Employee advocacy is a powerful tool to amplify your brand’s voice through the people who know it best—your employees. It’s not just about getting key content in front of employees; it’s about creating a program that encourages them to actively share and engage with it. When done right, employee advocacy can increase your brand’s reach, build credibility, and foster deeper engagement.
But like any good strategy, it requires structure and intention. We recommend establishing a cadence for employee reshares, aligning it with key content pillars, and making sure employees are well-prepared through internal communication.
Building the Foundation
At a high level, a successful employee advocacy program might look like this:
- 1-2 posts per month: Focus on company news and sustainability—topics that are both timely and important.
- Legal-approved content: Ensure the language is appropriate and compliant with company policies.
- Employee social media handbook: Update it with clear guidelines on how employees can share content. Can they add their own captions? Can they share their own content when discussing the company? These are important questions to address upfront.
By creating a predictable cadence, employees can anticipate the types of content they’ll be asked to share, and the rhythm makes it easier for them to engage consistently without feeling overwhelmed.
Table Setting & Ongoing Support
Rolling out the program to employees during an all-hands meeting is crucial for alignment and buy-in. Take 15-20 minutes to walk through the program, explain the benefits for both the company and the employees, and answer any questions. This sets the stage and ensures everyone is on the same page from the start.
Next, maintain momentum with an email series. Send out monthly emails for at least three months to highlight the program, include shoutouts for employees who are actively participating, and remind everyone of key points. It’s a great way to keep the initiative top of mind without overwhelming them.
Avoid Overuse: Less Is More
Just because platforms like Facebook’s @everyone tag or LinkedIn’s “Notify Employees” feature exist doesn’t mean we should use them all the time. Overusing these tools can actually harm your engagement.
Here’s why:
- It’s being overused: When you blast content that doesn’t resonate with your audience, they’ll start to tune you out. Over time, they may scroll right past your updates, filing you under the “not important” category.
- Content hasn’t improved: If the content isn’t meaningful, it won’t matter how many people see it—it still won’t perform well. Some posts will succeed, and others will fall flat, but if your content lacks relevance or appeal, mass notifications won’t save it.
- Audience overwhelm: The reality is, we’re all in a content overload. There’s more content than ever before, and people are increasingly selective about what they engage with. To cut through the noise, your content must be easy to digest, with clear messaging, clean visuals, and a strong call-to-action.
How to Fix It: Focus on Quality and Cadence
If your advocacy program isn’t working as well as expected, there are ways to turn it around:
- Use mass-awareness tools strategically: Save the big announcements—like product launches, webinars, or major company updates—for when they truly matter. Aim to use these tools no more than 1-2 times per month. A random meme, no matter how great, doesn’t warrant notifying your entire audience.
- Build a known cadence for employee engagement: Don’t assume employees will automatically engage with content just because they’ve been notified. We need to onboard them into a structured engagement cadence, with content they are proud to share. Use internal communications to keep them in the loop, and provide regular touchpoints to keep enthusiasm high.
- Get a second opinion: If your content isn’t hitting the mark, it might be time for a fresh perspective. We all suffer from content blindness at times, and having an expert audit your approach can uncover new ways to boost performance.
Improving Social for Everyone
An effective employee advocacy program is more than just posting content and hoping for engagement. It’s about building a sustainable strategy that empowers your employees to authentically share your brand’s message in a way that resonates with their networks. By focusing on the right cadence, meaningful content, and strategic use of notification tools, we can ensure that our efforts lead to real results.
Let’s continue to improve the social experience for everyone, starting with the people who matter most: your employees.