Your ability to persuade your employees to be active on LinkedIn on your behalf is gold. Why? Because what employees share on LinkedIn reaches and influences far more people than the average company post.
According to LinkedIn, employees have a combined network that's 10 times larger than the company's own follower base, yet only 13% of employees actively engage on LinkedIn.
Here's what's so frustrating; employees reap huge benefits from an active LinkedIn presence. It helps them build a strong personal brand, expand their personal network, increase quality connections and grow their careers. Despite the undeniable personal benefits, marketing managers and teams, including yours truly, have struggled to persuade employees to share content on LinkedIn.
But wait, there is a way out of this conundrum. And it begins with field-proven advocacy programs that champion simple follow-up steps.
See 7 actionable tips and techniques to get your employees ambassador program working on LinkedIn.
1. Start with a clear, simple-to-follow social media company policy
I’d go so far as to say there’s no point trying to convince an employee to walk the social walk with you unless you have a common-sense policy template. To overcome hesitation, be transparent and simply spell out the legals, disclosures, hashtags and tone of voice. For inspiration, see social media policies from renowned brands such as Intel, BestBuy and Adidas.
2. Notify and encourage employees to share company posts
LinkedIn has already made employee notifications easy with an administrator's click-to-notify employees button. But use it wisely. You have only one chance a day. Employees notified about the update can then react, comment or share the post.
3. Offer guidelines for sharing hashtags and mentions
Some companies add a slack or email notification just before the company LinkedIn post goes live. I’ve seen copy-paste guidelines with the hashtags and mentions they recommend. They were added to the shared company post to amplify the message. This tactic works particularly well with sales and marketing teams.
4. Give employees feedback and recognition
Most employees are already under the pump with their own workloads, deadlines, and on-again-off-again COVID restrictions. A public thank you could help. After all, everyone loves to feel recognised. A post that acknowledges employees' contributions can make them feel valued when asked to share company news. Leveraging LinkedIn as well as internal channel posts can strengthen the connection with the company and other employees.
5. Share your company - employee milestones and ask to amplify
Lately, I’ve seen some particularly warm and fuzzy posts showing employee’s expressions of delight when they receive their on-boarding box. Videos and images showing team achievements, celebrations and organisational milestones are also trending strongly. Of course more sensitive information should be only communicated internally and adhere to internal comms policies.
6. Share LinkedIn stories showing 'Life in the day of....'
Posts and live LinkedIn stories showing a day in the life of your organisation are becoming increasingly popular. They offer a worm’s eye-view for future employees. They also offer a human touch, which can be uplifting during trying times.
To create a LinkedIn story from your company page, open the mobile app. At the top of the screen, you’ll see the Stories feed. Select your company page and open up Stories.
7. Work on live Q&A sessions
Boosting your employee’s personal brand with live Q&A sessions is another way to leverage authenticity. But before going live, consider creating a video corner that can be produced today on a lean budget. It usually begins with a mobile phone tripod or stabilizer, a video microphone and ring lighting. Check out PC Mag for the latest gear. It also pays to review LinkedIn’s dedicated go-live best practices guide which takes you through content ideas, getting started and examples.
In sum
A strong company LinkedIn ambassador program is a powerful way to build trust, authenticity and communities. Not surprisingly, an employee post about a company will garner far more credibility than any corporate brand message. But advocacy programs can only work if communicating and sharing is projected as a fun activity rather than a task. It takes a savvy marketing and internal comms team to drum up the energy, ignite that sense of fun and encourage a positive sharing platform.
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