Employee Advocacy <5% Why employees are the next big thing and how you can implement your own Employee Advocacy Program.

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1 Employee Advocacy Why employees are the next big thing and how you can implement your own Employee Advocacy Program SPEAKERS: Bernie Charland thinktwice communications Amanda Turner ClearChange Communications Employee Advocacy Definition: Mobilizing trained employees to share approved content through employee-owned social channels to engage consumers, family and peers in support of the brand 1,000,000 Facebook Fans: 1M Fans X 1.5% Brand s posts are seen by fans = 15,010 reach Individuals in an employee s social network Individuals in a corporate brand s social network <5% External POV: Boosts Sales and Profile Why Should Companies care? External POV: Amplify your marketing 52% of consumers trust the comments of an average employee, 2x more than they trust a company s ceo 84% of people trust recommendations from friends and family above other forms of marketing. 8X content shared by employees receives 8X more engagement compared with content shared by the company. *1, Edelman Trust Barometer *2 Nielsen Advocates are more powerful than fans 135 Advocates: 135 Advocates X 338 Facebook friends X 33% of friends see their post = 15,210 reach 12x increase in brand advocacy drives 2X increase in revenue growth. 1 57% socially engaged companies are 57% more likely to get increased sales leads. 2 1 National Business Research Institute 2 LinkedIn/Altimeter Study Internal POV: Advocacy Drives Engagement 58% socially engaged companies are 58% more likely to attract top talent. 20% socially engaged employees are 20% more likely to stay at a company. 1-2 LinkedIn/Altimeter Study

2 Employee Advocacy 2 Internal POV: Engagement Drives Business 20% of employees at socially engaged companies are more likely to stay inspired. 1 27% of employees at socially engaged companies are more likely to be optimistic about the company s future. 2 First access to exclusive content Focus on enabling and empowering employees 2x Engaged employees are 2x as productive. 3 80% Engaged employees are responsible for up to 80% of customer satisfaction Dynamic Signal; 3-4 David MacLeod & Nita Clarke Internal POV: Engagement Drives Retention 20% of employees at socially engaged companies are more likely to stay at their companies. 1 26% of employees say they are likely to leave their employer within the next two years Gallup Survey 2 Towers Watson 2014 Global Workforce Study and 2014 Global Talent Management and Rewards Study Case Studies #TargetScoop Program Goals: Brand awareness Store traffic (online and physical) Inspire company-wide adoption Make participation easy & rewarding for employees Provide one-stop shop for content Encourage social media use and drive digital traffic Mitigate risks; provide freedom within a framework Program Highlights: Beta group of 300 Focus on products, CSR In-person, webinar training Launched at annual meeting Brand safe content kept fresh Rich variety of topics, formats Recognition programs (swag) #IBM Program Highlights: Launched 2014 with 200 SMEs Goal: tools to amplify company content, messages Created GetSocialHub portal Crowd-sourced SM guidelines Gave staff choice of roles Use coaches to support staff Recognition includes photo nods leaderboard (shares, Klout scores) Track, measure and reward top advocates Mobile, web apps help advocates easily find, share content Impact: 146K shares * 1,357 shares per day (90 day average) * 188 million impressions * 1.44 million impressions per day (90 day average) * Estimate 600K website clicks * Cost: $300K vs. $1.2 million Program has grown to 6,000 (300 very active members)

