Employees: Be Your Company's Best Ambassador

Gone are the days when employers actively blocked employees’ access to social media accounts. For the most part, companies have realized that some waves of change are just too forceful to hold back; their employees can now be found hopping between Outlook, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp at their desks, while also attending to their ‘regular’ work. Many of these posts, tweets or photos are in fact work-related, and millions are being shared and re-shared every day across so-called 'personal' networks. Yet despite the public-facing nature of such posts - and thus the influence such connected employees have over how a company is perceived externally - many businesses are still not maximizing the positive impact members of staff can have on their reputation capital.

Engaged Employees Help Build Robust Reputations

There was a time when ‘employee loyalty’ was the be all and end all.Today though, companies should be looking at how to move employees up the value chain – from ‘just’ being loyal to a becoming a Supporter (those who feel their company is fair and share their opinion when asked); an Advocate (those who defend a brand’s reputation online and offline and show solidarity) and ultimately an Ambassador (those who proactively and consistently talk about the brand to highlight its story, who share the brand’s key messages and values).

Here are five principles companies need to be guided by in order to build a powerful army of brand Supporters, Advocates and Ambassadors:

Co-Create the Future

One day at a time, employees are helping shape a company’s story. Take it a step further and grow trust by co-creating this story with them. Ask them for opinions on new initiatives and key decisions, share stories of failure and success alike and listen. When employees feel engaged in the company’s ‘raison d’être’ their relationship with it automatically becomes more authentic and their advocacy on behalf of the company more powerful.

Communicate the Narrative

Communicating key messages around the values of your organization with employees is crucial. First ensure that your company’s narrative is impactful, and simple enough. Only then will employees absorb it into their storytelling. The right tools can make all the difference. Whether it is social media or your intranet, spark conversations about your culture and what it means to be part of your family. Ensure that your communications policies are clear and empowering, rather than restrictive in the eyes of employees.

Build a Culture of Storytelling

Whether it’s a promotion or a win, or a great experience at their workplace – each employee has a story to tell that adds to your company’s own story. You want employees to be proud of their employer and its achievements, so encourage them to build anecdotes and stories around relevant themes. And when they feel that their peers and bosses are enthusiastic about sharing their work stories, they will participate in this exercise willingly.

Shaping the Right Environment

Creating ambassadors has to start from the hiring process with companies needing to adopt full scale social recruitment strategies. Hire individuals who are aware of their role as a representative of the company and who will “live” it – right from the start. And remember that today more than ever, employees need to feel that an employer is adding value to their personal and professional lives. Highlighting volunteering and organizational development projects, offering training, global job opportunities and adding at least a dash of purpose to your existing corporate social engagement programmes will help.

Drive Behaviours

Managers have a large impact on employee motivation and enthusiasm. They need to be trained to embrace the company’s values in their daily work and cascade their goals to their teams. Communications, HR and marketing departments also need to collaborate to educate employees about and engage them with the company’s culture. Let it be known that you encourage stories to be told about your company, but bear in mind that not all employees feel comfortable sharing online. For those who are, do recognize their contributions.

As discussed in our publication, 'The Future of Reputation', the rules of engagement for businesses and brands are changing rapidly in today’s always-on world.This reality can be seen as a threat, but also a real opportunity to revisit an organization’s reputation management strategy: frankly, if you’re not inspiring your talent to be brand ambassadors, you’re missing out on low-hanging fruit.

Photo: picjumbo