Dear One Chance:
From individual job-seekers (“you can’t get a job without experience; you can’t get experience without a job”) to companies who are just starting out, it seems like this Catch-22 plagues everyone. But it’s not that bleak a picture when you know the “secrets.” When it comes to influence, for instance, you don’t have to look too far, or be members of every advertising advisory council out there. All you need to do is look to your own employees, and empower each of them to become influencers on your behalf.

• Encourage employees to share your content (1)
There’s a lot your employees can do to shape how people perceive your company. Perception becomes reality. If there are happy, energetic, motivated and devoted employees of a company sharing its latest work or blog post all over their own social media accounts, it’s hard for consumers not to notice. Who knows? Your art director’s cousin’s wife might just happen to be the brand manager of a life sciences brand that’s about to launch a blockbuster drug and is looking for marketing partners…

• A spoonful of sugar… (1)
It would be lovely if all of our employees were spontaneously motivated to share our company’s work on social media, but in reality, a little “sweetener” never hurts. Offer a gift card to whoever gets the most “likes” on a post of your best recent work. Give your employees a reason beyond a company-wide email that says, “Please share our news on Facebook.”

• Spell out the message (1)
If your employees don’t know what to say, they won’t say anything. What you’re aiming for is consistency without sounding like a press release. The solution? Create talking points and buzzwords that you’d like to see included in employee communications, but leave how they convey that message up to them. Nothing says “Marketing Department Directive” like an inauthentic tone. The organic voice of your employee is priceless.

• Tap them in to other influencers (1)
If you can help an employee gain a following and become an influencer, there’s a good chance you will retain that employee. After all, that’s one of the purposes of employee advocacy. You want your employees to stay because they feel invested in the company and know that you are invested in them. Helping an employee become an influencer can be a challenge for smaller companies. If you don’t have a contact list full of media contacts, get in touch with an influencer who has demonstrated a knowledge of growing an audience and working with media. Remember, these influencers are also looking to grow their careers. Use that. Create mutual benefit so they can help you and help with your employee advocacy. Ultimately, there is strength in numbers, both in a larger digital footprint and motivated employees.

The lifeblood of smaller agencies is their network of referrals, and we have actively cultivated our network from the beginning at Xavier Creative House. As a result, we have an outstanding (and always growing) circle of clients who always keep Xavier top-of-mind when referring a marketing company to colleagues. We’ve been able to refine and hone this irreplaceable resource, and we’d love to pass on our strategies to you. Give us a call, or hit us up on social media!

Sincerely,

House Rules

Reference: 1. https://www.tapinfluence.com/blog-employee-advocacy-tapping-influence-inside-your-own-walls/?utm_campaign=1000%20-%20General%20Nurture%20Program%20-%20clone&utm_source=hs_automation&utm_medium=email&utm_content=33500105&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_y-svZptUoPdHm_Wz7L6XaVP8kaPUJ0dJTv2NyzVpE1kvMdhu3n1BvYjAGcgQUxvYH5ON_4iP_Su35M1-Uz2d93tfxrw&_hsmi=3350010.

Categories: healthcare marketing, pharma marketing,