Boosting Engagement and Overcoming Barriers

Leveraging employees as brand ambassadors on social media, known as employee advocacy, builds an organization's credibility. Content shared by employees enjoys significantly more trust than traditional corporate posts. Nevertheless, many organizations find that the initial enthusiasm fades and timelines sometimes fall silent over time. The key to structural success lies in understanding the psychological motivations and the practical user barriers that determine why a professional decides whether or not to post.

The three foundations of behavior

Behavioral scientist B.J. Fogg emphasizes that behavior change only occurs when three factors are present simultaneously: motivation, ability, and a trigger. An effective employee advocacy program maximizes these three elements to turn content sharing into a habit.

• Motivation: What's in it for the employee? What is the personal gain?
• Ability: How easy is it to perform the action?
• Trigger: Is there a nudge or a reminder to take action?

A failing employee advocacy program often insufficiently accounts for these human behavioral factors.

The necessity of intrinsic motivation

Employees share content when they derive personal value from it. The main drivers are:

• Being valuable to others: Sharing relevant knowledge and articles positions the employee as a valuable source and thought leader within their field.
• Network and personal branding: Participating in the program helps professionals expand their network and strengthen their personal brand.
• Reward and recognition: Social media posts provide a dopamine boost through likes, comments, and views, which rewards the behavior and stimulates participation.

The hidden barriers for employees

The biggest barrier to participation is often not a lack of willingness, but the feeling of uncertainty and perceiving sharing as an extra task.

• Uncertainty about content and tone: Employees often don't know what to share, how to formulate it, or through which channels. They are uncertain about exceeding social media guidelines or misrepresenting the company.
• Lack of time and ease: Creating original content or searching through content libraries is seen as a time-consuming task.
• Fear of feedback: The fear of negative, unpleasant feedback or rejection on social media can pose a major barrier.

The Fogg Behavior Model teaches us that motivation alone is rarely sufficient. To overcome the identified barriers—uncertainty, time, and mental effort—the organization must shift its focus to the ‘Ability’ factor. The most direct and effective way to achieve this is by creating an intuitive user experience that effortlessly integrates content sharing into the daily work routine. Soworker offers an ideal solution for this with its tool that allows sharing a pre-approved message, provided by the social media marketer, with a single click. However, for the sake of authenticity, it is easy to adapt the message and make it personal. Because a reward system is attached, it becomes easier to provide employees with extra motivation.

Want to try it? Schedule a free demo and experience the power of employee advocacy.