Influencer marketing

Brands are adopting influencer marketing as a bona fide strategy of late. This shift is being driven by brands experiencing eroded levels of consumer trust, specifically with regards to advertising.

Today, we’re all more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend, relative or colleague, than an advertising message by a brand, or even a message from a company CEO.

Authenticity is key

We’re inclined to believe someone’s advice if we perceive that they’re being helpful, and by helping us they don’t benefit in any way. No agendas.

Yes, people who participate in online influencer marketing campaigns sanctioned by brands are compensated, but if they had no true influence over their audience, they wouldn’t be influencers. (and these influencers are selected because they’re natural and existing brand advocates anyways)

Taken to the extreme, the most authentic influencers are people who advocate on behalf of companies and brands and are not compensated to do so.

Who are these people? If you ask me, I’d say that they’re people who work for the companies they’re advocating for. Yes, the employees.

Employee advocacy is a thing.

Defined as the promotion of a company by the people who work there, it’s been around forever, but lately more businesses are looking to harness this phenomenon in a structured way which serves the organisation.

What does an employee advocacy program look like?

I’ll bullet-point this for you, because you’ve already given me enough of your time.

• A team of employees acting together, most often online on platforms like LinkedIn, to further the objectives of the company
• The company provides appropriate training to the team, either internally or via a third-party training provider
• The team of employees support each other by engaging with, and re-sharing each others’ content
• The online activity is structured around an agreed content calendar, so that the messaging is consistent
• The results of this activity are monitored and measured, and this data is used to adjust the execution

Some points to consider, which ensure the program is successful and the content created and shared by the team remains authentic and genuine:

• The employees understand that they represent themselves personally and professionally online, as well as their company
• The team isn’t compensated for participation – they should understand the benefits participating in the program will offer themselves
• The team should be actively coached, and the content never scripted or posted to their profiles by other staff or agencies

An employee advocacy program, done well, has many more important details to consider, but remains, in my opinion, the most authentic form of influencer marketing.