Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / How Brands Use Social Media for Employee Advocacy
Transcript
- Lucas: So, you're scrolling through LinkedIn and you see a post from someone at a company you follow. It's not the brand's page — it's a real person, in their own words, sharing something about their work. That post probably gets more engagement than the brand's own update. That's employee advocacy, and it's one of the most underused tools in social media marketing right now. Luna: I've definitely noticed that. I see posts from people I know at companies like HubSpot or Salesforce, and those updates feel way more authentic than the polished brand page content. But how many brands are actually doing this intentionally? Lucas: More than you'd think, but still a fraction of what's possible. There's a famous example from Dell — they started a program back in 2010 called Dell Social Media and Community University. They trained over ten thousand employees on how to use social media responsibly, and those employees generated something like four point five billion dollars in revenue over the next few years. That's not a typo. Luna: Four point five billion? That's insane. So it's not just about brand awareness — it's actual revenue attribution. How do they track that? Lucas: That's the tricky part. Dell used a combination of tracking links, promo codes, and CRM integration. But for most companies, the ROI is softer — increased reach, better engagement, more qualified leads. The key is that people trust people more than they trust brands. Edelman's Trust Barometer consistently shows that a company's employees are seen as more credible than the CEO or the marketing department. Luna: Right, and that's especially true on platforms like TikTok and LinkedIn. On TikTok, the algorithm actually favors content from real people over polished brand videos. So if your employees are creating content, you're playing the algorithm game better. Lucas: Exactly. And on LinkedIn, the platform has been pushing personal posts over company page updates for years. The organic reach of a brand page on LinkedIn is around two to three percent. But an employee's post, if they have a decent network, can reach thirty, forty percent of their connections. That's a huge multiplier. Luna: So what does a good employee advocacy program look like? I imagine it's not just telling everyone to post whatever they want. Lucas: No, you need structure. The best programs have a few key components. First, you need a content library — pre-approved posts, images, videos that employees can share with one click. Tools like GaggleAMP, EveryoneSocial, or PostBeyond make this easy. Second, you need training — not just on the tools, but on best practices, what's okay to share, what's confidential. Third, you need incentives — recognition, gamification, sometimes even bonuses tied to engagement. Luna: But doesn't that risk making it feel forced? If employees are just sharing corporate messaging, doesn't it lose that authenticity? Lucas: That's the biggest pitfall. If you over-script it, it's just the brand page in a different font. The magic happens when employees add their own voice. So the content library should be a starting point, not a script. Encourage them to write their own captions, add their own experiences. Adobe does this well — they have an employee advocacy program called Adobe Life, and they encourage employees to share behind the scenes content, project wins, even work-from-home setups. It feels real. Luna: I've seen those posts. They're usually tagged #AdobeLife, and they definitely feel more like a peek into the culture than a sales pitch. So what metrics should brands actually track for employee advocacy? Lucas: The vanity metric is reach — how many eyeballs. But the better metrics are engagement rate, click-through rate on links, and lead generation if you can tie it back. Also track the sentiment of comments — are people asking questions, expressing interest? That's a qualitative signal. And don't forget internal metrics: how many employees are actively participating, and are they improving over time? Luna: And there's also the recruiting angle. Candidates look at employee social media to get a sense of company culture. If your employees are posting positive things, it's a free recruiting ad. Lucas: Absolutely. In fact, some companies measure candidate source of hire from employee social shares. If an employee's post leads to a hire, that's a huge tangible win. But you have to be careful — if employees are forced or feel pressure to post, it can backfire. You want volunteers, not conscripts. Luna: So what's the first step for a brand that wants to start an employee advocacy program? They don't have Dell's budget. Lucas: Start small. Pick a pilot group — maybe ten to twenty people from different departments who are already active on social. Give them a slack channel, share a few pieces of content per week, and see what happens. Track their engagement for a month. If it works, expand. You don't need fancy software at first — you can just use a shared Google Doc or a Trello board. The key is to empower, not control. Luna: And make sure leadership is on board. If the CEO is sharing employee posts, that sends a strong signal. Lucas: Huge signal. When leadership participates, it legitimizes the program. I've seen programs stall because middle managers were worried employees would say something wrong. But if the CEO is tweeting company news, it sets the tone. And honestly, the risk is lower than most people think. With clear guidelines and a bit of training, employees are pretty good at knowing what's appropriate. Luna: I want to circle back to the numbers for a second. You mentioned Dell's four point five billion. Are there more recent examples? Lucas: Sure. IBM has a program called IBM Voices, and they've seen that employees who participate get up to ten times more engagement on their posts than the official brand account. Microsoft has a similar program, and they've reported that employee-shared content gets eight times more engagement. But the revenue attribution is harder for most companies. What's easier to track is the cost savings — if your employees are sharing content, you don't have to pay for as much paid social amplification. Luna: That's a good point. Employee advocacy can reduce your paid media spend. But it does require investment in training and tools. Still, it's probably cheaper than running a full influencer campaign. Lucas: Much cheaper. And the trust factor is higher because it's coming from people inside the company, not paid influencers. Plus, employees have a network of peers who are in the same industry — that's a targeted audience you can't buy. Luna: So if you're a B2B company, this is almost a no-brainer. For B2C, it might be a bit different, but still valuable. Lucas: B2C works too, especially if you have retail employees or customer-facing teams. Starbucks has had baristas share their favorite drinks on Instagram. It feels authentic, and it drives foot traffic. The key is to find the employees who are already natural storytellers. Luna: And give them a little nudge, but not a script. Speaking of which — if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, that's exactly the kind of thing that keeps this show ad-free. We rely on listeners who find value here to support us on buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that goes a long way to keep these episodes coming without sponsors. Lucas: Yeah, and we really appreciate that. It helps us stay independent and focused on what actually works, not what advertisers want us to say. So thanks to anyone who's contributed. Luna: Alright, back to employee advocacy. One thing we haven't touched on is how to measure the success of a program beyond just engagement. What's a concrete KPI? Lucas: I'd look at share of voice — how much of the conversation in your industry is being driven by your employees versus your competitors. Tools like Brandwatch or Sprout Social can track that. Another is employee net promoter score — if your employees are willing to advocate for your brand on their personal social media, that's a strong internal signal too. Luna: So it's not just an external marketing play — it's also an internal culture metric. If employees won't share about your company, that says something about engagement. Lucas: Exactly. In fact, some HR teams use advocacy participation as a proxy for employee satisfaction. If people are proud enough to share, they're likely engaged. And that's a conversation for another episode — the intersection of HR and marketing. But for now, the takeaway is: employee advocacy is low-cost, high-trust, and increasingly essential as organic reach on social platforms continues to decline for brand pages. Luna: And it turns your workforce into your marketing team. That's a powerful shift. Lucas: It really is. So if you're in marketing, start talking to your HR and communications teams. See if there's appetite. Even a small pilot could change how you think about social media.