Employee advocacy is the process of using social media to promote and represent the interests of employees. An employee advocacy strategy can be a great way to increase brand reach and create connections with potential customers. There are several ways to get started with an employee advocacy program, but it can be difficult to know where to begin. Thankfully, you are not short of options as we would like to help you out with some amazing employee advocacy ideas.
Here are ten creative employee advocacy ideas to help get you started in 2022:
1. Welcome Gift-kit for New Employees
2. Feature Your Employees on Social Media
3. Allow Employees to Test New Products/Services
4. Arrange Quarterly and Yearly Events
5. Encourage Employees to Contribute Content
6. Make the Content Sharing Process Seamless
7. Internal Feedback Campaigns
8. Consider ‘Company-Wins’ as ‘Employee-Wins’
9. Announce Advocacy Rewards
10. Ask for Feedback
What Is Employee Advocacy?
Employee advocacy is the process of employees actively supporting and promoting their company to others. This can include advocacy on social media, talking to friends and family about their company, or even going the extra mile and volunteering for the company.
Employee advocacy programs are a great way to improve marketing efforts, encourage employee participation, and drive website traffic from your target audience. It can also help job seekers learn more about a company and what it stands for.
There are several ways that employees can get involved in advocacy.
Some companies provide employee advocacy software or platforms that make it easy for employees to create content and share it on social media. Others rely on employees to take the lead on social media sharing and provide training and resources to help them do so.
Employees can also be encouraged to participate in company volunteer programs or to speak positively about their company to friends and family.
Best Employee Advocacy Ideas in 2022
Let’s take a look at some of the best employee advocacy initiatives and ideas for 2022:
1. Welcome Gift-Kit for New Employees
When a new employee joins your company, giving them a welcome gift kit is a great way to show them that they are valued and appreciated.
The kit can include things like a mug, t-shirt, or pen with the company logo on it, as well as some stationery and a notepad. It can also include a gift card to a local restaurant or store or even a massage or spa treatment voucher.
The main purpose of the welcome gift kit is to help the new employee feel welcome and comfortable in their new surroundings.
It’s also a great way to help them get started on building their personal brand. The kit can be customized to match the employee’s interests and hobbies, or you can choose a more generic one that will appeal to everyone.
The welcome gift kit can also serve as a starting point for the employee’s advocacy journey. The new employee will be more likely to become an advocate for the company if they feel like they are part of the community and that they belong.
2. Feature Your Employees on Social Media
Featuring your employees on social media is another way to keep your employee advocacy program creative.
To connect with customers and potential customers, businesses need to be active on social media. And one of the best ways to do that is by featuring your employees on social media.
There are several ways you can do this. You can have a dedicated employee profile page on your company website, or you can create a separate blog or social account specifically for featuring employees. You can also create short videos or podcasts featuring employees or simply post photos of them working or interacting with customers.
The main idea is to show your customers what your company is all about and give them a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work there. This can help build trust and loyalty with your customers and make them more likely to do business with you.
When you feature your employees on social media, you’re giving them a voice and a platform to share their thoughts and experiences with customers and potential customers. This can help encourage them to become advocates for your brand. They’ll be more likely to share positive experiences they have with your company on social media and recommend you to others.
3. Allow Employees to Test New Products/Services
When a new product or service is being developed, it’s important to get feedback from employees. They are the ones who will be using it day in and day out, and they can provide valuable insights into how it can be improved.
Allowing employees to test new products and services is a great way to get their feedback, and it can also help build employee loyalty and engagement. It can also help create a sense of ownership among employees and make them feel like they’re an integral part of the company.
There are a number of ways you can allow employees to test new products and services. You can set up a special testing area or lab where they can try out the products, or you can have them use them in their everyday work. You can also give them access to new products and services before they are released to the public.
When employees are given the opportunity to test new products and services, they will become advocates for the company. They will be more engaged and loyal to the company, and they will be more likely to recommend the company to others.
