In business it’s often said that your people are your power, and there are few places this is more true than on LinkedIn.
With LinkedIn’s algorithm favouring content published from personal profiles, and company pages struggling to get quality attention, more and more businesses are leveraging their employees’ network to build visibility.
Despite it being a tried and tested (and successful) strategy, there are often CEOs that are reluctant to raise the profile of their people on LinkedIn.
“But they’ll get poached by our competitors”
This is often the first response we get. So how can you create a workaround that maximises the knowledge and expertise your people possess, without the risk of recruiters tempting them away?
The answer is simple. You create an employee advocacy programme that makes your people a billboard for your business.
Employee advocacy programmes are different to personal branding ones. Where personal branding is about building your individual identity and focusing on your own knowledge, values and career journey, employee advocacy shifts the focus to the company’s mission, culture and offerings.
Through an employee advocacy programme, you are working with your people to promote the company’s brand, values, and content on LinkedIn, helping to increase visibility and credibility.
If you’re looking to implement an employee advocacy programme, here are some key activities that you should consider on LinkedIn:
• Sharing company updates, blog posts, or job openings
• Engaging with company content (liking, commenting, resharing)
• Showcasing company culture and team achievements
• Representing the company as a knowledgeable and credible voice
These activities will not only generate awareness and engagement around the business, but will reinforce the notion that your people are company advocates, passionate about the work they do, and the company they work for.
Before getting started on your Employee Advocacy programme, read our top tips:
1. Start with a small number of advocates – 5 is ideal. If possible, try and designate a ‘Programme Hero’ to lead the pack
2. Choose employees who are passionate about the business and are already active on LinkedIn
3. Ensure your advocates are aware of what the programme is trying to achieve, and what’s in it for them.
4. Create a common goal. For example, if employees are consistent with their posting for six months, the business will make a donation to a charity of their choice
If you need support putting together a LinkedIn employee advocacy programme, please contact the experts at Limegreen.
