The landscape of influencer marketing is undergoing a significant shift, and a key revelation emerges from the 2024 Ogilvy report on influencer trends: the latent potential of employees as influential figures within the marketing sphere.
The Power Within
In the B2B realm, LinkedIn has revolutionized how businesses mobilize their employees for commercial growth. Employees, often an untapped marketing resource, possess networks ten times larger than the company itself. They represent a free and authentic avenue for brand advocacy, offering insider knowledge and genuine belief in shared visions.
"Running an employee advocacy programme is an untapped resource for most brands. It's a cultural journey with your team to enable authentic individual opinion whilst working within the company’s values, that can influence everything from future customers to finding top talent."
- Beth Saint, CMO at Schroders
Yet, the true potential of employee advocacy rests untapped in B2C sectors. While B2B brands have harnessed LinkedIn's growth, B2C counterparts have barely explored this avenue. The intrinsic value lies in employees' uniquely informed and authentic perspectives, bolstered by insider knowledge and unwavering passion for their brand.
Unleashing the Potential
The possibilities stemming from employee advocacy extend far beyond reaching new networks. Enhanced employee satisfaction, talent recruitment, and product research opportunities emerge as brands empower their workforce to become influential voices.
However, the hesitancy to embrace this untapped potential stems from the difficulty in quantifying ROI and operational value. Yet, with bigger-picture brands gradually recognizing this opportunity, the boom of employee influence in B2C is inevitable.
Transitioning Into Action: Strategies for Effective Employee Advocacy
To foster employee advocacy effectively, brands must take proactive steps:
Create Company-wide Programs: Educate employees on vocalizing their opinions within company guidelines, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn.
Build Expert Clusters: Encourage topical environments among employees with existing authority, offering additional support and opportunities.
Promote Employee Superstars: Champion select employees in brand marketing campaigns, leveraging their natural opinions across marketing channels.
Think Beyond LinkedIn: With digital natives integrating personal and professional opinions across multiple platforms, expand advocacy efforts beyond LinkedIn to consumer platforms.
The evolution of influencer marketing pivots on recognizing the latent influence employees possess. Empowering employees as advocates transcends mere marketing; it cultivates a cultural journey within organizations, fostering authentic opinions that resonate with audiences. As the wave of employee influence gathers momentum, brands poised to leverage this phenomenon will ride the wave to unprecedented success.