Want to grow your LinkedIn presence without spending more on ads? Your employees might be the key. By sharing company updates through their personal profiles, they can reach a larger audience and build trust in ways a corporate page can’t. Here’s why this works and how to do it:
- Higher Engagement: Posts from individuals get more likes, comments, and shares than company pages.
- Authenticity: People trust employees over official accounts.
- Broader Reach: Employees’ networks often include peers, clients, and industry leaders.
- Cost-Effective: No need to increase ad spend – each employee becomes a marketing channel.
- Business Benefits: Boosts brand trust, lead generation, and even hiring efforts.
To get started, set clear goals, choose the right advocates, and provide tools and training. Platforms like Closely can simplify the process with content libraries, analytics, and automation. The result? A team that amplifies your brand and drives real business results.
What LinkedIn Employee Advocacy Is and Why It Works
What Employee Advocacy Means on LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, employee advocacy happens when team members use their personal profiles to share, comment on, or promote company content. Instead of relying solely on your company’s official page, this approach taps into the individual networks of your employees, significantly broadening your reach.
While a company page might have a modest following, combining the networks of your employees can multiply visibility. LinkedIn’s algorithms also favor personal posts, giving them more prominence in users’ feeds.
The magic lies in the authenticity. When an employee shares a blog post from your company or offers thoughtful commentary on an industry topic, it feels more like a genuine endorsement than a promotional pitch. This personal touch builds trust, making it easier to engage connections and turn them into active participants in your company’s story. These qualities make LinkedIn a natural fit for employee advocacy.
Why LinkedIn Works Best for Employee Advocacy
LinkedIn’s professional environment makes it the perfect platform for this strategy, especially for B2B companies. Users on LinkedIn are already there for work-related discussions, so when employees share company updates or industry insights, it aligns seamlessly with the platform’s purpose.
Networking is at the heart of LinkedIn. Employees frequently engage in conversations about industry trends, career milestones, and business insights. When they share company content, it blends naturally into these professional dialogues.
Another advantage is the engagement factor. Posts from individual profiles tend to receive more interaction than those from company pages. This is partly because LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes posts that encourage meaningful conversations. Plus, employees’ networks often include potential clients, collaborators, and industry leaders, which amplifies the reach and impact of their posts.
Business Benefits of Employee Advocacy
The benefits of employee advocacy extend far beyond just visibility. Each participating employee essentially becomes an additional marketing channel, giving your content access to audiences you might not reach otherwise – all without extra advertising expenses.
This approach also boosts trust. Studies show that employees are often viewed as more credible than official company representatives when discussing workplace matters. That credibility can position your brand as a trustworthy and knowledgeable player in your field.
When multiple employees share content, the collective effort not only drives lead generation but also reinforces your company’s reputation as an industry authority. This enhanced perception can attract new customers and open doors to inbound opportunities.
Employee advocacy also plays a role in hiring. When job seekers see employees actively sharing meaningful content, it offers an authentic glimpse into your company’s culture, which can help attract top talent.
Over time, as more employees get involved, your company’s presence in industry conversations grows. This increased visibility can lead to more inquiries, new partnerships, and stronger brand recognition. Additionally, employees engaging with industry content often gain insights into customer needs, competitor strategies, and market trends – valuable information that can shape your business strategies moving forward.
How to Set Goals and Track Advocacy Results
Setting Clear Advocacy Goals
Start by defining clear, measurable advocacy goals that align with your business objectives. For example, you might aim to increase brand visibility, generate leads by tracking how employee shares drive prospects into your sales funnel, or establish your team as thought leaders through consistent content sharing. Begin with smaller, focused objectives – such as involving a core group of employees – before gradually expanding the program.
For B2B companies, tying advocacy efforts to measurable business outcomes is crucial. This not only highlights the program’s value to leadership but also ensures that your goals remain actionable. Once your objectives are set, focus on tracking the right metrics to measure progress.
Key Metrics and KPIs to Track
To measure the success of your advocacy program, choose metrics that directly align with your goals. Here are some areas to monitor:
- Engagement: Track likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates to see how audiences are interacting with your content.
