The growing use of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram has resulted in a new type of sales strategy: influencer marketing. Popular in the retail industry, influencer marketing uses product mentions and endorsements from people who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. These influencers have built up their own personal following with a high amount of trust, so recommendations from them can boost your own brand’s customer base.
So, how can industries outside of retail use this type of social media marketing? It’s easier than you may think! You already have a wealth of influencers at your disposal… your employees.
Here are ways you can use your employees as social online advocates:
Use their network to build yours.
Just like influencers paid to push products on their platforms, your employees have their own following of friends and family who trust what they have to say. Their following is more likely to listen to your messaging through their own words.
Don’t be afraid to ask your employees to use their network to build your own!
Build an online group or community for your employees.
Most social media platforms have the ability to create groups or communities you can invite like-minded people to join. For example, a lot of small retail operations create groups and invite their friends and family to be involved in exclusive sales or product offerings. These people then invite their friends and family to join in on the fun.
If your business isn’t in retail, build an online community for your employees and industry connections, and they can then invite others to this niche network.
Show public appreciation for your employees.
When your company accomplishes a milestone or completes a big project, it can be easy to say thank you in an email. Next time, go one step further and tell your online following how hard your employees work! For example, LinkedIn has a feature where you can send Kudos to your connections that are viewable to the public.
This act of public appreciation shows your employees that you truly care, but they are more apt to share your post with their own network. This go a long way to boost the morale of your workforce and the number of your online following.
Encourage video testimonials.
Human interest stories are always going to perform well on social media. After all, people love authentic stories. You can provide your online network with educational and “insider insight” directly from your employees by encourage them to record short video testimonials to post on social media. They can explain why they love your company and why they choose to stay, then tag your company’s profile to the post when they publish.
We know not everyone likes to be on camera, so make it fun for them, too! Give your employees a challenge and an incentive – for example, the person to get the most “likes” on their video testimonial receives a gift card to their favorite restaurant or store.
Using your employees as advocates and influencers for your business can also be a great way to show off your company culture. The fact that your employees want to speak on their experiences and provide insight about your company in a very public way speaks volumes to your online network. Your followers see that your employees believe in your company culture and want others to share in it, too!
Subscribe to our blog for more workforce management advice. If you need help adding to your existing advocate pool, contact the experts at The Reserves Network! We’ll help you choose the right staffing program for your needs.