Modern leaders are not just the ones who create amazing products, but also the ones who develop new generations of leaders, empower their employees and utilize organic advocacy. In these social times, advocacy is quintessential for any company or brand. Sometime back, the CEO was known to be the strongest advocate for a brand. However, things have changed and the CEO is no longer the most trusted source of a brand’s communication. So, what (or who) is the most trustworthy source of brand communication now?
We have already established that advocacy drives sales. But what many people fail to understand is that sales are driven by the number of people advocating your brand and not by the number of online posts and messages talking about your brand. To make your social media strategy effective, you need to develop and nurture relationships with people. That is where the employees play a crucial part. We usually tend to form relationships with people who we feel are like us. When you bring your employees on the front line, exposing their diversity, there are high chances of your potential customers finding someone like them and establishing a relationship.
It’s not a question of what role an employee plays in your company. Each one has a certain expertise. People (your audience) trust experts when they have to make a purchase decision. That is why companies like Herman Miller are adopting and practicing mottos like “Everybody is extraordinary” and “Want the whole person” to empower their employees which results in them advocating the brand. The trend is only catching up and more brands are jumping on this bandwagon of employee advocacy. According to an Edelman report, regular employees are more trustworthy than even the CEO when it comes to sharing brand communication.
So does that mean the CEOs are no longer effective brand advocates?
CEOs are always going to stay relevant when it comes to brand advocacy. But your brand’s official communicators cannot do it alone and nor can they produce enough content that can reach beyond the brand’s official social media properties. The biggest advantage of a CEO being involved in such a program is that not only will it encourage more employees to get involved, but also indirectly increase employee engagement and the effect it can have on productivity and profitability from the workforce.
SocioAdvocacy is one such tool that is helping brands get their entire workforce to engage with and share the official communication, which in turn drives sales. To know more about it ,Click Here.
