Lead and Manage a Large-Scale Global Employee Advocacy Program

Andrea Fernandez reveals how she leads a large-scale global employee advocacy program

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Episode summary

How do you manage a large-scale employee advocacy program?

You’ve built your program, you’ve onboarded the right people, and you’ve scaled your employee advocacy program—but now what?

How do you keep your program engaging and interesting for the whole team?

It’s one thing when you have a smaller team in your program—it’s quite another when your program extends to thousands of employees.

Meet Andrea Fernandez, award-winning Global Social Media Manager at SUSE, where she manages an employee advocacy program that’s 2000 employees strong. In this episode, Andrea chats through her process with host, Olivia Messina, and explains how she:

Got buy-in from both leadership and the entire team
Incentivizes more employees joining the program
Keeps the employee advocacy excitement going

She also highlights what she does to get the rest of the company, even those who aren’t part of the employee advocacy program, interested through company updates, and incorporating it into the process of onboarding new employees.

Hot Topics in this episode:

How to keep a large-scale employee advocacy program interesting through contests and incentives
How to make employee advocacy part of the new employee onboarding process to recruit new advocates
How to create interesting content across a vast variety of different colleagues in different roles

Meet Andrea

Andrea Fernandez is a first-generation Latina, passionate about communication and its role in human interaction. Andrea attended San Jose State University, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Mass Communications and Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Chicano/Chicana Studies. She is passionate about giving back to her community by paving the way for future generations entering the academic and professional world. Outside of her day-to-day role as an award-winning Global Social Media Manager at SUSE, she is an avid traveler, dancer, reader, and foodie!

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Unleash your inner artist

Behind the Post is a podcast by Social Media Managers, for Social Media Managers. Host Olivia Messina and her guests talk about the real challenges SMMs face while talking through the creative processes they need to create engaging content every day.

In each episode, SMMs talk through how they stay creative and interesting across their various social channels. The conversations are built to work through fresh ideas and captivating ways to keep your audience engaged and your leads funneling in.

One thing’s for sure, you’ll leave every episode with the tools and inspiration you need to nail your next social campaign!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can B2B organizations effectively scale their employee advocacy programs to thousands of employees?

Scaling an employee advocacy program for a large B2B organization requires securing leadership buy-in, integrating it into new employee onboarding processes, and maintaining consistent engagement through contests, incentives, and diverse content tailored to various roles. The objective is to embed advocacy as a core cultural element, transforming employees into active brand champions.

What are the most effective strategies for incentivizing participation in a corporate employee advocacy program?

To significantly boost participation in a corporate employee advocacy program, focus on strategies like running engaging contests with appealing rewards, publicly recognizing top advocates for their contributions, and providing a continuous stream of relevant, shareable content. Showing employees how participation benefits their professional development can also be a strong motivator.

How should B2B companies integrate employee advocacy into their new employee onboarding process?

Integrating employee advocacy into new employee onboarding is key for long-term program success. B2B companies should introduce the program during initial training, explaining its value to both the company and the individual. Provide clear, easy-to-follow instructions, offer access to necessary tools, and present advocacy as a natural extension of their role from day one.

How do large-scale employee advocacy programs maintain consistent engagement and interest among diverse participants?

Maintaining engagement in a large-scale employee advocacy program requires a dynamic approach. This includes frequently refreshing content to suit different departments and roles, hosting exciting contests with various incentives, fostering a sense of community among advocates, and regularly communicating program successes and updates to keep it fresh and relevant for all participants.

What's the best approach to securing leadership buy-in for a new or expanding B2B employee advocacy initiative?

Securing leadership buy-in for a B2B employee advocacy initiative involves clearly demonstrating its strategic value and potential ROI. Present a comprehensive plan outlining how the program will boost brand visibility, drive lead generation, enhance employer branding, and align with broader business objectives, using data and clear goals to make the case.

Andrea Fernandez on how to lead and manage a large-scale global employee advocacy program