The first 60 days of an employee advocacy program

Watch you go!

You have decided to start an employee advocacy program. Or are you just here to learn a thing or two? PERHAPS you have already launched a program and want to perfect the launch or learn more about the employee advocacy strategy?

No matter what stage you're at, it helps to know how to properly launch an employee advocacy program. That said, getting up and running can be a breeze, and most programs will see a return on investment within the first month. But if you want to get the best possible results, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a proven employee advocacy model for success.

So why the first 60 days?

Well, the first two months are crucial to the continued success of an employee advocacy program, and you've already covered step one by looking for a guide!

So, from the first week through the launch process and beyond, here's everything you can expect.

Source: DSMN8

The two first weeks

In the beginning, it is always difficult to know what to focus on and prioritize. Here are our suggestions to ensure your advocacy program gets off to a good start.

Rethink your social media policy

Since the early days of social media, employees have been told not to post about their employer. There have been countless public cases of employees getting into trouble for speaking inappropriately about their employer online.

Times have changed, and now more than ever, companies are trying to leverage the influence of their employees on social media. However, employees normally assume that posting information about their employer is always discouraged unless you let your employees know that it is not only acceptable, but encouraged and beneficial to them.

Try to write a brief social media policy that clearly outlines what is acceptable and what is not when using social media at work. Also consider the benefits of personal branding. Employees need to understand what they're getting from the start. That way, when you launch your employee advocacy program, they'll be more likely to embrace a tool that makes working on their personal brand and social media presence much more manageable.

Make Your Employee Defense Platform Awesome

Okay, so first off, make your employee advocacy platform awesome. Why (other than because it looks awesome)? Personalizing your platform improves employee engagement and helps them easily find and share content.

Look for a platform that offers plenty of customization options, such as adding logos. You want this new tool to feel familiar to your colleagues when you invite them to join you. Also consider naming the platform. A brand name gives the platform an identity, which can also be included in your initial outreach communications. If possible, have your team create a logo for the platform to build familiarity before you start inviting people to the platform.

Choose your content sources

A content source is where you store your organization's content. You can have multiple content sources to pull content directly to your platform. For example, if your company blog is a source of content, your latest blog posts will automatically be uploaded to your platform for your colleagues to share.

Also consider choosing third-party content sources. The best and most successful employee advocacy programs include a combination of company content and industry content. When a company's employees share the latest industry news, their networks begin to view them as experts in the field, which is a huge boost for your brand.

Select teams

Most employee representation platforms allow you to create and choose teams. Selecting the right teams is key to getting the right people to see the right content. For example, your shifts can be based on department or seniority. Based on this setting, your marketing team will see marketing content, sales will see business content, and senior executives will see relevant content to share.

Take your time, because it helps to get it right...