Are your employees proud of the company? What could happen if you view your employees as brand ambassadors? How could that impact your relationship with them? How could it impact their work and professional development?
I participated in a MeetEdgar weekly Twitter chat. The discussion was about social media audits and someone suggested sharing the audit results with the entire company.
I agree you should share audit results with the company. The rate at which social media changes is difficult for any one person or small team to manage. There are benefits to sharing social media audit results.
Sharing audit results opens the door for fresh ideas and different perspectives. As social media users, what does your team experience and see in the field? Social media platforms have a tendency to roll out updates in waves so what one employee experiences online may be different than another. Encourage your team to be your eyes and ears.
- What conversations or movements are gaining popularity?
- What content or design trends do they see in images, audio, and video? (@WarJessEagle is one of my favorites.)
- Who are some of their favorite brands or influencers to follow?
Features of new and legacy social platforms favor building relationships with individuals.
People build relationships with people not brands. Successful businesses know this. This is why you see founder profiles, influencers, commission-based sales, affiliate-based marketing, and customer retention specialists built into their growth strategy. We buy from people we like AND trust. Those people should include your employees.
How do employees talk about your company online?
Your employees talk about their work to friends and family. A majority of adults have social media profiles. There is a good chance they talk about work online too. What is the story they tell about your brand?
As a leader, how can you create experiences or moments at work they want to talk about?
Here are ideas to encourage employees as brand ambassadors.
Employees as Brand Advocates and Key to Purpose and Experience: If a company does not invest and treat its employees well it will be very challenged on both the experience front (angry, tired, and worried employees do not deliver great products or experiences) but also any purpose statement rings hollow if you cannot look after your own people.
We will soon understand that even more important than net promoter scores of customers are the net joy scores of employees.
Dawn of a New Era: Re-Invented Marketing
First Day of Employment
First impressions count. How do you welcome them to the team? Your enthusiasm as a leader is contagious. If you’re excited, they will be excited and so will the rest of the team.
Company-branded attire and office supplies are a great way to create a shareable experience. You don’t have to break the bank to create an experience. Simple and thoughtful gestures such as balloons, a personal card, and snacks work well. For remote employees, send them a welcome package.
Anniversary
Employee retention is one of the best financial returns for your company. Their work anniversary should be celebrated. How do you thank them for their commitment and contributions to the team?
The recognition can vary depending on the years of service. Larger milestones (3, 5, 10 years) bring bigger rewards. I know a company that sent flowers to a spouse to thank them for their support during the employee’s 20 years of service. Not only does this create an amazing experience for the employee, but their family shares it too!
A post shared by Cultivate What Matters (@cultivatewhatmatters) on Jun 24, 2019 at 2:18pm PDT
Performance
Your employees want to excel in their work! They want to be seen and appreciated for their contributions to the team and your company? How do you recognize their efforts and results?
A post shared by Shannon Clark (@_shannon_clark) on Jul 3, 2019 at 4:37pm PDT
Personal Days
As team members juggle work and personal life there is a lot of overlap. Do you see them just as employees or as multifaceted individuals? How do you recognize an employee’s life milestones such as birthdays, weddings, and new babies? How do you help them cope with challenges? How are you helping them adapt to remote work? Small notes of celebration or encouragement go a long way!
Team
Team outings for events, retreats, summits, trade shows, and training are great opportunities to capture memorable moments. When team members are outside the office the dynamic is different and people tend to relax more. Even now while many teams are working remotely I see shared photos of virtual happy hours and retreats.
Thanks @donnamondiinteriordesign for the most amazing NYC trip ever ❤️ #nyc #designers
A post shared by Sara (@hamptonsara) on May 21, 2019 at 8:00pm PDT
Last Day of Employment
Losing an employee is bittersweet. You are sad to lose a valuable team member, and also happy for their growth.
Unfortunately, too many companies are ambivalent about an employee leaving. This leaves a bad taste in their mouth especially after the hard work and contributions they’ve made.
Instead, how can you thank them for their service? What did they contribute to the company and the team? Write them a letter of recommendation or leave a referral on their LinkedIn profile.
Uses for Clubhouse and Spaces
Some of the uses below can be shared across the team regardless of title. The key is to encourage conversations instead of using it as a microphone. Reminder to treat Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces as public forums, even if rooms are private. Don’t discuss anything you don’t want to be shared publicly.
- Interview B2B clients and discuss case use.
- Interview customers with transformation stories.
- Host live events for launches or product drops.
- Forum for feedback on prototypes and roadmaps.
- Forum for product care.
- Panel to discuss best practices for service.
- Customer delight to discuss upcoming holiday season, gifting, shipping tips.
- Q&A to share how a product is paired with complementary items.
Hiring managers can use rooms as recruiting open houses. It creates an opportunity to share company values, different roles, company culture, benefits, and answer questions. You can host a panel with current employees who can share their experiences.
Best Practices for Employees as Brand Ambassadors
The key is to create experiences your employees want to talk about. Review your company’s social media policies. Create a best practices document to discuss how to share company moments while allowing room for individual creativity across platforms.
- List shareable events and moments.
- Define confidential events and moments.
- Sample templates for posts.
- Social media handles for tagging.
- Gallery of shareable photos after events.
Include your team in creating a hashtag for specific moments.
“accounts would be used for building relationships with customers, share their behind-the-scenes view of the brand, and their unique styling or tips to sell products or services”
Use Individual Brand Accounts to Better Serve Customers
PRIVACY REMINDER: If you are capturing, recording, and/or sharing photos or videos of your team, make sure you have their written permission on file. Respecting their privacy is important to your relationship.
Your Turn
How else can employees be brand ambassadors?
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