The one thing I love each week is working with brands who have a devoted and enthusiastic staff that go the extra mile to contribute to the company that helps them pay their bills. It’s important to me to train and consult brands on how to use the technology and tools readily available to their employees. This means the brand gets content to their online community faster.
A BIG question I get is “How do I make my employees better brand ambassadors?”
Well, first to have to hire the right people. And that’s not as easy as it sounds.
I’ve seen knowledgeable employees that may as well have been a barnacle growth as far as a brand was concerned get marginalized and made fun of by the psychopath at the helm of their online presence. One bad employee can nuke any chance of the rest of your staff being the brand advocates you need to succeed.
I love the look of clients faces when they know they have the right staff in place to support their efforts to not only survive, but thrive in an economy where many are struggling. I also see the pain of those brands who struggle to deal with reluctant leaders and playground politics.
I will probably update this list as I think of more ways for you to understand the positive and negative that goes along with trying to empower your employees. If you’d like to leave a comment – I’d love to hear how you’ve empowered your own employees both online and off.
I’d also love to hear how you have dealt with employees who have poisoned your online/offline brand advocate building efforts.
How to Empower your Employees to be Better Brand Advocates
– have your own email newsletter for employees only
Crazy right?
No.
How can your employee’s share in your client experience if they aren’t aware of what’s going on around them? Be sure to give your employees insight on upcoming events, talking points, blog posts or status updates you’d like supported.
If you haven’t already checked out HootSuite conversations for social media teams. GO NOW!
REMEMBER : An educated, supportive and friendly staff means a profitable business.
WARNING : Not all of your employees will think that they have to participate in “this online nonsense.” That’s okay. They’re right. They don’t. But don’t let these people poison the well for those on your staff who could easily and naturally excel as a vocal online brand advocate.
You must constantly be aware that you may have staff that are more of a liability than an asset with their negative attitude and insecurities.
12 Most Lethal Ways to Kill Employee Morale
– let them blog.
If you have an online presence, a content strategy should include those members of your team who are interested in consistently helping you grow your bottom line. Having a solid content strategy is the foundation of your social media strategy.
How to Brainstorm Content Ideas in a Fast, Easy, Visual Way
Creating a Content Strategy for Your Blog
REMEMBER : Having enthusiastically committed employees who have social media skills to compliment your online efforts will do more for your bottom line than a million full page ads.
WARNING : Reluctant online leaders, that are often put in positions of posting power due to seniority, and their distain for the work it takes to contribute to your online success . . .well, it will only hamper the relationships of your brand.
– teach them to use social media responsibly.
Not every employee is or wants to be on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media site. And guess what? That’s okay!
On the flip side – with the amount of over sharing that goes on, do you really want your employees behaving like attention starved toddlers who just ate a fist full of pixie sticks? I didn’t think so.
There are plenty of resources online and folks like me willing to consult with you and your team.
Don’t have a big budget? Check here for my FREE resources, Check here for some pretty owlsome HootSuite training videos that I think you and your staff can easily watch on your own or together.
REMEMBER : The better educated your staff is when it comes to supporting and growing your brands online relationships and social media basics and best practices the farther your organic reach.
Ask yourself this : “When was the last time an employee liked, commented or shared a post my brand made?”
Identify those “it’s not my job” people and have a bit of a come to Jesus moment with them.
The success of the brand is based on everyone on your team that is interested in increasing the bottom line to respectfully help. Whether through encouragement or deed. If your phone rang would these people ignore the call? I didn’t think so. If they are online they should be educated on how important they are to the success of your brand and how their negativity to your online efforts are undermining your success. (and their own paycheck!)
WARNING : Have a social media policy in place that your employees understand and sign.
There will be times that you will have a disgruntled ex-employee or one that has online behavior that reflects poorly on your brand. (in person or on line) If a customer calls out an employee who behaves badly online – LISTEN. This may be a hint of a darker underbelly that exists when you’re not around. Childish and rude behavior are often the result of fear, insecurity and underdeveloped team work skills.
Here are a few resources you may find helpful:
Online Database of Social Media Policies
57 Social Media Policy Examples and Resources
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Word of advice : Often those who hate change will ridicule and needle those on your team who are willing to go the extra mile to see your business succeed.
Don’t let these negative folks gossip about or bully those on your team who are willing to go to bat for you. . . they are killing your profits.
One ‘Bad Apple’ Really Can Kill the Company
Turning Around Bad Employee Behavior
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How have you empowered your employees to be better brand advocates?
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@AlexCote shared with me a link to his post : 8 ways to help your employees share more on social media.
