Brand ambassadors have always been a strong support for companies. Currently, more and more companies are concentrating on social media influencers, who have a high number of fans on Instagram and Co. You can read here why it is more productive to win your own employees as ambassadors, especially in B2B.
Put the mic in the hand of your employees! Read here why are they your best social media ambassadors and how you can set up your own influencer marketing.
Reaching tens of millions of people with a single post is a tempting option. This is possible in lifestyle areas, for example, if you rely on influencers with corresponding follower numbers. However, dissemination via social media testimonials has its price: According to Adweek magazine, the average cost of a single Instagram post in the modeling area is $434. Fees in the mid four-digit range are also not uncommon.
Whether marketing managers really reach their target groups in this way is another question. Especially in B2B or in industries with complex products and services, it should be much more efficient to turn company experts into brand ambassadors. It takes longer, but it's not that difficult - and looks very credible to the outside world.
Why are your own employees good influencers in the digital environment?
Specialized employees are experts in their field, they know the products and the industry. With a social media presence you give the company a face and can present your knowledge. If (potential new) customers have already been in personal contact with an employee or manager or have heard a lecture, the effect is even stronger.
Another positive effect: employees who appear externally usually identify with their employer and enjoy working there. This strengthens the employer brand.
With these five steps, companies can build their own influencer marketing /
1. Identification of brand ambassadors
Start a company-wide call and familiarize employees with the topic at a kick-off event. Find out about the possibilities on the intranet. Alternatively, you can also address specific personas directly in the first step, who in turn carry the topic further internally.
2. Coaching and workshops
Organize regular meetings where you invite potential new ambassadors and deepen the topic for influencers you have already won. Take ideas from your brand ambassadors and discuss them with employees.
3. Internal content platform
Make content that you have discovered yourself or that has been provided by other departments available on an platform. In this way you can bundle knowledge and save time for research. You can offer your own contributions from your company (press releases, blog articles) as well as relevant external content as part of a knowledge sharing approach. It is important that employees do not accept the posts in a standardized way. The individual should communicate his ideas and opinions and show his own personality.
4. Advice on channel selection
Blogs, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn - basically different channels can be suitable. Which are the right ones depends on the background and prior knowledge of the respective brand ambassador as well as on the topics and content of the company.
5. Guidelines
Give your employees guidelines and recommendations that they can use as a guide. A Q&A, for example, makes the process easier, answers many questions and helps avoid mistakes.