4. Arrange Quarterly and Yearly Events
One way to keep your employee advocacy program creative is to arrange quarterly and yearly events. This will keep things fresh and exciting for both employees and advocates.
Some ideas for quarterly events include team-building exercises, lunch-and-learns, or happy hours. Yearly events could include an all-hands meeting, a holiday party, or a retreat.
When planning these events, make sure to involve your employee advocates in the process. They can help come up with ideas and brainstorm ways to make the events more fun and engaging. Plus, they’ll be more likely to participate if they feel like they’re a part of the process.
The main purpose of these events is to allow many employees to get together and socialize outside of the workplace. It’s also a great opportunity for employees to network and learn more about what each other does.
This is important because Hinge Marketing reports that 87.2% of surveyed employees acknowledged that employee advocacy contributed to growing their professional network and 76% believed that it helped them keep up with market trends.
By attending quarterly and yearly events, employees will feel appreciated and valued, which will motivate them to want to promote the company and its brand.
5. Encourage Employees to Contribute Content (Website and Social Media)
Encouraging employees to contribute content is a great employee advocacy idea. Employee-generated content not only helps employees build their personal brand but also helps them learn more about the company and what it’s like to work there. It also gives them a chance to share their thoughts and ideas.
There are several ways to encourage employees to contribute content. One way is to create a blog or website where they can share company news, their thoughts and ideas, and their experience via engaging content. Another way is to use social media platforms to promote employee advocacy.
You can also motivate employees to create employee partner accounts on social channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. According to a study, 98% of employees are active on at least one social media platform, 50% of which regularly about their company.
When you encourage employees to contribute content, you’re giving them a voice and a way to connect with the company. This can help build trust and loyalty, and employees will feel more connected to the company. When employees feel connected to the company, they are more likely to become advocates for it.
6. Make the Content Sharing Process Seamless
Making the content-sharing process seamless is a great way to keep your employee advocacy program creative.
By making it easy for employees to share content, you can increase the number of people who do so. This, in turn, will help raise the visibility of your company and its employees.
There are a number of ways you can make the content-sharing process seamless. One way is to create social media guidelines that are easy to follow. You can also give employees access to tools and software that make sharing content easy. And you can also provide training on how to use these tools and share content effectively.
Another way to make the content-sharing process seamless is to create employee partner accounts on social media networks. This can engage employees, encouraging them to share content with their personal networks, which can help increase your company’s reach.
Employees will become advocates because of the ease of sharing content and the personal connection they feel to their fellow employees. By providing an easy way to share content, you make it easy for employees to advocate for your company.
7. Internal Feedback Campaigns
This is one of the most interesting employee advocacy ideas. Internal feedback campaigns are a great way to get feedback from employees about the company, its employee advocacy program, and its products and services. They are also a great way to get feedback about the work environment and employee satisfaction.
Internal feedback campaigns can take various forms, such as surveys, focus groups, or interviews. They can also be conducted online or offline.
The main goal of internal feedback campaigns is to gather information from employees about the company and its products and services. This information can be used to improve the company and its products and services.
Internal feedback campaigns can also help improve employee satisfaction and the work environment. By getting feedback from employees, companies can identify areas where they need to make changes. This can help improve employee satisfaction and make employees feel like their voices are being heard.
Internal feedback campaigns can also help employees become advocates for the company. When employees feel like they are part of the decision-making process, they are more likely to advocate for the company. They will also be more likely to recommend the company’s products and services to others.
8. Consider ‘Company-Wins’ as ‘Employee-Wins’
When a company achieves a major win, it’s often seen as a victory for the company and its employees. However, what if we looked at things from the other perspective? What if we considered “company wins” as “employee wins”?
This is an idea that can be used to encourage employee advocacy. By considering “company wins” as “employee wins” in your employee advocacy program, you can help employees feel more engaged and connected to the company. It also helps them feel like they’re a part of the company’s success.
