How to implement effective employee advocacy

Your marketing budget can only stretch so far. While paid channels have their place, there is a resource within your organisation that is likely underutilised and holds exponential potential for organic growth. We're talking about your people.

When staff members actively promote their workplace, they humanise the brand in a way that corporate channels simply cannot. For managers and employers, tapping into this network is not just about getting more likes on a post; it's a strategic lever for recruitment, reputation management, and business development.

This article outlines exactly how to mobilise your workforce to become powerful allies in your growth strategy.

What is employee advocacy?

Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organisation by its workforce.

This happens when employees involved in your business actively share information, insights, or positive sentiments about their workplace with their personal networks. While this can happen offline through word of mouth, it primarily occurs on social media platforms like LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.

It goes beyond simply re-sharing company content like a corporate press release. True staff advocacy involves team members sharing their own perspectives, celebrating team wins, or discussing their employee experience.

It encompasses:

Recommending the company’s products or services.
Embodying the company culture publicly.
Using their subject matter expertise to build authority for the brand.

When done correctly, it transforms employees from passive workers into active brand advocates.

The benefits of employee advocacy

The impact of a structured approach to advocacy extends far beyond marketing metrics. It bridges the gap between your corporate communications and the authentic conversations happening in the market.

Trust and authenticity

Data consistently shows that people trust people more than they trust brands. A message coming from a CEO or a marketing handle often feels like a broadcast. The same message shared by a peer feels like a recommendation. Employee advocates lend credibility to your message because they have no direct obligation to praise the company outside of work hours.

Exponential reach

Your company page might have 5,000 followers. If you have 50 employees, and they each have 500 connections, your potential reach instantly expands by 25,000 people. By empowering employees to share, you tap into professional networks that your official channels cannot access. This leads to increased brand awareness without increasing ad spend.

Stronger employer branding

Recruitment is competitive. Candidates research potential employers extensively before applying. When they see engaged employees sharing employee stories and celebrating their wins, it paints a picture of a thriving, positive workplace. This boosts your employer brand, making it easier to attract top talent.

Employee engagement

Advocacy is a two-way street. A successful employee advocacy initiative requires you to keep your team informed and valued. When employees feel trusted to represent the brand, it fosters a sense of ownership. A more engaged workforce is typically more productive and loyal, reducing turnover rates.

Cost effectiveness

Compared to paid advertising, the cost of advocacy is minimal. While you might invest in an employee advocacy platform, the reach you gain is organic. This essentially provides free media space for your company's messages.

Discover the importance of employee advocacy:

Enhanced brand visibility through organic sharing.
Improved trust with the target audience.
Higher quality leads for sales teams.
Better retention of current staff.

How to implement an advocacy program

You cannot force advocacy; it must be voluntary to be authentic. However, you can build a framework that makes it easy and rewarding. Here is a step-by-step employee advocacy strategy to get started.

1. Define your goals and metrics

Before asking staff to post, clarify what success looks like. Are you trying to drive sales, increase brand recognition, or recruit new talent? Defining this helps you measure employee advocacy success later on.

2. Create clear guidelines

Fear is the biggest barrier to entry. Staff often worry they will say the wrong thing. Establish clear employee advocacy guidelines that outline what is acceptable. This document should be an enabler, not a blocker. It should give them the confidence to post without fearing repercussions from HR.

Example guidelines include:

Stay authentic: Share your genuine thoughts and experiences about the company. For example, talk about your favourite projects or how the company supports your growth.
Keep it professional: Avoid using offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate language. Ensure that your posts align with the company's values and tone.
Respect confidentiality: Do not share sensitive company information, like financial data, internal project details, or client information not approved for public release.
Engage positively: Interact with others respectfully on social platforms, even when faced with criticism. For instance, if someone critiques the company, respond politely or escalate it internally.
Use approved hashtags and brand assets: Incorporate company-approved hashtags and ensure accurate use of logos or any brand material. For example, using hashtags like #LifeAt[YourCompany] promotes consistency and visibility.

3. Provide the right tools

To encourage participation, you must remove friction. If it's difficult to find content, people won’t share it. Consider investing in employee advocacy tools or a dedicated platform. These tools allow marketing teams to centralise content, making it easy for staff to share updates in one click.

4. Curate a mix of content

Do not just feed them sales pitches. A successful program offers a variety of content types:

Company news and achievements.
Industry trends and thought leadership insights.
Branded content (blogs, whitepapers).
Cultural updates (charity days, team events).

5. Focus on personal branding

Frame the program as a benefit for the employee, not just the company. Teach them how building a personal brand helps their career. By sharing industry trends, they position themselves as experts. When the program benefits both the company and the individual, uptake is much higher.

6. Launch and motivate

Start with a pilot group of socially active staff to act as brand ambassadors. Once you iron out the kinks, roll it out wider. You need to motivate employees to keep the momentum going. This could be through gamification, recognition in company meetings, or small incentives. Encouraging employees consistently is key to longevity.

Good examples of employee advocacy

What does this look like in practice? A successful employee advocacy program yields diverse output.

The "Day in the life" post

Instead of a polished corporate video, an employee shares a photo of their desk setup or a team lunch. This is employee-generated content at its best. It offers an authentic look at your engaged workforce that resonates with job seekers.

The subject matter expert (SME)

A technical lead writes a post offering their take on a new piece of legislation or technology, linking back to a Hays report for more detail. This highlights the company’s expertise through the lens of an individual expert.

The event amplifier

During a conference or networking event, your attendees share live updates, photos, and key takeaways using a company hashtag. This floods the feed with your brand presence, making it look like your organisation dominates the event.

The culture carrier

When employees feel proud of their workplace, they share it. An example is a team member posting about a recent promotion or an award. This validates your claims about career progression and support.

How to measure employee advocacy

Measuring employee advocacy is key to understanding its impact and improving your strategies. By tracking metrics and using advanced tools, you can assess how employees enhance your brand’s visibility and reputation.

Here are some tips to guide you:

Evaluate social media engagement: Track likes, shares, comments, and mentions generated by employees' posts. High engagement rates on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram show that their advocacy resonates with a wider audience.
Monitor brand reach: Use analytics tools to measure the reach of shared company-related content. Look for metrics such as the number of impressions or views to quantify how far your message is spreading.
Leverage AI for sentiment analysis: Incorporate AI-powered tools to analyse the tone and sentiment of what employees are sharing. AI can quickly scan posts, comments, and mentions to assess whether the overall perception of your brand is positive, neutral, or negative.
Conduct employee surveys: Periodically survey employees to gauge their comfort level and enthusiasm in promoting the company. Their feedback will help you identify gaps in your advocacy program and areas for improvement.
Track recruitment metrics: Employee advocacy can significantly impact recruitment. Measure how many candidates attribute their decision to apply based on employee recommendations or content shared by your team.

Creating your own employee advocacy program

Whether you use sophisticated employee advocacy software or a simple email digest of shareable links, the principle remains the same. You're empowering employees to be the voice of your brand.

By implementing these strategies, you create a marketing engine that runs on authenticity. It turns your biggest asset, your people, into your biggest promoters. Whether you’re promoting your business or actively hiring, Hays is here to help.