3 Employee Advocacy 3 Employee Advocacy Programs: Crucial or Contrived? Do companies really have to pre-package content? Can t advocacy just happen? We re transparent We re a leader How to Build a Program in 7 Steps 50% of employees are already active on social media and sharing about their employer 1 12% of companies offer formalized social media training 2 55% of employees are worried they ll get in trouble at work if they are active on social media 3 44% of employees are unsure about what they re allowed to share on social media 4 1 Weber Shandwick 2 Altimeter 3-4 SocialChorus Waiting for a Green Light 95% of employees would use a mobile app for company communication if provided. 87% of employees see career benefits from professional sharing. 93% of employees say employees would be good advocates for the company brand. The New Rules of Employee Advocacy: The 2015 Enterprise Employee Engagement Report Dimensional Research and SocialChorus Advocacy Sends a Message To Employees: Your ideas matter We trust you We appreciate your loyalty We support your personal brand We believe in our brand, company To Consumers: We re listening We live our values We re part of conversation We trust our employees 1. Develop a plan Identify which business objectives your employee advocacy program can support > Increase sales leads > Recruit and retain top talent > Strengthen brand equity > Reinforce CSR efforts > Build thought leadership credibility > Improve customer service > Strengthen internal culture Clearly define a social media policy, strategy Assign dedicated staff, resources Determine appropriate technology platform 2. Identify and Invite Social-Savvy Employees Identify Employees with significant social networks who are brand cheerleaders > Internal knowledge > Social listening systems Employees who are in SME and/or customer-facing roles and accustomed to promoting the company > Marketing, PR, Communications, Customer Service, Sales

4 Employee Advocacy 4 Invite Initial group is by invitation only Program is 100% voluntary Sent from an executive sponsor Benefits to employees: > Recognition from Sr. leadership > Strengthen personal and professional brand > Training and development > New products and swag Include information about training session Incent enrollment 3. Train Advocates In-person, webinar or video Simple and straight-forward > Describe the program and benefits > Social media 101 (platforms & demographics) > Explain how advocates will participate (#Program) > Detail compliance what is and is not allowed Underscore the value advocates bring by participating Have employees sign terms & conditions

5 Employee Advocacy 5 4. Launch Pilot Program employees, depending upon size of company ~3 months Solicit feedback Identify any underlying cultural conflicts Test technology Express appreciation! 6. Monitor and Measure Monitor Monitor activity daily > What type of content is being shared? > Who is sharing? > How are friends and family engaging with content? > Ensure technology is working > Make most valuable employee content available Measure # of active advocates Reach/ exposure to new audience Most popular content > Employees > Consumers Link to business metrics Total engagements 5. Spread the Word Internally Promote using internal social channels Encourage core advocates to recruit Identify a small group of champions to promote program Provide training on social media for less socially-savvy employees > e.g. LinkedIn workshop 7. Expand the Program Ultimately, the power of the program is determined by the number of active advocates On average, only 30% of employees are engaged > Aim for 10-30% participation rate

6 Employee Advocacy 6 Content is King Post 6-12 new short content pieces/week > employees pick and chose which are meaningful to them Content should > support program objectives > be compelling to employees > be easy to create and/or share > be relevant to consumers, friends and family 70% industry or employee content/30% branded content Sticky attributes: > Timely, tie to emotion, practical value, stories, visual content Mitigating Risks Clearly defined social media policy User-friendly training More difficult to monitor employee outreach without a program and policies (Program #) Authenticity No Hype No Fluff No Dishonesty No Hiding Culture Check: Authenticity is Critical To be effective long-term, employee advocacy programs must authentically align with the company culture/brand and employee interests. Employee advocacy program can only work if Has ongoing commitment Sustained during good times and bad Avoids marketing hard sell Platform allows multi-directional outreach, sharing Allow employees to choose the role, content that fits their skills and interests Effort is coordinated and aligned with other SM programs Outreach is guided by data evaluation, analysis Barriers to success Reality Check: Barriers to Success Low employee engagement, morale Lack of social infrastructure > Technology platforms, cultural acceptance Restrictive social media policies Uneven regulatory compliance Lack of robust data/information security Lackluster corporate content Marketing vs. conversation Limited employee recognition Uneven and uncoordinated social programs If your employees aren t your biggest fans, you ve got bigger problems than social media. Jay Baer, Author of Youtility Technology Easy plug-and-play platforms with cost options Technology can come with IT support, counsel on request Robust planning, tracking and analytics capabilities Key Takeaways Your workforce is an untapped conversation engine Employee advocacy drives employee engagement Results will be measureable, yielding direct impact on your brand The biggest risk is doing nothing at all