GUIDE

Employee Advocacy Program GuideHow to plan, launch, and grow a successful employee advocacy program for your organization

GUIDE / Employee Advocacy Program Guide 2

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Contents3 Designyouradvocacy program

6 Rolloutyouradvocacy program

10 Refineyourstrategyandmeasuresuccess

IN SOCIAL MEDIA, SOMEONE ADVOCATING FOR YOUR BRAND is verypowerful.Advocatesgivetheirfriends,families, and colleagues trusted advice that is more crediblethantraditionaladvertising.Theydefenda business against negative messaging, volunteer ideas for product and service improvements, and theydoitallforfree.Whileenterprisestendtoreach out externally, the best advocates hide in plainsight—theirownemployees.

Consider the main points of an employee advocacy program, which may differdependingonwhichmodelorapproachisbestforyourorganization.

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Design your advocacy program1. Plan, pitch, and get buy-inAdesiretoseethecompanysucceediscrucialforadvocates,andthiscannotbecreatedbycorporatemandate.Compulsoryadvocacynegatesthe entire point of bringing employees on to social media—creating a transparent and sincere business environment that resonates with customers.Forthesereasons,buy-inacrossmultiplestakeholderswithinyourorganizationiskey.

So,whatmotivatesanemployeetobecomeacompanyadvocate?Thesimpleanswerisengagement.Ifanemployeefeelspersonallyrewardedbytheworkenvironment,it’snaturaltotransferthatengagementtocustomers.Buildaplanforbuy-inby:

•• Gathering key information and figures

•• Consideringthestakeholdersandstages

•• Creatingaformalcasearoundthebenefitsofadvocacy

•• Communicatingtheconceptandgatheringfeedback

•• Leadershipbuy-in

Whilebuy-inattheexecutivelevelcanbeachievedthroughabusinesscase,organizationalbuy-inatthedepartmentaloremployeelevelisoftenhandledthroughchangemanagementprocesses.Therearedifferentapproachesto this process, but it is important in helping to ensure smooth adoption ofanewapproach.Employeeadvocacymightseemnaturalonpaper,buteachindividualhasuniqueviewsonsocialmedia,andthedivisionofworkandpersonallives.Thus,youneedtoconsiderabroadspectrumofcomfortlevels.Hereisahigh-levellistofconsiderationsforchangemanagement:

•• Consider the individual and human sides

•• Start from the top down but include every level

•• Create sense of ownership

•• Plan to assess and create touch points throughout

•• Preparefortheunexpectedandadapttoreal-timecircumstancesthat inevitablyarise

Thestepsyoutaketogainbuy-inwillhelpyouthroughouttherestoftheroll-outprocessforasuccessfulemployeeadvocacyprogram.

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2. Set program goals and objectivesWe’veestablishedwhyemployeeadvocacycanbehighlyeffectiveandgainedbuy-infromtheorganization.Definingwhatyouwanttoaccomplishisthenextstep.Nowyouneedtosetobjectivesforyourorganization.Thesewilllargelydependonyouroverallsocialmedia,marketing,orcommunicationsstrategiesandwillhelptocreateaspecificandmeasurableframeworkforthisaspectofyourmarketingmix.Considerdifferentobjectivesfordifferentdepartmentalneeds.Eachdepartmenthasdifferentgoalsandcouldpotentially leverage an employee advocacy program in a number of powerful ways.Takingthesedifferencesintoaccountisimportantwhensettingobjectivesforyourprogram.Someitemsyoucouldconsidermeasuringare:

•• Employeeadoptionrate

•• Usage and publishing frequency

•• Reach of employee advocacy messages

•• Businessimpact:leadsgeneratedfromemployeeadvocacy(sales, recruitmentetc.)

