Many companies have separate departments where only those in marketing are responsible for producing content. As such, many of these companies are missing out on the opportunity to capitalise on their very own brand advocates, which often are their employees. Hence, why choose to exclude staff members from participating in content creation?
“But some of my team members don’t consider themselves creative, good at writing or find any point in contributing.”
Team members may be busy with their main work and find content creation to deter from their priorities. However, there are many reasons to involve your team members in creating content and it’s even more important to demonstrate the significance of the impact they can have in promoting your business. If they’re concerned about the quality of their content, work with an agency to help ensure they’re comfortable with what’s being published.
Here are a few reasons why your team can be your greatest ambassadors!
1. Power in the diversity of perspectives
Your employees are your greatest assets that can become your greatest source of brand advocacy. The beauty of this lies in the diversity and unique characteristics of each team member. Your employees will have a different set of experiences and insights they can bring to the table when creating content.
Some of them are on the front line of customer service and have a deeper understanding of their needs, whilst others who work behind the scenes are equipped with extensive knowledge and useful information. All of which are valuable aspects of your business that can be channelled into creating content your audience finds relevant.
Additionally, our employees are the perfect candidate, as they would be the ones to know exactly how to represent your company in an authentic way that reflects its values and mission. And since many millennials like creating content as part of their daily routine, it's likely that someone in your office already has an active social media presence and knows the ropes.
2. Employee engagement goes hand in hand with building brand awareness
The best case scenario would be that all your employees share their company’s content across their social media channels. However, it is not a secret that many hesitate or post begrudgingly on their personal accounts. The same goes for requesting employees to create content. The key is to involve everyone in the content strategy regardless of their department. With employees not just from the marketing department on board, there is a sense of company culture, inclusivity and employee engagement. You want to avoid making them feel like mere marketing tools. This way, employees will be more invested and inclined to advocate for the company in their networks.
According to Edelman Trust Barometer, employees sharing content is positively correlated with their engagement with the company. Hence, building brand awareness goes hand in hand with employee engagement.
When your employees have a voice, they’re more engaged. When they have a purpose, they’re more engaged. When they have a role in the company and are given opportunities to grow within it, they’re even more engaged. And when they feel like they can contribute to the growth of an organisation by sharing their opinions, skills and expertise with others through content creation—well then you’ve got yourself an engaged and intrinsically motivated workforce on your hands!
Additionally, PostBeyond, an employee advocacy platform, states that content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by branded channels. Your team will also benefit from the skills and experience gained by creating content. And ultimately, the company will receive more traffic and increased awareness.
3. Fostering trust and company culture
Your employees will be the ones who understand company culture the most and thus would be able to give your audience an authentic peek into what the company is all about. Whether the content is a short blog detailing a day in their life, content about the behind the scenes of their job, or a spotlight post, the act of placing a face to a company whilst sharing insightful experiences can serve to create a better rapport between them, the company and their audience.
You need to make sure the people who are most trusted by your customers are also the ones you trust. This means giving them more control over the company's brand and ensuring they're given opportunities to share their expertise with others. Spotlight posts are an effective method of showcasing employee achievements and celebrating their successes, building a community and boosting company culture.
If you don't trust your employees, who will? And if they don't feel trusted by their employer, they probably won't be very invested in building up your company's reputation—which is important for both current and future success. Employee advocates drive word-of-mouth referrals for products and services, so it pays off to build up strong relationships with everyone.
Your employees are an untapped treasure
Content creators are the new PR professionals, and anyone on your team can be one. Your team is a powerful marketing asset that can help you build brand awareness and drive traffic, all whilst benefiting from employee engagement and fostering company culture.
In today’s landscape, many of your employees know how to use social media and are capable of creating content, so they can serve as powerful brand ambassadors for your company.
Want to turn your team into content creators? Learn more about the benefits of content marketing here.
Reach out to us today for all of your content marketing needs.