There are a number of ways to implement this idea. One way is to make sure that employees are included in press releases and media coverage whenever the company achieves a major win. Another way is to share stories and photos of employees celebrating the company’s success. You can also create a “company wins” section on the company website or blog where employees can share their thoughts and experiences.
When you consider “company wins” as “employee wins”, you are giving employees a reason to become advocates. They will want to share the company’s success with their friends and family, and they will be more likely to promote the company on social media.
9. Announce Advocacy Rewards
Rewarding employees for their advocacy efforts is a great way to encourage them to continue promoting the company. By rewarding employees, you can show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
There are several ways to reward employees for their advocacy efforts. One way is to give them badges or awards that recognize their achievements. You can also give them cash bonuses or gift certificates. Alternatively, you can provide them with special privileges, such as access to exclusive content or events.
Another way to reward employees is to promote them within the company. This can help increase their visibility and help them progress in their careers. Finally, you can give employees opportunities to speak at events and share their experiences with other people.
Employees will become advocates because of the rewards that you offer. When they see that you appreciate their hard work, they will be more likely to continue promoting the company. Additionally, the rewards can help motivate employees and encourage them to do their best.
10. Ask for Feedback
Employees who don’t take part in your employee advocacy program can still provide valuable feedback about the company. This feedback can be used to improve the company and its products and services.
There are several ways to ask for feedback from employees. One way is to conduct surveys. This allows you to gather information from employees about the company and its products and services. The information gathered from surveys can be used to improve the company and its products and services.
Another way to ask for feedback is through employee advocacy tools. These tools allow employees to share their thoughts and experiences with the company. This can help the company identify areas where it needs to make changes.
The employees will become advocates because they feel appreciated and valued. They will also want to share their positive experiences with the company with their friends and family. This will help to improve the company’s branding.
Why Consider Employee Advocacy
Employee advocacy is the process of using employees as advocates for a company or brand. This can involve using employee brand ambassadors on social media or providing them with tools and resources to promote the company or brand image on their own social channels.
There are many benefits to an employee advocacy program, including improved corporate reputation, increased employer brand visibility, and enhanced customer relationships.
One of the key benefits of an employee advocacy plan is that it can improve corporate reputation. When employees speak positively about a company or brand online, it can help to create a positive image for the organization. This can be especially helpful if there has been any negative publicity surrounding the company recently.
Another benefit of employee advocacy is that it can increase brand awareness. When employees share content about a company or brand on their social media channels, it can help to increase the reach of that content and generate more interest in the company.
Finally, an employee advocacy program can also help to enhance customer relationships. When customers see that employees are passionate about a company or brand, it can create a sense of trust and loyalty. This can lead to more customers doing business with the company or brand.
Employee Advocacy Examples [How Top Brands Are Doing It]
When it comes to employee advocacy, Starbucks is a top brand doing it right. The company has a program called “employee partner accounts,” which allows Starbucks employees to post stories, posts, and videos on social media under the “@starbuckspartners” account.
This not only helps promote the brand but also gives employees a chance to show their personality and connect with customers on a more personal level. Because of this strong connection that Starbucks has with its employees, the company has a staff turnover rate of 20% of the industry average.
MasterCard is another top brand doing employee advocacy right. The company has an “Employee Ambassador Program” which allows employees to share brand-related news and content on their personal social media accounts. This helps promote the brand and gives employees a chance to show their personality and connect with customers on a more personal level.
Because of MasterCard’s strong connection with its employees, the company has included employees in the guidelines decision-making process – making them a truly collaborative company.
Conclusion
An employee advocacy plan is a great way to show off your company’s culture and get employees more invested in their work. Employees are essentially your brand ambassadors, so it’s important to give them the resources they need to succeed. These ten employee advocacy ideas should give you a good place to start when creating or improving your own employee advocacy program.