Belowisaworksheetthatwillhelpyouorganizeobjectivesacrossyourdepartments:

Department Departmental GoalsObjectives for

Employee Advocacy Measurement of Success

Marketing/Communications

•• SocialROI

•• Customer engagement

•• Brand management

Increasereachofmarketingand corporate content

Makesocialaccountableforbusiness results

•• Engagement

•• Increaseinorganicreach

•• Inboundtrafficdriventowebsite

•• Conversion from employee advocacy

•• Costperclick-Earnedmediavalueofclicksvspaidmedia

Human Resources

•• Employerbranding

•• Empoweremployees

•• Mitigaterisk

Empower,retainandattractnew talent

•• Employeeadoption

•• Recruitment cost

•• Employeeefficiency

•• Employeesatisfaction

•• Attritionvsretentionrate

Customer Service

•• Customer satisfaction and retention

Improvecustomerexperience Brandsentiment—hasyourNPSscoreincreased since program launch?

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3. Plan for deployment across your organization We’veoutlinedthedifferentmodelsanorganizationcanfollowtohelpdevelopyourpoliciesandgovernance.

EmpowermentCollaboration.CreateasocialbusinessCenterofExcellence(COE).Thisis an advisory council or governance committee of social leaders in an organization that sets social media policies and processes, and provides bestpracticesandtrainingforcolleagues.

Content.Employeeadvocatesneedsupportfromthemarketingdepartmentandotherofficialcontentsourceswithintheorganization.It’svitalthatadvocatesgetsupportfrommarketingtoaccesscontentforsocialsharing.

Localization.Employeesadvocatetheabilitytolistenandspeakatalocallevelandstillactinharmonywithcompany-widesocialinitiatives.

Culture.Cultureisbuiltontrust,transparencyandfreedomofchoice.Seniormanagementisseriousaboutdevelopingthecompany’shumancapital.Collaborativesocialtoolshelpsparkculturalchangeandultimatelydriveemployeeadvocacyoutsidetheenterprise.

Brand.Forempoweredemployeestoproperlyadvocateabrand,theymustbeabletoexpresswhatdifferentiatesitfromthecompetition.Inanempoweredsocialbusiness,employeesmaycollaboratetorefinethebrand,andevenfacilitatecustomerinfluenceoverthebrand,buttheyshouldalwaysknowthebrand.Eventhoughtheycanbeverycredibleadvocateswhendescribingtheenterpriseintheirownwords,theirmessagingshouldconveycommonalities.

ContainmentCollaboration.Financialservicesandotherregulatedindustriesmustensurethatemployeemessagingiscompliantwiththelaw.Inthismodel,technological platforms and business procedures value security and control overparticipation.However,employeeparticipationcanbescaledupovertimeiftherightstrategyisputinplace.

Security.Securityisthefoundationofcontainment.Thiscomesfromasocialrelationshipplatformthatincludescentralizedcontrolofcorporateprofiles,multi-layeredpermissions,securesinglesign-inprocedures,andanencryptionprotocol,suchashttps.Compliancemightalsonecessitateautomaticarchivingofbothinternalandpublicsocialmessaging.

Governance.Aclearpolicythatlaysouttherulesofengagementforallemployees.Thisdocumentisalignedwiththecompany’sguidelinesforemail,textmessaging,andallothercommunicationswithclientsandthepublic.Sincesocialmediamanagementispartofthecompany’soverallsecurityandcompliancepolicies,thechiefinformationofficerandchiefriskofficermaybeinvolved.

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Roll out your advocacy programWITH YOUR PLAN IN PLACE, approvals in hand, stakeholdersboughtinandeyesonyourobjectives,it’stimetogetstarted!Below,we’llexplorehowtoidentify advocates and motivate them to participate, howtoexecutetheroll-out,communicatetheplan,andsetuptraining.

1. Identify your advocatesYoumayhaveexistingthoughtleadersorsocialmediaaficionadoswithinyourorganization.Thesepeoplecanbegreattolaunchandhelpgrowyourprogram,startingwithreachingout.Theycanalsoactasasoundingboardfortheconceptandcanoffervaluableinsightintoyourcommunityandemployeesentimentwithintheorganization.Alignyourselfwiththesefolksearlyandmakethemfeellikeapartoftheteam.Theseearlyadoptershaveaninfluencewithinyourorganizationalreadyandcanhelpgetotherscuriousandinvolved.

