Right, let’s dive into something truly exciting: how to turn your employees into your biggest Facebook advocates! I recently had a fantastic chat with Louie, a social media guru, about just that. We were kicking back with a coffee, brainstorming how businesses can really leverage employee advocacy, and I’m buzzing to share the insights.
Louie’s a firm believer that organic reach on Facebook is still incredibly valuable, and your employees are the key to unlocking it. Think about it: people trust recommendations from friends and family way more than they trust branded ads. And that’s where employee advocacy steps in.
Building Your Army of Advocates
First things first, you can’t just expect your employees to become instant brand ambassadors. You need a structured program. Louie emphasised the importance of three key elements: training, guidelines, and incentives.
- Training is Paramount: You need to equip your team with the skills to navigate the Facebook landscape. We’re not just talking about how to share a link. The training needs to cover:
- Understanding Facebook’s Algorithm: A quick rundown of how Facebook decides what to show people. This empowers employees to create content that actually gets seen.
- Crafting Engaging Content: Training on how to write compelling posts, use visuals effectively, and spark conversation. It’s about making their posts feel authentic, not robotic.
- Handling Negative Feedback: A crucial skill! Louie stressed the importance of teaching employees how to respond professionally, address concerns constructively, and know when to escalate issues to the marketing or PR team. This builds trust and shows your brand cares.
- Brand Voice and Guidelines: Ensuring everyone’s on the same page in terms of tone and messaging. This prevents inconsistencies and protects your brand reputation.
- Clear Guidelines are Essential: Don’t leave employees guessing. Provide clear guidelines on what they can and can’t share, acceptable language, and disclosure requirements (e.g., using a hashtag like #EmployeeAdvocate). This protects both the employee and the company.
- Incentivise and Reward: Let’s be honest, people are more likely to participate if there’s something in it for them. Incentives don’t have to be extravagant. Consider things like:
- Gamification: A leaderboard tracking employee engagement, with rewards for top performers.
- Recognition: Feature employee posts on the company’s Facebook page or internal communication channels.
- Small Gifts or Vouchers: A coffee voucher or gift card for consistent participation.
- Professional Development: Opportunity to attend a social media workshop or conference. This helps employees develop valuable skills while benefiting the company.
Content is King (and Queen!)
What should your employees be sharing? Louie was clear: it’s not just about pushing sales messages. Authenticity is key. Encourage them to share:
- Company News and Announcements: Keep them in the loop so they can be the first to share exciting updates.
- Behind-the-Scenes Content: Give people a glimpse into your company culture. This helps humanise your brand and build trust.
- Industry Insights: Position employees as thought leaders by sharing relevant articles and insights from their area of expertise.
- Personal Experiences: Encourage employees to share their own experiences with your products or services (always with transparency).
Understanding Your Audience
This is crucial, and Louie kept circling back to it. Before launching any campaign, understand who your employees are connecting with on Facebook. What are their interests? What kind of content do they engage with? Tailor the training and content suggestions to align with their audience’s interests. This makes the sharing feel more natural and less like blatant advertising.
For example, if many of your employees’ connections are interested in sustainable living, encourage them to share content related to your company’s sustainability initiatives.
Measuring Success
How do you know if your employee advocacy program is working? Track key metrics like:
- Reach and Engagement: Monitor the reach, likes, shares, and comments on employee posts.
- Website Traffic: Track website traffic originating from employee shares.
- Lead Generation: See if employee advocacy is contributing to lead generation.
- Brand Mentions: Monitor brand mentions across Facebook to see if there’s an increase.
Louie suggested using social media listening tools to track these metrics effectively and adapt the strategy based on the data.
Basically, the best way to leverage employee advocacy on Facebook boils down to providing sufficient training for your employees, providing guidelines so that everyone is clear on their roles, measuring your success and using incentives to motivate. By doing this in a sustained and realistic manner your company can tap into a huge potential to unlock and grow your brand organically.
