How to define employee advocacy goals…beyond increasing reach

Employee Advocacy Published: March 29, 2016
How to define employee advocacy goals…beyond increasing reach

Employee advocacy is a great way to leverage your employee’s social networks to increase the reach of your social media. However, increased reach should not be your only employee advocacy goal. By defining the specific clicks, conversions and revenue you are looking to get out of your advocacy program, you can better structure the program to achieve results. By segmenting your employee advocacy into separate boards based on campaign goals, you can tailor the content and measure the success of each board. With content shared by employees receiving 8X more engagement than content shared by brand channels. It is the marketing team’s responsibility to make sure employees are sharing the most relevant content for their audience.

Define Your Goals

There are many goals you can set for your social media strategy, and you may have multiple goals that you need to align with. For instance, you may use social media to generate new leads, keep existing clients engaged with your brand and for recruiting purposes. 33% of B2B marketers cite “targeted delivery of content” (i.e., delivering the right content to the right people at the right time) as their biggest challenge.

Segment your audience

With goals defined, you can segment your employee advocacy boards into separate boards aligning with the campaign goals. Create content that is specific to each advocacy board and align the content creation to your overall strategy. 44% of B2B marketers have a documented content strategy. By creating multiple boards, you also make it easier for each segment to find the content they need to see, thereby keeping the advocates engaged and responsive.

Measure the results

By defining goals and segmenting your audience and advocates into multiple boards, you can easily measure each board to see which goals are being reached. The segments keep goals and results organized – if one board is not performing as high as the others, it would be time to reevaluate what you are doing differently and how to improve that goal.

Brand messages are re-shared 24x more frequently when distributed by employees versus the brand. By having defined goals and a segmented audience based on different campaigns, you are able to target your focus on specific results, besides just increased reach. You’ll be able to reach the correct audience at the right time with the right content.

Cover image via @Chris Dlugosz

Frequently Asked Questions

How can B2B companies effectively measure the ROI of their employee advocacy programs?

To measure ROI effectively, B2B companies should define specific goals beyond just increased reach, such as clicks, conversions, and revenue targets. By segmenting employee advocacy into separate boards based on these campaign goals, you can tailor content and measure the success of each board individually, allowing for precise performance tracking and optimization.

What key goals should B2B organizations define for their employee advocacy initiatives?

B2B organizations should define diverse goals for employee advocacy, moving beyond simply increasing reach. Key objectives can include generating new leads, keeping existing clients engaged with the brand, supporting recruitment efforts, and achieving specific metrics related to clicks, conversions, and revenue.

How does B2B employee advocacy improve content reach and engagement?

Employee advocacy significantly boosts content reach and engagement for B2B companies by leveraging employees' social networks. Content shared by employees receives 8X more engagement than content from brand channels and brand messages are re-shared 24x more frequently, ensuring your messaging reaches a wider, often more relevant audience.

How can B2B companies structure an employee advocacy program for optimal results?

For optimal results, B2B companies should structure their employee advocacy program by first defining clear campaign goals. Then, segment your employee advocacy into separate boards, each aligned with specific goals. This allows for tailored content creation, making it easier for advocates to find relevant content and ultimately improving engagement and measurable outcomes.

How does employee advocacy help B2B marketers overcome targeted content delivery challenges?

Employee advocacy directly addresses the challenge of targeted content delivery, which 33% of B2B marketers cite as their biggest hurdle. By defining goals and segmenting advocacy into multiple boards, B2B marketers can ensure employees share the most relevant content for their audience, reaching the correct audience at the right time with the right message.

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