Boost Organic Business Growth

BY ANTHONY ROME

Advocacy is defined as public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.

Imagine employees and customers singing praises to potential customers, future employees, or even a future partner. Imagine them telling friends and family members how your business impacts their life. Most business owners would say “That’s just unrealistic.” It’s not.

It is possible to turn normal employees and customers into supporters.

The foundation of this initiative is to engage with employees and customers so they reach out to their own network and magnify your brand message. Scarlett Surveys International defines employee engagement as “a measurable degree of an employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organization that profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at work.”

Solid brands have lower turnover. Solid brands can charge a premium over their competition. Solid brands survive downturns. Marketing departments aren’t the only ones that build a solid brand. Every employee and every customer has a part in the play. “Forty-one percent of people believe that a company’s employees rank higher in public trust than a firm’s PR department, CEO or founder,” says Edelman’s Trust Barometer, an annual global survey of tens of thousands of respondents’ trust in institutions, industries and leaders. Engaged employees and customers build solid brands, plain and simple. Companies that invest in their employee engagement are more likely to get loyalty and commitment in return. According to a recent Weber Shandwick & KRC Research study, close to 60 percent of employees have either defended their employer to family and friends or in a more public venue — such as on a website, blog or in a newspaper. Only 23 percent, however, feel a strong connection to their employer. What’s missing in this equation?

A paper published by the Performance Improvement Council referenced “studies by Gallup that confirm that engaged employees are more productive, create better customer experiences, and are more likely to remain with their employers. As a result, employers win because they get a more stable and motivated workforce and can, consequently, spend more time strengthening their brand.” In fact, Gallup says companies with engaged employees outperform those that don’t by up to 202 percent.

To get things started, staff should have opportunities and incentives to engage with the brand. Limit barriers with a social media policy that talks about what to share and what not to share with a clear definition of why. Company press releases, local news coverage and retweets of company posts are all safe for work. Figure out what motivates your employees and use it as an incentive for engaging them.

The Social Media & Sales Quota Report says 78 percent of salespeople who use social media outsell their peers. Return on investment will improve with more reviews, online recommendations, coupon redemptions, increased website traffic and more.

The website for the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional association for senior public relations and corporate communications executives, says it best: “Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people. The strongest opinions — good or bad — about a company are shaped by the words and deeds of its employees. As a result, every employee — active or retired — is involved with public relations. It is the responsibility of corporate communications to support each employee’s capability and desire to be an honest, knowledgeable ambassador to customers, friends, shareowners and public officials.”

Anthony Rome President, Media Mix Ninja anthony@mediamix.ninja