Employee advocacy is effective when the shared content aligns with the professional interests of both the employee and their network. A balanced mix of knowledge sharing, updates about the company culture, and industry insights generates the most interaction. Authenticity is important, as personal messages perform better than standard corporate communication.

Short Answer

The best content for employee advocacy consists of authentic, valuable messages that employees share with their network out of intrinsic motivation. This includes informative knowledge articles, genuine behind-the-scenes glimpses, and personal professional milestones. Compelling marketing messages and hard targets are counterproductive as they decrease motivation.

In this article:

• Differences between content types

• Steps to activate employees

• Importance of a well-thought-out content strategy

Differences between content types

To facilitate employee advocacy, it is useful to understand the different types of content you can offer. Not every message serves the same purpose or resonates with the same audience. A clear distinction helps in creating a varied and interesting timeline for the employee.

Recruitment Content

Recruitment content focuses on attracting new talent by showcasing the work environment. Employees share job openings, team outings, or experiences with the onboarding process. Job seekers weigh the perspective of current employees more heavily than official company channels. It is effective to keep these messages personal rather than overly polished.

Marketing Content

Marketing content aims to promote products, services, or events. While this is useful for the organization, this type of content is often the least interesting for an employee's personal network. Limit the amount of promotional material in an ambassador program. Ensure that employees can easily add their own perspective to the message.

Knowledge Articles

Knowledge articles provide substantive value, such as industry trends, research findings, or practical tips. This type of content positions the employee as an expert in the field. It helps them build a professional personal brand while simultaneously establishing the company's authority. Facilitating knowledge sharing is a strong intrinsic motivator for employees to participate.

Steps to Activate Employees

Activating employees as ambassadors requires a structured approach. It is fundamental to focus on intrinsic motivation rather than imposing mandatory sharing targets.

1. Research which topics your employees find interesting and what adds value to their network.

2. Offer training on how they can use social media professionally and safely.

3. Make sharing content easy by providing customizable draft messages.

4. Ensure a varied mix of content so there is something suitable for different roles and interests.

5. Measure the results objectively and share successes with the team to maintain engagement.

Importance of a Well-Thought-Out Content Strategy

A well-thought-out content strategy forms the foundation of any functioning ambassador program. It ensures a consistent stream of relevant messages and prevents employees from disengaging due to a lack of quality material. The focus should always be on creating authentic content that truly offers value to the reader.

Looking for more resources? 
The translation from business DNA to a content strategy provides a great entry point. You can also look at specific implementations, such as the successful employee advocacy case of the municipality of Utrecht or how to set up an ambassador program in 5 steps setup.