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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING INSIGHTS

| 1 minute read

Employee Advocacy, or Controlled Manipulation?

Adam Gray, co-founder of Digital Leadership Associates, expresses his discontent with the propensity for employees in firms to simply rehash corporate content to share onto their connected networks. 

There is a lacklustre disregard for the end audience here, whereby no consideration is taken into account the added value that this particular piece of content is going to serve your audience. Rather, you share the post because you were told to, it is the politically correct thing to do, or it is easier than disseminating your opinion on the topic. 

If building trust, credibility, and online validation are aspirations you wish to achieve, then perhaps fostering a culture of employee advocacy in your firm will be more beneficial. 

The following quote stands out:

'Authenticity is at the heart of modern communications.' Rupert Younger, Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation.

Once you begin to disconnect your online profile from the personality you communicate when meeting people face-to-face, it becomes difficult to engage with your target communities on the same level. 

For a firm to encourage their employees to:

  • Communicate their insights on topical matters; 
  • Curate content that delivers specific value; 
  • And engage with the latest updates in their sector;

Online then becomes an extension of the brand you work hard to establish through your expertise and experience. 

Employee advocates therefore, can become your brand's most effective ambassadors.

But I cannot control my network…just my staff. So I will tell them to reshare what I write. The great news is that I don't even need to have brilliant content because if I instruct them they will share and comment anyway.

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Tags

content marketing, b2b marketing, employee advocacy, brand building, authenticity, thought leadership, social media, social selling