Over the years,, the business world has become very competitive. It is now a survival of the fittest. As a result, business owners are seeking new ways to stay relevant and market their brands. They now use the employee advocacy effort to advertise their businesses.
Continue reading to learn how to create an employee advocacy program to help your business succeed.
Why are businesses so interested in employee advocacy ?
Employee advocacy is like a line that cuts across all the different types of traditional marketing strategies. It uses the voices of your employees to spread the word about your brand.
How to promote employee advocacy
There are a number of different ways to do this. Below are a few of them:
Build a strong business culture
For any company to be successful, its employees have to be happy. Happy employees are employees that are proud of their workplace. They are the ones more likely to speak positively about your business. Your employees are connected to a large part of the customer audience you want to reach. These are their friends, their families, and their neighbors.
Educate and train
Your employees will tell others about your goods and services if they understand what it is about. This is why, as a business owner, you must ensure that your employees receive product training and education. Training them will ensure that they have the information and skills necessary to confidently represent the service you provide.
Empower your staff
Most business owners want their employees to advertise their brand. But they do not teach their staff how to do so. One way they can do this is to set up small training sessions to teach them how to be advocates. During this training, you can train them on how to use their personal and professional social media accounts to share company updates and relevant content. You can also let them know your company’s guidelines and policies to ensure that they understand what they can and cannot share.
Recognize and reward advocacy
Everyone loves compliments. As such, make it a habit to always acknowledge and reward your employees for their advocacy efforts. When you recognize their contributions, no matter how small, you are encouraging them to do more. So, learn to give shout-outs during team meetings or highlight their achievements. You can also implement an advocacy rewards program, such as bonuses, prizes, or promotions, to motivate employees to continue their advocacy efforts.
Lead by example
If you want your employees to do well, you have to lead, teach, and guide them. As such, if you want your staff to be good advocates, you have to teach them by example. When your employees see you actively participating in advocacy efforts, it sets a powerful precedent and motivates them to follow suit and be good employee advocate.
In conclusion, fostering employee advocacy in the workplace is not only beneficial for brand promotion but also for building a positive company culture. By creating an environment where employees feel their efforts are appreciated, they are moved to speak positively about their organization.