What if your employees became ambassadors for your company? Human resource functions face many challenges in 2022: new organization of work, automation of human resource processes, new employee expectations… Attracting new talent has also become a major concern. That’s why it’s essential to create strategies to improve your employer brand, retain and engage your employees…
If there are many HR blogs already there to give you advice, we provide you in complete guide Answers to the following questions:
- Why should you make your employees your ambassadors?
- 3 examples of companies adopting this approach;
- How to choose your Employee Ambassadors?
summary
- Ambassadors might not be what you imagine
- What is the Role of an Employee Ambassador?
- 5 (good) reasons to pamper it
- How to Choose an Employee Ambassador?
- What strategy should an employee adopt to become an ambassador?
Ambassadors might not be what you imagine
Contrary to popular belief, no, an ambassador does not have to be one of your employees!
it’s done Anyone who speaks positively about and recommends your business, Therefore it could be a customer, supplier, consumer of your products or services, influencer or any of your associates.
Naturally, it is your employees who know your company, its history and its values ​​best. So they are in the best position to talk about it. At a time when attracting new talent is becoming more and more difficult, this is an asset to have out of your sleeve. His speech will really impress your employer brand.
What is the Role of an Employee Ambassador?
An employee ambassador represents, builds and defends the image of the company.
It promotes your products and services, even if it’s not commercial, and spreads the employer branding message in a positive and natural way. This behavior is fueled by a strong corporate culture, strong commitment and a strong sense of belonging.
For example, when asked where he works, Louis didn’t just mention his job title. He can talk for hours passionately about the company he works for.
5 (good) reasons to pamper it
we call”employee advocacy“Marketing strategy that aims to turn employees into company ambassadors. It is a powerful lever to grow your employer brand because it allows you to:
- Wider audience and better visibility. The information that employee ambassadors spread can be done verbally, but also through social networks. By spreading your message to his personal sphere, he can reach a goal that your company cannot or is more difficult.
AccorHotels Group mobilizes its 3,700 hotel staff across social networks with its program “Social Desk”, As a result: the audience on its platform has been multiplied by 6!
- A message that garners credibility. An employee’s speech is more authentic and credible than a speech coming directly from the company which can be regarded as a business speech. There will also be more confidence in the message.
78% of consumers rely on recommendations from peers and loved ones, while only 14% trust a tweet for advertising purposes.
- An enhanced brand image and boost to your recruits. A candidate who will have a choice between multiple positions will naturally favor a company for which the number of positive testimonials from employees is most important.
45% of business leaders say they are affected by recruitment difficulties (Manpower Studies), And 83% of job seekers are likely to look at company reviews and ratings when deciding to apply. (Glassdoor Study, 2018),
- Employees who feel valued and involved. It is a genuine guarantee of trust that is given to an employee ambassador to be able to express himself on behalf of the company. Hence it is also a source of inspiration, commitment and participation which will be reflected within the teams. By highlighting them, they become important players and see that they have a real impact around them.
Only 6% of French employees say they are engaged at work (Study global workplace situation by Gallup, 2017), To foster commitment, the assessment interview is a great opportunity. Learn more in this article,
- turnkey training. Beyond the positive points that this represents for the company, it can also bring a lot to the employee ambassador himself. By establishing himself as an expert, a reference for the company, he will be able to work on his personal branding and expand his network.
An employee reaches an average of 1,140 people on the social network (Study Why employee advocacy is now mainstream by Dynamic Signals, 2015),
Not all of your employees can be good ambassadors. To ensure the success of this strategy, certain qualities are needed for you and him. But the golden rule: don’t force it (we stick to it)!
It is better that the process of sharing such or such content is on their initiative, that the message remains authentic, that it reflects their personality and that it is spontaneous. we explain to you
- Be a good communicator. The ideal is to favor an employee who has a certain ease of expressing himself both in writing and orally. And who is also comfortable in conveying messages to others. Some people have a way of wanting and holding attention when they express themselves.
Every week, Faurecia employee ambassadors incorporate the brand community into their daily lives on Instagram. They present their job, their mission, their work environment to all four corners of the world.
- Be inspired and enthusiastic. Employee Must Be Convinced to Be Convinced (CQFD) and adhere to your company’s values. He should be able to show you off.
At Air France, staff ambassadors volunteer to answer questions from the community on a dedicated forum. A great way to uncover different trades and build a privileged relationship of closeness with your audience.
- Master the code of social networks. The employee must be able to build and maintain a community. But also use the right formats, the code of the platform on which he communicates… If you have a community manager, he can provide him with a little training to advise.
Dell has established an “academy” that offers courses to all of its employees who want to learn how to use digital devices. At the end of the course they are awarded a Skills Diploma. In terms of results: 58% of employee ambassadors communicate on behalf of the brand at least once a week.
Do you already have internal ambassadors? You can take a look at LinkedIn to identify them.
What strategy should an employee adopt to become an ambassador?
Company culture and its values ​​are certainly factors that play an important role in this process. But what also matters is building a real bond with your employees.
- pleasure in work. An employee who wants to talk positively about his company is first and foremost a happy employee! Quality of life at work (also known as QVT or more recently QVCT) is therefore a topic that needs attention. You can implement actions to improve their well-being: optimize workspaces, promote hybrid work to improve the balance between professional life and personal life, etc.
- sense of unity and group. We don’t hear it enough, but it’s about reciprocity. If you want an employee to speak positively about your company, you must make sure that the working environment is good and feels well integrated. The type of management adopted will also be a prerequisite for fostering harmony, listening and communication between teams.
- Meaning and implications. In this continuum, show him that developing his involvement is essential for the proper functioning of the company. For example, you can offer to retain him, give him responsibilities to participate in the recruitment process…
Now that you have the keys to implementing this strategy in your company, you will be able to implement your employee advocacy program. This will allow you to frame your practices and deploy them at scale. This is a roadmap that will guide you and your employees. There is essentially no framework to follow and you are free to create your own.
*Fichier Entreprise is a magazine dedicated to human resources and edited by experts in the field.