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There’s a core audience of incredibly important micro-influencers that many companies overlook when it comes to marketing efforts: their own team members.
From selfies at work events to tweets about funny statements overheard in the office, your people are telling their people about your business. What do you want them to say? Answer with care and creativity, because it matters—a lot.
In fact, a recent report about including employee advocacy in marketing and communications programs found that about four out of five organizations increased their online visibility after implementing a formal employee advocacy program. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of those companies reported an increase in brand recognition.
Social media engagement for employee-shared content is eight times better than when a company originally posts.
In addition to increasing brand awareness, employees can drive sales and support recruiting efforts. When a lead comes from an employee, it is seven times more likely to convert to a sale, and job applicants from employee referrals get hired far more often than other channels.
The results are great on their own, but they’re downright amazing when you consider the ROI. An employee advocacy program costs just 10 percent of the cost of paid advertising—a dime for every ad dollar.
So how can you get started turning your employees into brand ambassadors?
1. Start by investing in employee satisfaction.
It’s important to note that company culture plays a big part in the likelihood of success for creating employee advocates. Unhappy team members are less likely to share happy company news.