Why your social media success is in your employees hands

By Dean

27 Jan 2016

Whether you’re a small business with a handful of staff or a large multinational, ignore the power of your employees’ social media ‘clout’ at your peril.

By Graham Campbell, Moose Media

We’re not trying to scare you here but you are potentially sitting on a limitless, untapped resource of customers – currently sitting quietly in your employees’ LinkedIn contacts, Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

Employee advocacy, in terms of social media is taking off. It’s not a fad. It’s happening and it’s bringing in results because of one word: Trust. According to Gartner, 15 per cent of people trust recommendations from brands, whereas a huge 84 per cent trust recommendations from people they know. Using your employees’ existing contacts to promote your brand and spark discussions around your company almost looks like a no-brainer now, doesn’t it?

The average employee has a staggering 846 social connections (Sprout Social) which include the big platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but also the newer players; Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest etc. Utilising your staff to promote your business might feel uncomfortable at first, but the potential for your growth as a brand is huge.

How would it actually work then?

We’re not talking about forcing your staff to share your Facebook posts here, badgering their friends and family to buy. You need to put a programme in place. Sounds painful? Not really.

The foundation is the existing culture within your organisation. Work with a team of happy bunnies? Then you’re already on the road to employee advocacy. If your employees trust you and they know you trust their actions too, that’s the first step. You want your staff to advocate for you. This can’t be forced. Enable them through involving them, trusting them and training them.

Think about what you actually want sharing in terms of reaching your marketing goals. Is it a new product launch, a push on sales, or just a general drive to raise brand awareness? Without clear objectives, you’re not going to get far. Having measurable goals is the only way forward.

The next stage is getting your employees to share for you in a way that reflects positively on your brand and also on them. It might worry you that by giving your staff this freedom, it could impact negatively on you. We know that when social media goes wrong, it can go very wrong, right? True, but you get around this by providing training and support for your staff. There are also lots of platforms available to you that help you collate, curate and distribute your employees contributions from a central point, rather than have a scatter-gun approach.

The final consideration is maintaining your employees’ support, keeping them engaged. This really is about the quality and relevance of your social media content. It has to resonate with your employees. If it appeals to them, chances are it’ll appeal to their contacts. How do you achieve this? By offering up varied content. Targeting different interests, telling compelling stories and mixing-up your media. Share great images, attention-grabbing, useful videos and you’re already there.

Still not convinced? A recent study by Social Media Today and The Hinge Research Institute found that nearly 31% of high-growth businesses have a formal employee advocacy programme and that it shortens the sales cycle – with 27 per cent of respondents to the study reporting a whopping revenue growth of 20 per cent or higher.

At Moose, we recognise that employee advocacy is quite a new concept, particularly in the UK. We’re here to help. We’re proud to offer the UK’s only CPD accredited social media training course. With a focus on employee advocacy, we will put you on the road to success.

Our next CPD accredited social media course: Creating Social Media Advocates

is being staged at Stanley House Hotel near Blackburn on 28th January 2016.

We’d love see you there. Click here for more details and to book your place now.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Dean

Latest news

1

CMAC Group appoints Matthew Ratcliffe as chief operating officer Matthew Ratcliffe CMAC

CMAC Group appoints Matthew Ratcliffe as chief operating officer

03 Apr 2025

2

For sale signs at The Villa Villa Wrea Green has been brought to market (Image credit: The Villa Wrea Green)

For sale signs at The Villa

02 Apr 2025

3

Montane group expands with new Lancashire hub Anthony Rae Scott Murcott And Adam Lee

Montane group expands with new Lancashire hub

02 Apr 2025

4

Trio of wins for Lancaster brand and digital consultancy Tom Grattan MD and Daniel Wallace

Trio of wins for Lancaster brand and digital consultancy

02 Apr 2025

5

College excellence highlighted in Ofsted report Fazal Dad

College excellence highlighted in Ofsted report

02 Apr 2025

Pc Prestonmacan Gif980x120 March
Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200px
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

WHN Charity Quiz Night
Evenbrite Quiz 2025.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
03 Apr 2025 - 03 Apr 2025

WHN Charity Quiz Night

The Stables Country Club, Bury , BL9 1PU

18:00 - 22:00

Chamber Breakfast Networking – April
Chamber logo - new-02.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
03 Apr 2025 - 03 Apr 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – April

The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster, LA1 1QE

08:00 - 10:00

Lancashire Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880395853-4862066883-1-original.20241022-091152-2.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
04 Apr 2025 - 04 Apr 2025

Lancashire Business Expo 2025

Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre, Preston, PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
24 Apr 2025 - 24 Apr 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

People Power: Exclusive Event Series
Stay ahead in 2025.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
29 Apr 2025 - 29 Apr 2025

People Power: Exclusive Event Series

People's History Museum, Manchester, M3 3ER

17:00 - 21:00

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes
Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes for website.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
01 May 2025 - 01 May 2025

Planning for the future + navigating Inheritance Tax changes

Stanley House Hotel, Mellor, Blackburn, BB2 7NP, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

08:00 - 10:30

A night at the races
1.png.png
LBV Hub Dinners / Balls
02 May 2025 - 02 May 2025

A night at the races

Morecambe FC, Morecambe, LA4 4TB

19:00 - 23:59

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more Lbv121 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin