The Dinner Table Debate
Dinner time in our household is pretty noisy, messy, and not all that peaceful. But last night, I figured it was time I started talking to the girls about the real world – what’s going on outside our little bubble. We talked about the recent avalanche tragedy in Italy and the inauguration of President Trump. Awkward, only because the mention of the word “trump” normally results in our girls collapsing in fits of giggles.
I scaled back the explanation considerably from “he’s the new leader of the free world and President of the United States of America” to “you know your keyworker at school? Well, Trump is a bit like the top keyworker for all other keyworkers.” I think they get it – just kids need simple explanations. When they understand, they get curious and start asking questions. When they ask questions, they’re engaged. They want to learn.
It opened my eyes. Without engagement, you will get what? More training – cue eyes rolling in dismay. Sometimes you hear “not another tool,” usually preceded by a tutting sound and sharp head tilt. The most common of all: “I don’t have time for this. I’ve heard it all. I get it.”
The Solution: Context is Key
The solution? Context. Context is everything. If you can’t answer the question “what’s in it for me?” from an employee perspective, you’re probably not ready for employee advocacy. Employees need to be emotionally connected to your employee advocacy program as much as they’re emotionally connected to your brand.
If employee advocacy is introduced to streamline internal communications, boost marketing impressions, or provide a content hub for social selling, then you’re coming at it from the wrong perspective. Imagine a pyramid – top-down. The brand creates content, content is cascaded to employees, and the masses shall share on social media. No problem, right? Wrong.
Now turn that pyramid upside down. Employees, the masses, are now at the top of the pyramid. The brand now supports the creation of lots of individual, expert-led content – authentic employee voices that can explain the brand story in their own words and how they contribute to it.
The Benefits of Employee Advocacy
So, ask yourself these questions:
-
Revenue Increase: According to the Aberdeen Group, companies with an employee advocacy program report a 26% increase in year-over-year revenue. Further data shows that organizational revenue that comes from customer referrals soars to levels that are more than three times greater than organizations who do not have an employee advocacy program in place (151% vs. 46%).
-
Sales Team Attainment: Organizations that have an employee advocacy program in place enjoy significant gains in overall sales team attainment of their annual quota, amounting to 27 times that of “All Others” (131% vs. 47%).
-
Employee Engagement: A recent report from Altimeter, a Prophet company, discovered that employee advocacy does, in fact, drive employee engagement. When employees were asked how they felt after sharing work-related content, the leading response was “I feel more connected and enthusiastic about the company I work for,” followed by “I better understand my employer’s business.”
A Truly Social Business
There is no doubt in my mind that a connected workforce contributes towards an engaged workforce. This advocacy approach goes way beyond the silos of sales, marketing, communications, and HR. Organizations must embrace social networking as a way to connect all relationships across the business, including their employees, customers, prospective customers, suppliers, partners, future employees, and leaders.
After all, a connected business is a truly social business. What do you think? As an employee, would you advocate your employer’s brand? What would motivate you to become a brand ambassador?
You can get started on your employee advocacy journey by visiting itfix.org.uk – a leading computer repair service in the UK. They have the tools and resources to help you harness the power of your employees and boost your social presence.
