With the evergrowing prominence of social media, tapping into employees’ social networks should be considered by companies of all sizes.

1. PRESENTS
THE STAGGERING
EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE
INFLUENCE

2. The Staggering Effects of Employee Influence
With the evergrowing prominence of social media, tapping
into employees’ social networks should be considered by
companies of all sizes. As with influencer marketing,
companies are drawing on their employees to create
content and leveraging the power of their employees’
followings to further their reach more organically.
The new wave of employee influence is centered around all
social media platforms, where corporate brands are
attempting to launch their marketing initiatives through their
employees.

3. What is Employee Influence?
What is employee advocacy, and what are employee influencers? In its simplest form, employee advocacy is
the promotion of a company or an organization through its employees. An employee influencer is one who
creates on-brand content and pushes it out via social media.
There are various steps along the employee influencer journey, and not every employee within your organization
will be the ideal influencer. Some may not have/use social media, and those that do may not have the social
following to justify an advocacy program. However, you should take into account that you may already have your
next engagement-driving blog writer just waiting to display their talent!
Step in your most socially active and creative employees. The ones who are already talking about
your company and are highly active on social media. Perhaps they are contributing to your
blog or Instagram page. These employees are already generating engagement on their posts, and
are the superstar employees that will prove to be an invaluable resource.

4. SO YOU KNOW
WHAT IT IS, WHY
SHOULD YOU CARE?

5. Maximize Content Reach
Employee influence is one of the most effective and
organic ways to maximize your brand presence and
content reach. LinkedIn tells us that in 2019, just 3%
of employees share company content onto their
LinkedIn pages, but these posts alone drive a 30%
increase in engagement. The average percentage of
employees that sign up to an advocacy platform is
somewhere between 20-30%. When correctly
implemented, there’s vast potential to expand this
organic reach.
Organic Reach
Studies also show that consumers are more likely to
be influenced by people they know compared to
branded marketing. Thus sharing through your
employees is statistically more effective than sharing
through your corporate pages. Social Media
Today reported that 79% of people say user-
generated content profoundly impacts their
purchasing decisions.

6. LinkedIn’s Changing Landscape
Another factor to take into consideration is the rise of LinkedIn and the ever-
changing content seen on the platform. Gone are the days of using LinkedIn as
a virtual CV that you only used Monday to Friday. LinkedIn has become much
more of a social tool and a platform to promote your brand. In 2019, LinkedIn
reported that views in the LinkedIn feed are up 60% from 2018.

7. Hiring Opportunities
Having influencers advocating for your company can have
significant effects on hiring opportunities. When employees are
regularly talking about your company’s culture, your hiring pool
expands, and you’re more likely to attract top candidates.
What better way to find out what it’s like to work for a company
than hearing from the employees themselves?
Hiring is never a cheap nor easy process; a recent report from
Glassdoor states that 76% of hiring decision-makers say
attracting quality candidates is their biggest challenge.

8. Hiring Opportunities
Employee influencers posting job opportunities directly to their
social media communities is a more proactive and cost-effective
way of filling a position. ‘Someone like yourself’ is seen as much
more suitable than a CEO or board of directors, according to
the Edelman Trust Barometer 2018. Don’t just take our word for it,
the statistics speak for themselves:
Companies that invest in employer branding are three times
more likely to hire quality candidates (Brandon Hall Group)
Employee referrals account for only 7% of all applicants
but 70% of all hires (Influencer Marketing Hub)
75% of hiring decision-makers say it’s easier to attract top talent
when they know about your organization (Glassdoor)

9. HOW CAN YOU ENCOURAGE
EMPLOYEES TO SHARE?

10. How can you encourage employees to share?
So now that you know the benefits of getting your employees to
share your content, how do you encourage them to do it? In a
word: incentivize.
Using leaderboards within your advocacy platform is a great way
to get employees sharing your content, you’ll likely find that your
employees are more competitive than you realize!
Offering rewards via a points system can also be an incentive for
employees to share more. Prizes as simple as Amazon vouchers
can get people sharing, but try to get creative, offering your
products as prizes can be an excellent way to get them talking
about your brand even after they’ve won!

11. How can you encourage employees to share?
Looking to showcase some image-based content? Offer your employees the chance
to submit their photos and videos to be featured on your company accounts.
Recognition goes a long way too, and who knows, they might just see an influx of
followers themselves!
It’s worth mentioning here how sharing and creating company content can boost your
personal brand on social media, especially on LinkedIn. Think of LinkedIn as a
platform to showcase your knowledge and expertise in your field. People are more
likely to engage with someone who they believe to be a real thought leader in their
space. You’ll see an increase in interactions, and your network will begin to grow.
Ultimately, the essential factor in getting your employees to create and share on
behalf of your brand is good company culture. It’s all well and good having rewards
up for grabs, but people aren’t as likely to praise a company they don’t enjoy working
for. Good/productive company culture is not something that can be achieved
overnight, so it’s worth getting a feel for this before launching your advocacy program
or trying to find influencers within your ranks.

12. EMPLOYEE INFLUENCERS
IN ACTION

13. ASOS
Employee influencers are at the forefront of marketing at the moment, but the concept has been around for longer
than you might think. A brand that has successfully championed this idea is e-commerce giant ASOS.
ASOS launched its ‘#ASOSInsiders’ campaign a few years ago, which brilliantly blends influencer marketing and
employee advocacy to create their very own employee influencers. The “Insiders” are a group of stylish young people
with significant followings on social media, namely Instagram, who post fashion tips and outfit ideas and then link
products to ASOS.com.

14. Huawei
Another company that has successfully launched an employee influencer
program is Huawei, who started a program in 2018. They rolled out the
platform across Western Europe with DSMN8.
Within a year, their users generated over 75 million impressions through
the platform and saw an 82% adoption rate. Huawei successfully
transitioned into a company where employees are eager to share branded
content.
The company has also identified ‘super users’ within each market. These are
employees who regularly share content and are seen as ‘highly influential’
through the engagement they receive. In doing so, these employees have
grown their personal brands and are on their way to becoming thought
leaders.
Check out the full Huawei success story here.

15. Starbucks
A shining example of a company that adopted employee influence
early is Starbucks. The caffeine giant has long recognized the
power of its employees, whom the company refers to as
‘Partners’.
Starbucks launched ‘Starbucks Partners’ accounts on various social
media channels, which offer employees the chance to post photos,
start discussions, and interact with other employees. By giving
employees this sense of responsibility, Starbucks promotes a
sense of belonging for posting on behalf of the company.
The accounts are publically available, which gives the company a
perfect opportunity to showcase their company culture, which
remains an invaluable asset for both staff retention and hiring
opportunities.

16. To learn about employee influencers, or if you're
thinking of starting your own employee
influencer program, click here to get in contact.