- Reach and Impressions: These metrics show how many people are viewing content shared through employee networks. Employee advocacy can significantly expand your reach compared to company page posts alone.
- Lead Generation: Monitor how many prospects engage with shared content, request more information, or enter your sales funnel. Using UTM parameters on shared links can help attribute these actions to specific employees or posts.
- Employee Participation: Identify your top advocates and pinpoint areas where additional training might be needed.
- Content Performance: Analyze which types of posts resonate most with your audience. Look at topics, formats, and posting times to refine your content strategy and provide employees with materials that are likely to perform well.
Regularly reviewing these metrics can help you fine-tune your approach and make data-driven adjustments.
Using Analytics Tools for Better Data
With recent LinkedIn updates, third-party analytics tools are now essential for tracking advocacy performance. Be sure to export any existing advocacy data before November 2024 to retain historical insights [1][2]. These tools not only provide a clearer picture of how your advocacy efforts are performing but also help you align them more effectively with your sales and marketing strategies. By leveraging robust analytics, you can ensure your program continues to deliver meaningful results.
How to Start Your Employee Advocacy Program on LinkedIn with Andrew Seel
How to Turn Employees into Effective Advocates
Help your employees feel confident and enthusiastic about sharing your company’s story. By setting clear advocacy goals, you can create a solid foundation for providing the tools and support your team needs to succeed.
Choosing the Right Employee Advocates
Start by focusing on key departments – marketing, sales, HR, and leadership roles – where employees already understand the importance of brand visibility. These teams are naturally positioned to amplify your message.
Look for "social stars" who are already active on LinkedIn and have established networks. Data shows that nearly half of employees aged 27 to 42 share work-related news weekly, while 44% of those under 42 post original content about their work every week [3]. These individuals can make an immediate impact.
Select employees who are genuinely passionate about your mission and have a strong industry presence. Their enthusiasm will shine through in their posts, making their content more engaging and authentic.
Prioritize individuals who already create original, engaging content. Research shows that these employees generate significantly higher impressions and engagement compared to those who simply reshare company-generated posts [3].
Giving Employees Tools, Training, and Content Guidelines
Once you’ve set measurable goals, equip your team with the right resources to ensure consistent and effective messaging.
- Content templates simplify the process of sharing updates while maintaining a cohesive brand voice. Provide a range of pre-written posts that employees can personalize, including company news, industry insights, and thought leadership pieces.
- Training sessions are crucial. Cover LinkedIn best practices, your brand voice, and tips for professional yet authentic posting. Many employees want to participate but feel unsure about what to share or how to balance professionalism with their personal style. Clear guidance helps build their confidence.
- A content calendar reduces decision fatigue by outlining optimal posting times and topics. Include a mix of company updates, industry trends, and workplace culture content to keep posts engaging and varied.
- Brand messaging guidelines ensure consistency while leaving room for personal expression. Employees should understand your company’s core values and messaging but have the freedom to adapt content to their unique voice. This approach maintains authenticity while protecting your brand.
- Consider offering LinkedIn Premium subscriptions to your most active advocates. This not only demonstrates your commitment to their professional growth but also provides access to advanced features that can boost their advocacy efforts. Deloitte used this strategy with their top 100 advocates and saw a 40% increase in employee-generated content and a 300% rise in engagement rates [5].
How to Recognize and Reward Employee Participation
Recognition and rewards are key to maintaining high levels of advocacy participation. According to Social Media Today, company recognition (39%) and monetary incentives (19%) are the most effective ways to encourage employees to get involved [6].
Public recognition and tangible rewards, such as contests or points-based systems, can significantly boost participation. For example, Salesforce celebrates employees’ LinkedIn contributions during quarterly town halls, creating a sense of prestige around advocacy. Adobe’s points-based program, where employees earn rewards for sharing content and creating original posts, led to an 85% sustained participation rate [5].
Professional development opportunities are another powerful motivator. Microsoft rewards top advocates with speaking slots at major tech conferences and access to exclusive leadership mentoring programs. This approach resulted in a 25% increase in internal promotions among their active advocates [5].
