The Employee Advantage
Contributed by Idea Collective Member:
Mary Murray
Social Media Strategist
How Your Team Can Drive Organic Social Media Growth.
Social media is an essential part of business. It enables companies to reach a vast audience and showcase their brand, products, and services. When a company is consistently active on social media, it can increase its brand visibility and reach potential customers who may not have heard of them otherwise. Let’s explore how your employees have the potential to contribute to these objectives!
What is organic social media growth?
Organic social media growth is growth without paid advertising. It is free, but it does take time and effort.
Before we dig into how your team can help grow your pages organically, here are some organic social growth tips:
- Post consistent, high-quality content that is valuable, informative, entertaining, and visually appealing.
- Utilize a mix of formats, from images and videos to infographics and PDF slide shows.
- Optimize your profiles and posts with keywords and hashtags.
- Engage with your audience by actively responding to comments, messages, and mentions.
- Cross-promote your social media presence on multiple platforms.
- Encourage and empower your employees to become brand advocates.
Leverage Employee Advocacy
First, let’s define employee advocacy. Employee advocacy is the practice of promoting and representing the company’s brand, products, and services on social media and other platforms. It includes employees sharing and engaging in company social media content, participating in conversations, and acting as advocates for the organization.
There are several reasons why employee advocacy is essential:
1. AUTHENTICITY AND TRUST
Employees are often seen as genuine and credible sources of information. When they share company content, it adds a personal touch and builds trust in their network. This can lead to a positive perception of the company brand and an increase in engagement with the company’s social media posts.
2. EXPANDED REACH AND EXPOSURE
The reach of company content can significantly increase when employees share it with their own networks and connections. Sharing the content exposes it to a broader audience, increasing the likelihood of reaching potential customers who may not yet follow the company’s pages directly.
3. RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYER BRANDING
When employees champion their company on social media, it positively affects the company brand. Prospective employees who see engaged and enthusiastic employees sharing their experiences are likelier to perceive the company as a great workplace. This can differentiate a company from competitors.
4. ENGAGEMENT AND CULTURE
Employee advocacy fosters a sense of pride, ownership, and employee engagement. It creates a positive company culture where employees feel connected to the brand’s mission. They are more likely to share company content if they are engaged.
5. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE
Employees who actively participate in industry-related discussions and share valuable insights position themselves as experts. This establishes thought leadership and credibility in the industry while enhancing the company’s reputation.
6. ALGORITHMS AND ENGAGEMENT
Likes—Comments—Shares—When an employee “likes” a company post, the social media platform’s algorithm sometimes recognizes the like. When they like it, the algorithm decides that other people may find it valuable, too, and could show it to more people.
Algorithms love to see comments! Employee comments can kickstart conversations and discussions on posts. The algorithms often prioritize posts that generate active and meaningful conversations. Employees engaging with content by leaving thoughtful comments encourages others to join the conversation. This increased engagement can further enhance the performance of your posts.
When company posts are shared or reposted, they appear in the news feeds of more people, giving your page the opportunity for more followers.
How Can You Leverage Employee Advocacy at Your Organization?
- Create a social media policy and include guidelines.
- Provide them guidance and resources to ensure they effectively represent the company’s values and messaging. Let them know what is appropriate and what is not.
- Encourage and empower your employees to become brand advocates by sharing and promoting company content on their personal social media accounts.
- Recognize and reward them for social media engagement to show a culture of participation and enthusiasm.
- Remember that employee engagement should be voluntary and aligned with their comfort levels. Not all employees will feel comfortable or confident in engaging with company social media posts. Voluntary engagement will result in more genuine and thoughtful interactions.
Open communication, clear guidelines, and ongoing feedback can help establish expectations where employees feel empowered to engage voluntarily.
Leveraging employee advocacy is a strategic approach to growing social platforms organically. By encouraging employee engagement, you can tap into their authenticity, expand your reach and build trust with your audience.
Contributed by
Mary Murray
Social Media Strategist
Mary supports high-growth B2B companies with social media strategy, page management, and LinkedIn advertising while creating brand awareness and building relationships with their audiences. She keeps up with the constant social media changes so they can focus on other business areas.
