing them with shareable content on work related subjects, from great sources everywhere — not just your company’s blog. This will not only keep them informed and up to date, but will also give them the opportunity to present themselves as thought leaders. This is a process which will benefit both your employees and your company. Give the trust and the right content to become popular on social media, and your company will benefit from a workforce that radiates a sense of expertise on social media!

This was part three of our series on Employee Advocacy and its benefits. Please follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook for the next blogs.

About the author: This blog was written by Nine Connections’ Jacob Lucas, Content & Data Scientist.