Followerandfriendcountsareonlypartofthestory.Whentheimpactoftheirsocialmessagingisconsidered,employeeadvocateslooklikemarketingpowerhouses.AccordingtoEdelman’s2019TrustBarometer,53% of all global consumers see employees as the most credible sources for learningaboutcompanies.

Enterprisesstrengthentheirbrandsenormouslybyactivatingtheseinternalthoughtleadersonsocialmedia.Employeeblogsandsocialmediaprofilesallowworkerstobuildpersonalbrandsonlineandtocreateemployeegeneratedcontentthatalsoreflectwellontheiremployer.MeliãHotelsInternational,forexample,launchedaninnovativeinitiativecenteredonthepeoplebehindthebrand:clients,employees,influencers,andeventhecompany’sCEO.

Thisinitiativeallowedthecompanytocaptureimagesofitsproductsandservicestakenbyclientsandusetheminemailmarketing,indigitaladvertising,oraswidgetsonitswebsite,allowinguserstomakereservationswithasingleclickfromuser-createdcontent.

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Today’sworkersseesocialmediaasabasicwaytocommunicate,sotheydon’tmissabeatwhencompaniesintroduceinternalsocialtoolslikeHootsuiteto help them collaborate and amplify external messaging on behalf of their brands.Corporateeducationprogramscanacceleratetheworkforcetransitionandturntypicalemployeesintosocialmediapowerusers.

Howyourollouttheprogramwilllikelyhaveanumberofdependenciesincludingthemodelyou’veadopted,thesizeofyourorganization,socialmediacompetenciesofyourworkforceandyourgoalsandobjectivesfortheprogram.

Insmallerorganizationswithahighlevelofsocialmediasophistication,youmay want to simply launch the program, communicate, and open up access immediately.Thisapproachrequiresahighertolerancefromtheemployeesforlearningontheflyandaculturethatsupportsmovingfast.

Forallothersituations,it’slikelythatyou’llchoosetopilotyourprogramwithanumberofdifferentgroupsorindividuals,collectfeedback,anditerateinabetapriortolaunchingbroadly.Theexistinggroupofthoughtleadersorearly adopters are usually ideal candidates, but you may want to consider diversifying to gain other perspectives that may better match those of the restoftheorganization.Thebenefitsoftakingthepilotapproachare:

•• Gathers learnings and shortcomings

•• Clarityintowhat’sworking

•• Builds curiosity within the organization

•• CreatesownershiporVIPfeelforthosewithintheprogram

•• Allowsyoutopredictfuturesuccessbasedonearlymetrics

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2. Motivate for successThissectionwillhelpyoutoanswerthe“what’sinitforme?”questionwhenrollingoutyouremployeeadvocacyprogramtoemployees.Itiscriticalthattheydonotfeelliketheprogramisimposeduponthemorforcedinanyway.Ithastobemutuallybeneficialforboththeemployeeandtheorganization.Justasinyourapproachwithcontent,beauthenticinthedescriptionofbenefitsforbothparties.Therearealsotacticsyoucanapplytosweetenthedealforemployees:

•• Rewards and contests

•• Leader boards

•• VIPprograms

•• Development opportunities

•• Earlyaccess

Insomeorganizationsyoumayfacefrictionwhenaskingemployeestodosomethingpubliclyonbehalfoftheorganization.It’simportanttocommunicate that they can choose to have an impact on the reach and effectivenessofyourmarketingprograms.Thiswill,inturn,benefitthemwithbettersales,orcompanyperformance.

