Facing growing scrutiny of its business practices and associated negative headlines, Amazon last year launched a program called FC Ambassadors. The concept: have rank-and-file employees tweet in defense of the company, particularly its warehouse working conditions, compensation and benefits.
When it comes to finding people to promote or champion a brand, companies typically look outwards in search of happy customers.
However, this means many could be overlooking a far more valuable internal asset – their own employees.
When running a quick search for the #SocialSelling hashtag through any social media listening tool, the amount of data you get in return is quite overwhelming.
According to TweetReach, during the three hours before I wrote this article, #SocialSelling gathered more than 800,000 impressions on Twitter.
If there is one thing that all businesses in the world have in common – whatever their industry, size, internal structure and corporate culture – it’s that they all need sales to thrive.
But, as is often the case, keeping up with the evolution of the purchasing cycle in order to be present where and when it matters is easier said than done.
Let’s face it, it’s not too unusual to run into corporate communications that feel impersonal and distant from a customer’s point of view.
So, it’s no coincidence that agencies use the word ‘humanising’ over and over again when providing advice on brand messaging.
Putting aside any possible scepticism towards the seemingly volatile concept, humanising customer interactions must be the ultimate mission of any modern brand, which should empower its brave employees to shake off any robotic feel customers may perceive in their interactions with the company.
Although many love the work they do, not all employees are passionate about their jobs.
How do you get even the most unengaged employee to become a company advocate? After all it’s becoming increasingly clear that employees can be your most valuable marketing asset.
If there is one thing job candidates are becoming better and faster at, that’s gathering information on social media about companies they might want to work for.
From friends of friends who work at an organisation, to Instagram photos showcasing glimpses of company’s culture & life, there are a number of ways for recruits to find out more about their future employer.
When employees share company’s news with all their connections, brands reach a much broader audience than what they’d otherwise do.
This is Simon Sinek during one of his inspiring TEDtalks, back in 2009:
To make the most of your employees’ sharing habits, it is important to learn which type of content they love best.
Social media offers us an ever-changing landscape where almost daily innovations, initiatives and strategies are formulated to help businesses to make the most of this environment.
There is no question that most organisations can benefit from their involvement in the online conversation.
But in the rush to set up Facebook pages, win fan bases and restructure businesses to be more adaptive to the needs of their audiences, how many have forgotten to look inwards at the most under-utilised social marketing assets in the business world, your own staff?