The impact of these strategies is clear. Ivanti, for instance, launched an incentive program featuring contests and gift card giveaways, leading to a staggering 16,000% increase in social shares within just three months. Their shares jumped from 1,000 to 17,000 in that short time [6].
Career benefits also provide lasting motivation. Research shows that 86% of employees believe participation in advocacy programs positively impacts their careers [7]. Regular feedback not only highlights their progress but also reinforces the personal advantages of being involved.
It’s worth noting that employees are trusted three times more than a company’s CEO, and regular content sharing can increase their profile views by six times [4]. When employees see how advocacy benefits their careers alongside company recognition and rewards, they’re more likely to fully commit to the program.
"Our employee advocacy has returned nearly $90,000 in Earned Media Value in just three months. That means we’re already 7x our ROI. So, communicating the value of our investment in the advocacy program internally has been straightforward." – Spencer Traver [5]
With a motivated team of advocates ready to share your story, the next step is to implement tools that make their efforts even more effective.
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Tools That Make Employee Advocacy Easier
Using the right platform can transform employee advocacy from a labor-intensive effort into a smooth, scalable process. These tools simplify content sharing and performance tracking, making it easier for both employees and administrators to stay engaged. Below, let’s explore the standout features that make top-tier advocacy platforms so effective.
Key Features of Good Advocacy Platforms
Content curation and distribution are the backbone of any solid advocacy platform. The best systems provide a centralized library of pre-approved content – like blog posts, industry updates, and company news – that employees can quickly access and share [5, 11, 12]. These libraries should include a variety of content that reflects your company’s values and keeps messaging fresh.
One-click sharing capabilities make participation effortless. Platforms with intuitive interfaces, available on both desktop and mobile, encourage employees to engage regularly [5, 1]. When sharing content takes just a few seconds, it feels like less of a chore and more like a natural part of their routine.
Automation and AI tools are game-changers for advocacy programs. Features like automated content scheduling, AI-generated captions, and optimal timing suggestions reduce the workload for employees and administrators [5, 1, 12]. These tools allow programs to scale without adding unnecessary complexity or effort.
Content personalization and analytics tools strike a balance between brand consistency and individual expression. Employees can add personal touches to posts while staying within guidelines, making their shares feel more authentic. Meanwhile, built-in analytics track engagement, reach, and individual performance, offering clear insights into how the program contributes to your goals.
Manual vs. Automated Advocacy: Which Works Better
Manual advocacy has its place, but it’s not practical for large-scale efforts. When employees need to search for content, write posts, and remember to share on their own, participation tends to drop off after the initial excitement fades.
Manual advocacy works best for small, highly motivated teams. It allows for maximum creativity and personalization but requires a significant time commitment. As the team grows, the workload becomes unmanageable, making this approach less feasible for larger organizations.
Automated advocacy platforms, on the other hand, are ideal for maintaining consistent engagement across larger groups. By automating tasks like scheduling and content distribution, these platforms remove common obstacles like forgotten posts or a lack of ideas. Importantly, automation doesn’t mean sacrificing authenticity – employees can still tailor posts to reflect their personal voice and connect genuinely with their networks.
Often, a hybrid approach works best. Automation handles the heavy lifting – such as scheduling and suggesting content – while employees maintain control over what they share and how they customize it. This balance is key to creating an effective advocacy program.
How Closely Handles All Your Employee Advocacy Needs
Closely takes these features to the next level, offering tools that empower employees to become authentic brand advocates while simplifying the process for administrators. Designed with LinkedIn in mind, Closely’s platform supports a wide range of advocacy needs with its automation and analytics capabilities.
Multi-account management lets administrators oversee multiple LinkedIn accounts simultaneously. Whether you’re managing a single account on the Starter plan or up to 10 accounts on the Custom plan, Closely scales easily to match the size and needs of your advocacy program.
AI-powered personalization simplifies content creation. Closely’s AI generates tailored captions and messages that align with your brand while reflecting each employee’s unique voice. This makes it easy for team members to craft posts that feel both professional and personal.