Fromahumanresourcespointofview,thistypeofprogrampresentsanumberofdevelopmentandrecognitionopportunitiesthatcankeepemployeesengagedandprogressing.Withtrainingprograms,youcanprovide unique tips for them that can help with their social media savvy in theirpersonallivesaswell.Thatmaybeseenasabenefittothosewhoarealittleuncomfortablewithsocialmediaandwouldliketobecomemorefamiliarwithit.

Whenyou’rereadytorolloutyourprogram,rememberthathowyoucommunicateyourprogramtoyouradvocatessetsthetone.Itisimportanttokeepthetoneofempowermentandexcitementthroughout.Thethemeofauthenticityiskeyinyourcommunicationplanaswell.Itallowsyoutospeaktransparentlyandonahumanlevelaboutthebenefitsofbecominginvolved.Takingthisapproachwillhelptoenticeenrollment.

You’llwanttoconsiderdevelopingcontentthatwillmotivateyouradvocates.Thiswillnotonlypumpthemupabouttheprogram,butalsoaboutyourbrandandorganization.Offeringprizesorswagfortopadvocatescanbeanotherincentivethatkeepsthemengagedwiththeprogram.

Raisingawarenesscanbeahurdle.Ideallyyouwantasmanypeopleas possible in the loop on your employee advocacy program, so that it hasthegreatestpotentialreach.Youlikelyalreadyhaveanumberofmethodsforcommunicatingnewinitiativesacrossyourorganization.Thingslikecompany-wideemails,internalsocialtools,newslettersorotherannouncementscanallbeeffectivetools.Sincetheseprogramsaresocialinnature,besuretothinkcreativelyandoutoftheboxforhowyoucanfurthergetthemessageoutinanexcitingorfunway.Leveragingearly

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adoptersandthepilotteamisalsoakeytacticthatyouwon’twanttoforget.Thinkofyourlaunchasongoing,notaone-dayactivity.

Communicationsshouldneverfeelauthoritativeorimposing.Thetoneofyourcommunicationsplanaffectstheprogramasawhole.Sincetheadvocacy program is really about social media, consider mirroring its conversationalnature.Youcanuserichmediaimages,videos,gifs,andmemestobreaktheice,getalaugh,andspreadorganicallythroughyouremployeebase.

3. Build your training strategyThisstepisfundamentaltogettingstarted.Experienceindicatesthatthe“Ifyoubuildit,theywillcome”modelisn’tnecessarilyeffective.Illustratingtoyouradvocates,throughtraining,iskeytomakingthemostofanyinitiative.

Considerthesequestionswhensettinguptrainingprograms:

•• Do you already have a learning management system that could deliver training?

•• Iseveryoneinacentrallocationthatwouldsuitanonsiteorclassroomtraining?

•• Whatarethedifferentlearningstyles?

•• Whichtechnologiesareavailabletoemployees?(Withoutcomputeraccess,webinarswon’twork.)

•• Howwilltrainingontheprogrambestpracticesdifferfromcertification/policies?

•• Willtherebeaneedfordifferentlevelsofsophistication?Forexample,willyourmarketersrequiremoreadvancedtechniquesthangeneralemployees?

•• Willmyexecutivesgetthemostout1:1trainingversus1:Many?

Itishighlyimportanttoconsideryouroptionsandcomparethemwiththeprogram’sgoalstolaunchsuccessfully.Youcanalsoapplyincentivetechniquesasmentionedabove(rewards,competitions,andleaderboards)totrainingcompletion.Onceeverythingisinplace,considerprovidingrefresherstokeepinterestupandkeeptheprogramrunningefficiently.

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Refine your strategy and measure success WITH YOUR PROGRAM OFF THE GROUND,you’llwanttocreate the ideal environment for it to grow for manyyears.Intherealmofsocialmedia,theidealenvironment consists of conversation, authenticity, transparencyand,ofcourse,content.

1. Refine your content strategyYour content strategy for your employee advocacy program should augment yourexistingcontentstrategy.Youcantailoruniquecontentspecificallyforyouremployeesorkeepitsimplebyhand-pickingfromyourexistingcontent.

