B2B organizations are learning that they don't have to look too far when searching for brand advocates online—employee advocacy on social media is on the rise.
Employees are better equipped to tell and share a brand's story across their social networks, and bring a different perspective to the table from brand advocates on the customer side.
"The fact of the matter is, the average person has about 1,500 connections online today," David Honig, vice president of strategy and corporate partnerships at employee advocacy platform Dynamic Signal, told Demand Gen Report. "In this day and age, it's more imperative than ever for brands to create new, engaging audiences. What better way to do that than with employees?"
A recent study from Weber Shandwick indicated most employees would be willing to act as ambassadors for their companies on social channels, and that one-third of employees are already sharing content about their employers on social without any prodding.Open source database company MongoDB is leveraging social listening solution Sprinklr to gauge what's resonating and what isn't with its audience on social, and has found success with employee advocacy.
"We work with our employees to help amplify the MongoDB message, and we use tools to help support our employees and offer them content," Mat Rider, global director of digital and social media at MongoDB, told Demand Gen Report. "[These] can be anything from a stat that [the employee] can retweet to content that helps position them as industry leaders when they're engaging prospects."
Some organizations reward employees who are the most effective advocates, but focusing on employees who are most active on social channels makes the most sense.
"When starting [an employee advocacy program], it's important to recognize that not all employees are going to be active on social media," Andrew Spoeth, digital marketing director at CA Technologies, told Demand Gen Report. "If you're looking to get results, try to find [employees] that are active on social media or are interested in being active."
This article originates on Fierce CMO
