Why Your Employee Advocacy Program Isn’t Working: Part 2

More and more organizations are beginning to understand the importance of an employee advocacy platform. Especially when it comes to increasing visibility and preparing for the needs of a highly connected world.

Employee advocacy helps channel the expertise and enthusiasm of employees into postitive brand awareness, both online and beyond. It can improve the public perception, and help with public relations, sales, and even recruitment. However, the road to creating a successful advocacy program can be rocky. And it’s easy to get lost along the way without the right roadmap and tools.

Last week, we discussed three of the top pitfalls that can dog any employee advocacy program. This week we continue to explore some of the biggest obstacles to launching and sustaining a successful employee advocacy program.

You’re Not Promoting Your Employee Advocacy Program

Employees won’t participate in a program that they know nothing about. You need to promote your program both before it launches, and continually throughout its lifespan.

Everyone needs to feel included in the initiative. Everyone has to be involved. Here are a few steps to make sure your program  creates the buzz and direction it needs.

Build the Excitement

Sending out teaser emails and launching a pilot program can help create buzz around your program before you do a company-wide launch. Teasers will garner interest, while your pilot participants can get more reticent employees on board through demonstrating the ease and benefits of your program. Give them an incentive. Show the value and make it exciting.

Find out new ideas about when announcing an employee advocacy program.

Create Visibility

However, once your employee advocacy platform is launched, you can’t rest on your laurels. You need to internally promote it on a continual basis as well.

Remember: the attention of your employees is split among different tasks. If your program isn’t promoted, it becomes easier for employees to ignore or forget completely. Additionally, your employee advocacy program must be seen in order for your employees to prioritize and invest in it.

Find the Right Platform

Using an employee advocacy platform that makes internal communication simple, is an easy solution to any visibility problem that may arise. Platform functions such newsletters, allow you to send regular updates and reminders to post with ease.

Additionally, you can tap into gamification tools and promote the campaigns you create. Promoting campaigns and challenges allows you to bring visibility to your program without it seeming as if you are continually pushing your employees to post.

Use Gamification to Boost Engagement

One imporant technique for building engagement and motivation is through gamification. That is, contests, awards, and badges to give employees recognition for their participation in the program.

After all, employees don’t get paid to be engaged or be aware of what’s happening at their company. Sometimes, a little extra enticement is needed. And it can be fun! A company-wide contest doesn’t just increase engagement, it can also boost morale.

You’re Not Tracking the Numbers

Now that you’ve started promoting your program, you need to be able to track its success. This is key. Being aware of and understanding your numbers allows you to see what parts of your program are working and what parts are struggling. Tracking your numbers can seem overwhelming, and many organizations aren’t sure what to measure or how to quantify success. 

To simplify the task, and to eliminate guesswork, you can try using a platform that gives you the tools to measure your program analytics. The wealth of information provided by such a tool can help you understand what types of content are the most engaging, how employees react to certain incentives, and the impact on your brands overall reach.

You’re Not Keeping a Schedule

Building a successful employee advocacy program takes time and work. It is also a continual process that requires promoting and measuring. Don’t expect results to happen overnight. You will need a calendar to set goals and measure KPIs. Frequent meetings to keep administrators up to speed. Scheduled events to train and educate staff.

It’s a journey that requires dedication and discipline to reach the desired destination. But, by making it a regular part of your organization’s activities, promoting its use, and tracking what works, you will create the foundations for a program that will offer continual success.

Find the Best Technology for Your Program

Sociabble offers a comprehensive employee advocacy solution, backed up by a cutting-edge online platform coupled with a proven methodology. To date, Sociabble has worked with dozens of companies in over 80 countries around the world, including global leaders like Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, BNP Paribas, L’Oreal, L’Occitane, and Group Renault.

We know what it takes for companies to succeed in social selling, as demonstrated by our track record of success.