Advanced analytics and reporting provide a clear view of your program’s performance. By tracking metrics like engagement rates and campaign reach, Closely helps you identify which content resonates most and which employees are driving the biggest impact.
Unified campaign management brings everything together in one dashboard. Administrators can distribute content, monitor participation, and analyze results without juggling multiple tools or relying on manual processes.
Integration capabilities ensure that advocacy aligns seamlessly with broader business goals. Closely connects with your CRM and other tools via webhooks, making it easy to incorporate advocacy data into your existing workflows.
With 24-hour support and dedicated customer success managers, Closely ensures you have the guidance needed to launch and scale your advocacy program effectively. These tools not only simplify the process but also deliver measurable results that align with your company’s objectives.
Connecting Advocacy with Your Sales and Marketing Plans
Incorporating employee advocacy into your sales and marketing strategy can amplify your LinkedIn efforts. Think of your employees as an extension of your sales team – warming up prospects before outreach and reinforcing key messages afterward. This coordinated strategy doesn’t just strengthen your brand; it can also improve conversion rates and lower the cost per lead across various channels.
Keeping Brand Messaging Consistent
Consistency in messaging across all touchpoints builds trust and strengthens brand recognition. When prospects see the same themes echoed across official channels, sales teams, and individual employees, it creates a seamless and professional brand experience.
To achieve this, start by defining core messaging pillars. These aren’t rigid scripts but flexible themes employees can adapt to their own voice. For instance, if your company emphasizes "data-driven solutions", ensure employees understand what that means and how to communicate it in a natural, relatable way.
Providing content templates and guidelines can help maintain this consistency without stifling creativity. Share approved talking points, key statistics, and brand-aligned language so employees – from the CEO to junior team members – can convey a unified message. This ensures that no matter who shares the content, the core ideas remain aligned.
Regular alignment sessions are also essential. When launching new products or entering new markets, brief your team on updates before rolling out broader campaigns. This proactive step avoids mixed signals and reinforces your brand’s impact.
By maintaining consistent messaging, you also set the stage for more effective AI-powered campaigns that complement your advocacy efforts.
Using Advocacy with AI-Powered Campaigns
Combining employee advocacy with AI-powered campaigns can significantly enhance your LinkedIn outreach. While automated tools handle initial contacts and follow-ups, employee-shared content adds a layer of social proof and thought leadership that makes prospects more receptive.
Timing is key. For example, scheduling employee posts to go live just before targeted outreach ensures that prospects are already familiar with your insights when they receive a connection request or message. This creates a smoother, more engaging experience.
AI personalization tools, like Closely, can further boost this process. These tools analyze prospect data to suggest content themes that align with your campaign goals. For instance, if your sales team is reaching out to decision-makers focused on cost efficiency, employee advocates can share posts highlighting financial performance and optimization strategies.
When advocacy and outreach are sequenced effectively, the process becomes more impactful. A prospect might first see a thought leadership post from one of your employees, then receive a connection request, and later get a follow-up message referencing the same topic. This layered approach builds familiarity and trust.
Tracking Combined Results for Sales Growth
To understand the full impact of advocacy, it’s crucial to track how these efforts contribute to sales growth. Instead of focusing solely on individual metrics like post engagement or email open rates, look at how these activities work together to drive revenue.
Attribution modeling can help map the customer journey – from the first interaction to a closed deal. For example, if a prospect engages with an employee’s LinkedIn post before responding to outreach, that engagement plays a key role in the conversion path and should be recognized.
Advanced analytics from advocacy platforms, such as Closely, make it easier to connect employee content with sales performance. These tools provide a comprehensive view of interactions across LinkedIn accounts and campaigns. You can pinpoint which employees generate the most qualified leads, which content themes resonate best, and how advocacy contributes to overall sales growth.
It’s also valuable to review individual channel performance alongside their combined impact. Identify patterns, such as which employees’ posts lead to the most sales-qualified leads or which content types set the stage for successful outreach. Use these insights to refine your strategy and maximize the combined power of advocacy and AI-driven campaigns.
