How to Operationalise Employees to Support Brand Storytelling
One content marketing programme that can produce authentic results is an employee advocacy programme where workers tell the stories about the good thing the organisation is doing. These personalised stories usually come in the form of long-form content, like posts on the corporate blog, the LinkedIn blogging network, or other professional networking sites. An effective employee advocacy programme will prove successful by building a kinship between the company’s brand, products, people, customers, and partners.
Turning employees into authors
Generating content can be a challenge for companies and organisations. But within the ranks of these businesses are the key to generating engaging stories and create high-quality content. All organisations have experts that can tell their stories, their ideas and relay experiences that can provide unique value to readers. Employee advocates can give an organisation a competitive advantage. By resharing the organisation’s social media posts, blogs, or marketing content, employees can add a personalisation to your brand that makes an impact.
Here are some methods that can help employees develop quality, engaging content:
Encourage the content to focus on the target audience. This isn’t an opportunity for employees to tell their life story. It’s better for employee content to incorporate how the product or service provides benefits for the public.
Let employees choose the format that best fits their talents and interests. Some are writers, others prefer video. Some will want to write short, concise posts, others will want to go long with e-books or whitepapers.
Create competitive pressures. Since content is measured for its performance to guide market performance, this analytical data can also be used to help spur a rivalry between your employee content producers. Adding incentives like rewards and benefits can help ratchet up the competition.
Leadership sets the tone
To get employees behind an advocacy programme. the organisation’s leadership must set the tone. This is true no matter the size of the organisation. The brand’s theme and message should be reflected throughout all parts of the business or organisation, including:
Internal emails.
Employee newsletters.
Organisation intranet.
Promotional videos.
Company websites.
Voicemails.
Slideshow presentations.
Make the information available
For employees to get the message out there, they have to know where to get it. Make sure all brand messaging materials are easily accessible and that they know where to access it. Holding company “town hall” meetings between leadership, staff and workers can give the employees an opportunity to ask questions and hone the message, making them better able to relay it on their own social networks.
Buy into the brand
Give employees opportunities to buy into the brand. Make t-shirts, stickers, artwork, videos, and other materials available that allow them to actively participate in the brand narrative your company is developing. Volunteer projects are another company activity that can encourage employees to help with brand building activity.
Encouraging participation
One way to help employees be an effective ambassadors for a brand is to let them share original information that hasn’t yet been posted through the organisation’s social media accounts. Likewise, employees who proactively share posts that boost brand recognition should be rewarded. While, obviously, monetary bonuses are the best way to show appreciation, they aren’t the only way. Other options include:
Internal recognition, like employee of the month or reserved parking.
Extra time off.
Gift certificates.
Exclusive access to organisation events.
Special training.
Creating better employees
Advocacy marketing can create a great association between the employee and the organisation. They’ll know more about the workings of the business, help raise general enthusiasm about projects and events, show improved morale and possibly even become more involved with planning and decision making.
Launching an advocacy programme through KINSHIP
Integrating an employee marketing or ambassadorship programme can be challenging for an organisation. KINSHIP can help companies launch an employee marketing campaigns that will broaden the brand narrative’s reach and appeal, while creating better cohesion within the organisation. The benefits of a KINSHIP Employee Advocacy programme include:
Advice, training and motivation for brand storytelling and narrative development.
Messaging guidelines to keep the narrative on point.
Integration of operation and management tools that make participation easy for employees.
Analytics that track data and results across platforms.
Programme audits and reviews for course correction.
Successfully integrating advance marketing programmes requires the work of professionals with experience, vision, knowledge, and capability. Through KINSHIP, organisations can build a strong brand narrative that builds a bond with the target audience and produces noticeable results.