What you need to know about employee advocacy

Employee advocacy is on the rise. I’m starting to see it creep into conference agendas and award entries – which are my indicators of when something moves from niche to mainstream.

Today the latest New Influence Podcast by Ste Davies hit the airwaves. We recorded an episode together last week to discuss all things employee advocacy and Internal Comms related. I’ve been writing about advocacy on my blog since 2013 and have included some links below.

Jargon buster: Employee advocacy is when your workforce champion your organisation – who you are, what you stand for as a company and share (often in their own words) what it’s like to work for you. It typically presents itself as employees sharing their stories online via social media/your careers site, or in person e.g. at recruitment fairs.

I’ve known Ste for a number of years and enjoy learning from him, he’s an online brand strategist, writer and podcast host based in London, UK. He’s worked in the fields of PR, marketing, social media and SEO for 15 years, to what he calls The New Influence, and why in today’s complex world, stand-alone marketing communications do not apply.

Ste set up one of the first social media agencies, built and sold an influencer tool, held senior positions for both agency and in-house, trained hundreds of business executives and has spoken in 15 countries across three continents.

Today, he’s fascinated by and focused on how individuals, organisations and brands can remain relevant and top of mind in an era of where trust is low and power structures are changing. You can contact him here.

What did we talk about?
During our discussion we touched on a number of topics including how companies can encourage their employees to be advocates, why would you consider advocacy, what does good look like and what are the benefits and pitfalls? We examined the current situation and what to think through.

You can listen below or get hold of the episode online: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Spotify.

 

Here are the timestamps for the episode:

1:21 Rachel introduces herself and her background.

3:27 The current state of employee advocacy.

6:29 Glassdoor and internal communications.

9:41 The original promise of employees being the voice of a brand didn’t materialise.

13:37 Are brands concerned about advocates using social media in the current climate of toxicity?

15:02 The benefits of employee advocacy and what should a brand consider when embarking on an EA program?

20:20 What makes a good employee advocate?

23:38 Where Rachel sees the future of employee advocacy in the next 12 months and the next five years.

25:46 Quick fire three: Rachel’s favourite city, meal and quote.

27:07 The one book Rachel recommends everyone should read?

Thank you Ste for inviting me to share my thoughts on your New Influence Podcast.

What do you think about what you’ve heard? As ever, you’re welcome to comment below. You can also find us  online via Twitter @stedavies and @AllthingsIC.

Further reading about employee advocacy via All Things IC

Learn more about Internal Comms with Rachel

My upcoming Masterclass dates can be found on the Masterclasses pages of this website. Last week I ran my Internal Communications Masterclass and a Comms Director Mastermind. The IC Masterclass is pictured below.

Not based in the UK? I can hold a mini session with you via Skype, check out my work with me options. Please note my diary is currently booked until late September 2019, so I’m taking bookings from the Autumn onwards. Do let me know how I can help you.

Upcoming Masterclasses in London:

My monthly newsletter, The Water Cooler, will hit your inboxes next week. If you’ve not signed up, you can do so here to receive the latest IC news via email.

Thank you for stopping by

Rachel

First published on the All Things IC blog 28 May 2019.

Comments

  1. Ste says:

    Thanks for coming on!

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