Whendevelopingyourstrategy,bedeliberateinwhatyoudecidetoshareviathisprogramversusyourday-to-daysocialmediaoperations.Thinkaboutwhatkindsofcontentthey’realreadysharingandtrytomirrorthattonewhereverpossible:branded,employeegeneratedcontent,industryinsightsandthoughtleadership,andsoon.

Youwillalsowanttobuildinwaysforyouradvocatestosuggestcontent.Thiscreatesafullloopoffeedbackandinvolvementandalsoempowerstheemployeeandaddstothe“what’sinitforme”equation.Seeingcontentthey’vecreatedsharedonabrandchannelcanbeexcitingandrewardingforemployees.

Alongwiththeoverallstrategy,developinganappropriatecadenceiscritical.Itmaytakesometimeandtestingtogetitright.Howmuchistoomuchisathresholdthatsomeorganizationswillreachmuchfasterthanothers.Ifyoupushtoofewposts,ontheotherhand,theprogrammaynevertakeofftoitsfullpotential.

It’salsoimportanttorecognizethatyouremployeesmaybeadoptingnewsocialmediaplatformsmuchfasterthanyou’reabletoonthebrandside.KeepinmindthatyoucantailorcontentforthemtouseonplatformslikeTwitterandInstagramandsharethatway.

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2. Keep advocates engagedThinkofthisprogramnotasasprint,butasamarathon.Yourcommunicationdefinitelydoesn’tstartandendwithyourlaunchactivity.Creatinganongoingcalendar of communication for participants will be crucial in early adoption, butalsoinmaintenanceoftheprogram.Itwillkeepyouradvocatesengagedandsharingandultimatelywillhelpyoutobetterachieveyourgoals.

Don’tlimityourongoingcommunicationtosimplypromotenewcontent.You canbecreativebyoffering:

•• Offersandrewards

•• Challenges(teamorindividual)

•• VIP/MVPupdates

•• Badges

•• Rolling leaderboards

Ifincentivesaren’tagoodoption,youcansimplyprovidetransparentinsighton how the program is doing, which content performs the best, what times of dayaremosteffective,orotherusefulmetricsandinformation.

You will also want to communicate how often training will be revisited and use yourtrainingplanasanopportunitytore-engagethosewhomayhavefallenofftheprogramorexperiencedsocialmediafatigue.Considerofferingnewcourses,newcertifications,andoptionallearningopportunitiesaswellforyourmosteageradvocates.

3. Measure successAnadvocacyprogramshouldalignwithyourcompanyprimarybusinessgoalsandinformthemetricsyoushouldbetracking.Theworksheetprovidedearliersettheframeworkforyoutomeasurethesuccessofthisprogram.Youdon’twanttoforgetaboutmeasuringitsshortcomingsaswell.Thesewillgiveyouvaluableinsightsthatwillimproveitandkeepitrollinginthefuture.

Perhapsyouwilluseascorecardthattiesbacktoyourobjectives.Decidehowoftenyou’llmeasure.Willitbeweekly,quarterly,yearly?Makesureyousetyourbenchmarksandidentifytrendsandvariationsfromthere.

You’llalsowanttoconsidermeasuringqualitativedatabywayofsurveysorfeedbackinboxes.Thiswillallowpeopletosharetheirthoughtsandanecdotes,whichyoumayfindevenmorevaluablethanquantitativedata.

Tomeasureperformanceandincreaseengagement,includeperformancemarkersandmilestonesfromthebeginning.Rewardtheteamviabadges,gamification,orotherrewardbonusesasthosemilestonesareachieved.

Lastly,openlysharetheresults,wins,andlosseswiththeteam.Involvingeveryone creates a trusting and collaborative environment, which paves the waytoincreasedprogramadoptionandcontinuedparticipation.

Visit hootsuite.com/amplify to learn how Hootsuite Amplify can help your organization tap into the power of employee advocacy

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