Lastly, webhook integrations offered by platforms like Closely allow you to feed advocacy data directly into your CRM and marketing automation systems. This creates a complete picture of how prospects interact with your brand across all touchpoints, enabling better nurturing and more accurate sales forecasting.
Turn Your Team into Brand Advocates
Your employees hold the key to expanding your LinkedIn presence in a way no corporate account ever could. When your team shares company updates and insights, they bring a personal touch that resonates far more with their networks. People trust recommendations from individuals over brands, making employee advocacy a powerful tool for building trust and driving business growth. With the right steps, you can transform your team into enthusiastic brand advocates.
The foundation of successful advocacy is making participation easy and rewarding. Start by identifying team members who are already active on LinkedIn or show interest in sharing company updates. These natural champions can set the tone, helping others see the value of joining the effort.
Make it simple by providing ready-to-share content that aligns with your brand’s voice. This could include industry news, company milestones, or thought leadership pieces. Encourage employees to add their own perspectives to keep posts authentic and engaging – nobody likes content that feels overly scripted.
Support and training are critical for long-term success. Offer guidance on LinkedIn best practices, like when to post, how to use hashtags effectively, and ways to engage with their network. Short, focused training sessions can go a long way in building confidence and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
Don’t underestimate the power of recognition. Celebrate employees who actively participate by highlighting their efforts in internal communications, team meetings, or even company-wide shoutouts. A little acknowledgment can go a long way in keeping enthusiasm high.
Once your team is comfortable, technology can help streamline the process. Tools like Closely can integrate employee advocacy into your broader LinkedIn strategy. Features like campaign performance tracking, unified inbox management, and AI-driven personalization make it easier to coordinate advocacy efforts alongside automated outreach campaigns, maximizing your impact.
To gauge the success of your advocacy program, track metrics like lead generation and engagement. Let employees choose content that aligns with their professional interests and networks – this creates more authentic interactions and builds stronger connections with potential customers and partners.
When done right, employee advocacy turns your team into an extension of your sales and marketing efforts, amplifying your reach far beyond what your corporate page could achieve on its own.
FAQs
How can businesses evaluate the success of their LinkedIn employee advocacy efforts?
To measure the success of a LinkedIn employee advocacy program, businesses should keep an eye on key metrics in three key areas:
- Employee engagement: Track how many employees are actively participating and how often they’re sharing content. This helps gauge internal involvement and enthusiasm.
- Content performance: Look at numbers like reach, impressions, clicks, and engagement (likes, comments, shares). These metrics reveal how well the content connects with the audience.
- Business outcomes: Evaluate tangible results, such as increases in website traffic, new leads, conversions, or follower growth driven by employee-shared posts.
By consistently reviewing these metrics, companies can pinpoint what’s effective, refine their strategies, and ensure advocacy efforts align with overall business objectives.
How can businesses encourage employees to actively participate in LinkedIn advocacy?
Motivating employees to actively participate in LinkedIn advocacy begins with clear communication. Show them how sharing the company’s content can elevate their personal brand, expand their professional network, and play a role in the company’s success.
To make it easier, provide ready-to-share content like blog posts or company updates, along with straightforward social media guidelines. This helps employees feel more confident about what and how to share. Recognizing their efforts – whether through shoutouts, small incentives, or other acknowledgments – can also encourage enthusiasm and long-term participation. Plus, when leaders within the company are active on LinkedIn, it sets a strong precedent and emphasizes the value of these advocacy initiatives.
What makes LinkedIn employee advocacy different from traditional marketing strategies?
LinkedIn employee advocacy takes a different approach from traditional marketing by encouraging employees to become brand ambassadors. Instead of relying solely on corporate channels, this strategy allows employees to share company content through their personal networks, which often have a much broader reach than the company’s own follower base.
What makes this so impactful is the level of trust it generates. Content shared by employees feels more genuine and relatable, drawing higher engagement compared to posts from official company pages. People are naturally more likely to trust insights or recommendations from someone they know over a corporate message. By tapping into employee advocacy, companies can add a personal touch to their brand, build stronger connections, and extend their message to a wider audience.