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Amitabh Bachchan and Gujarat, Sachin Tendulakar and Boost, Michael Jordan and Nike. You get the drift, right? We associate our favourite brands with our favourite icons. The transfer of our trust in the person to the brand is a natural progression. Nothing much needs to be said. When Sachin Tendulkar says, “Boost is the secret of my energy,” that’s all that’s needed. You do not need to explain how the chemical composition of Boost helps strengthen the body in detail. Sachin and his outstanding achievements get associated with the brand. That, in short, is the power of a brand ambassador.
Traditional marketing makes use of this simple yet powerful transfer of trust. However, social media and its prevalence have given brands the ability to hone and deploy ambassadors who are much closer to home, namely, employees. In 2014, Starbucks launched its “Partner Ambassador” programme. Employees were encouraged to share stories of their favourite drinks and behind-the-scenes snippets of their lives at Starbucks. This significantly increased the company's customer engagement and brand loyalty. The added benefit of this strategy was the increase in employee morale that it engendered.
There are many such case studies where brands were able to translate the goodwill of their employees into an expanding wave of brand engagement and awareness. IBM Voices is one such programme where IBM employees are encouraged to share IBM’s innovative solutions, social responsibility initiatives and workplace culture through their personal social media handles.
By encouraging employees to become brand ambassadors and providing them the necessary tools to do so, IBM has been able to capture the attention of a much wider audience with much less effort and more credibility. That is because when ordinary employees talk about your brand, it carries credibility. It is a powerful statement in itself.
Yes, the concept of employees as brand ambassadors is a great idea. But how do you get it going and, very importantly, how do you sustain the momentum? It is a question of strategy and a viable implementation plan. As you well know, no programme runs by itself. You will need an ambassador team for the ambassador programme. Get your ambassador team in place and give them the tools to implement the programme. Here are some tips for your ambassador team.
Cultivate a strong company culture that aligns with your goals and vision
When you recruit employees to become your brand ambassadors, they should be clear on what they stand for. They should be aware of the company’s core values and principles. They should be clear about how these values and principles align with the company’s goals. They need to know how it translates into the work that they do. This, at the end of the day, defines the company’s culture.
Your employees need to speak and demonstrate your company’s culture when they represent you. So how do you make sure that the culture is all-pervasive?
Here’s where you start.
Let leadership set the tone
Culture flows from the top. So make sure to lead by example. Everything you do or say must speak to your core values and principles. When all your employees understand how what they do aligns with your core values and goals, then your culture will start permeating into your very roots.
Foster open communication
Encourage an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas, feedback and concerns. This builds trust and promotes collaboration.
Empower employees
Give employees autonomy and ownership of their work. Also, empower them to make meaningful contributions to the organisation.
Encourage Diversity and Inclusion
Create a welcoming and inclusive environment where employees from diverse backgrounds feel valued and respected.
Provide clear brand guidelines and messaging frameworks
Create a detailed document outlining the company's brand identity, including its mission, vision, values, tone of voice, visual identity (logo, colours, typography) and brand personality. Train your employees through workshops and other training sessions on how to use the brand guidelines. Give them templates for social media posts, email communications, presentations and other types of content to help them create on-brand materials easily.
It is easier to learn through examples. Share approved samples of messaging, content and communication materials that align with the brand guidelines.
Empower employees with focussed training and development programmes
Employee training in this aspect involves communicating the Brand Story. Share the company's brand story and history to help them understand the origins and evolution of the brand. Highlight key milestones, achievements and values that shaped the brand's identity and resonated with its target audience.
Provide comprehensive training on the company's products or services, including features, benefits, unique selling points and target audience. Ensure that employees have a deep understanding of the value proposition and can effectively articulate it to customers and prospects.
Encourage employees to share their personal experiences and stories that align with the brand's values. Authentic storytelling can help humanise the brand and build emotional connections with stakeholders.
Encourage employees to become thought leaders
Your employees are your biggest asset. Some of them could have expertise in key areas of your business. They are your thought leaders in the making. Encourage them to create content in the form of articles, blogs, videos and podcasts that focus on their expertise and some of the work they do for you. For example, Dell Insider, which is Dell's employee advocacy programme, provides employees with training and tools to share Dell-related content on social media. Through this programme, Dell employees have become powerful brand advocates, sharing product updates, customer success stories and industry news with their networks.
Recognise and reward employee advocacy
It is essential that you recognise and reward employee advocacy. That is the only way to keep the lights on in your employee advocacy initiative. Let us take a look at some of the ways you can do this.
Public acknowledgment
Recognise employees for their advocacy efforts in team meetings, company newsletters or on social media platforms. It is imperative that you point out specific instances of advocacy and the positive impact it has had on the company.
Peer recognition
Encourage peer-to-peer recognition like shout-outs in team meetings, peer-nominated awards or informal recognition programmes.
Incentives and rewards
Offer incentives like gift cards, bonus payments, extra paid time off or other tangible rewards that align with employees' preferences and interests.
Professional development opportunities
Employee advocacy can be effectively rewarded with the opportunity to attend workshops, conferences or mentorship opportunities that help employees further develop their skills and expertise.
Social media recognition
Acknowledge employee advocacy efforts on social media platforms by sharing employee-generated content, testimonials or success stories. This not only recognises employees' contributions but also amplifies their advocacy efforts and promotes the company's brand externally.
Long-term recognition programmes
Implement long-term recognition programmes that consistently reward and celebrate employee advocacy over time. This could include quarterly or annual awards ceremonies, employee of the month or year programmes or recognition milestones tied to tenure or achievement.
Provide tools that make engagement easy
Make it easy for your employees to become your brand ambassadors. Coin catchy hashtags that they can carry on their social media handles. Share interesting company content that they can reshare.
Lead by example
Some of the most powerful brand ambassadors have been the leaders of their organisations.
Who comes to mind when you think of Apple. Inc? Steve Jobs, right? He is arguably one of the most iconic brand ambassadors in the tech industry. Jobs' innovative vision, attention to design and charismatic stage presence were integral to Apple's marketing strategy and helped build the company's cult-like following among consumers.
Another founder turned brand ambassador (or is it the other way around?) is The Body Shop’s Anita Roddick. Roddick's personal values and activism were closely tied to The Body Shop's brand identity, making her an influential brand ambassador and spokesperson for the company's values-driven mission.
You can also lead from the front as your organisation’s brand ambassador. In fact, you must! Set an example for employees by embodying the brand values and behaviours in your own actions and communications. Demonstrate authenticity, integrity and passion for the brand to inspire employees to do the same.
Employee advocacy is a long road to take. Nevertheless, it does pay dividends in the long run. This is because it has outward as well as inward ripple effects. While outwardly it increases brand awareness and brand reach, it also fosters a sense of pride, ownership and engagement among employees. When employees feel invested in the success of their company and are given opportunities to contribute to its growth, they are more motivated and committed to delivering exceptional results. In times of crisis or reputation challenges, employees can serve as valuable advocates who help defend and protect the company's brand. When employees are well-informed and aligned with the company's values and messaging, they can effectively communicate and address concerns with stakeholders.
Overall, employee advocacy is a good idea because it leverages the power of employees as trusted advocates who can authentically promote the company's brand, extend its reach, enhance engagement and drive business results. By fostering a culture of advocacy and providing employees with the necessary support and resources, companies can harness the collective voice and influence of their workforce to achieve their marketing and business objectives.
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