Employee advocacy programs can be great for business — that’s no secret — but not enough people talk about how they can be a great thing for employees, too! If you want to get more employees involved with your employee advocacy program, make sure they know what’s in it for them. Here are six ways to do just that. 

‍

1. Communicate the benefits of employee advocacy: 

Clearly communicate to employees how participating in the advocacy program can benefit them, such as increased visibility for their work, opportunities for career advancement, and the ability to build their personal brand — which comes with its own set of perks! Clearly communicating the program's benefits to employees is crucial in encouraging participation.

They also need to know how their participation and advocacy can positively impact the company’s image and reputation! Communicating and highlighting the benefits for them and how they can positively impact the company as a whole make taking up the advocacy program that much more enticing.

‍

2. Make it easy for employees to participate: 

As we mentioned in this previous blog post, you need to make participating in the advocacy program as easy as possible! Provide employees with tools and resources to share company content, such as pre-written social media posts and graphics. This will remove any barriers to entry they may have had (such as being worried about sharing the wrong content), and reduce the perceived workload of “being involved.” 

‍

3. Provide incentives: 

If your employees aren’t motivated by building their own personal brand on social media, give them an external source of validation and incentive. This can come in the form of gift cards, extra vacation days, or public recognition like a shoutout on social channels. 

Another idea is to host a monthly competition using your social media KPIs. Have your team track their results and set a goal for the month. The employee who hits the goal for that month within the advocacy program wins an award. 

‍

4. Encourage social proof: 

Share examples of the success of other employees who have participated in the program and the positive impact their advocacy has had on the company. Seeing someone who has found value in the program can be an excellent motivator! The next generation of workers want to work jobs where they feel like they’re making a difference in their companies and in the world. 

Proving to them that your advocacy program makes a difference to the business can be highly encouraging.

‍

5. Foster a culture of advocacy:

Create a culture within the organization that encourages and values employee advocacy. Lead by example and make sure the management team is actively participating in the program. Seeing leadership involved helps signal that brand advocacy is important and that it isn’t just on the employees to boost the brand! 

You can also hold regular team meetings, include the program in company-wide communications, and work it directly into the company values and mission. That means from day one, your employees will know that advocacy is important and a part of what you do together as a team.

‍

6. Make it a part of the job: 

Incorporate employee advocacy as part of the employee's performance evaluation. This will encourage them to make it a regular practice and have it integrated directly into their job responsibilities. Especially if you have content already approved and prepared for them (as per tip #2), it will ensure your brand stays relevant in social media feeds with consistent posting from your team — after all, employee posts get about 8x more engagement than company posts on social media.

‍

Looking for more tips about employee advocacy and why it’s worthwhile? Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog posts, like this one, to build the best program possible for you — and your employees!