How to setup an employee advocacy program

When someone advocates for your brand or business, they extend the reach of your message by sharing it with their network. With an employee advocacy program, employees are the ones doing the advocating.

What is employee advocacy?
Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organization by its workforce. This could mean that employees share information about specific products or campaigns. Or, it can mean that employees share the company culture online. This can help boost brand reputation and make recruitment easier.

It’s not just the company that benefits. Employees get something out of advocacy too. They can enhance their credibility and position themselves as industry experts.

Employee advocacy stats

• LinkedIn found the employees of a company tend to have 10 times more followers than the company itself.
• LinkedIn also found that while only about 2% of employees re-share their company’s social posts, they are responsible for 20% of overall engagement.
• Nearly 86% of employees involved in a formal advocacy program say it had a positive effect on their careers.

How to build an employee advocacy program

1. Ingrain advocacy in your company DNA / culture

• Reward social work with paid leave
• Support employees in times of need
• Give back as a company through charity work

2. Define goals for your EA program & communicate them to all employees

• Recruitment : Referal bonus
• Clients: Finders fee
• Thought leadership: Sharing content on other websites

3. Execute
a. Start small
Pick a few employees that are willing. Ask, don't mandate. Forced social shares will lack the enthusiasm and excitement necessary to connect with your employees’ social connections.

b. Promote your employees work on social media
An “employee of the month” program or notice in a monthly newsletter may sound old-fashioned, but it can still be effective. So can setting aside time in team meetings to recognize certain employees. And, of course, everyone appreciates concrete rewards like gift cards, bonuses, and even company swag.

Recognition or a re-share on the main company social accounts can also be a great motivator.

4. Measure
Remember those goals and KPIs you set at the beginning? It’s now time to track how your employee advocacy program is helping you succeed. You can see how much more engagement has gone up across your social media sites and send a survey to your organization to get a sense of how much more they are now sharing.