For most organisations, regardless of their size, social media have become a fundamental channel to communicate with the outside world. They provide an innovative vehicle to deliver customer service, marketing campaigns, promotions etc. If until recently it was all about ‘being present’ on social media, now it is about the engagement which helps your brand gain a competitive advantage. Some organisations have known this for a while, they have created social media departments and started using engagement platforms. Those who do not take advantage of social media’s potentials might face serious consequences for their businesses, such as losing market share to the competition, staying behind the innovation and neglecting an important marketing and sales niche.
Employee amplification is one of the strategies for social media engagement that brings consistent results. In order to understand why this will work, think about these easy questions. Who has a direct interest in the profitability, hence success of the brand? Who is constantly engaged in the development and has a deep knowledge about the brand? Who is interested in receiving extra bonuses and praise for basically ‘just doing their job’? It is hard to find many people who would have a long-term interest in the promotion and development of the brand unless they directly work for it. Therefore, employees are those important assets that should be put at the forefront of the brand’s social media strategy. How can brands convincingly communicate through social media to their existing and potential customers if they cannot even engage their own employees?
Let’s look at the advantages of employee amplification through social media for both brands and employees.
Benefits for Brands:
1) It improves social media, marketing, promotion and brand awareness strategies while tracking results through the employee engagement leader board.
2) It increases employees’ motivation, productivity and healthy internal competition.
3) It generates leads and multiply discussions with prospects on social media. Numbers don’t lie: 53 % of B2B buyers follow social discussions about vendors they are considering*.
Benefits for Employees:
1) It boosts self-expression and help employees become brand ambassadors, individuals whose opinion will be heard by industry peers, co-workers, customers, senior management, business partners.
2) It creates a system where employees can receive bonuses, praise and awards for their engagement.
3) It positively affect productivity and performance. Numbers don’t lie: Gallop 2012 study concluded that highly engaged employees have 3.9 times the earning per share compared to their peers.
Employee amplification through social media gives brand an opportunity to be promoted by the people who are most interested in its promotion. While employees become brand ambassadors, each individual becomes a trustworthy voice behind the brand.
* http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/12/myth-busting-social-media-marketing/
