Is your social media strategy weakening your brand’s impact online?

Employee engagement is a topic that is on everyone’s minds, the other topic taking up space in our gray matter is social media, so let’s talk about how to create a solution by combining the two.

With the retention of scarce skills being a concern in most industries it’s time to understand the motivating factors that keep employees content and motivated. But, there is catch 22 here, companies want everyone to know about their brand and the amazing people that work in it because that means they can deliver on what their customers/clients need, yet they are skeptical of letting out too much information about their people.

It’s not a secret that great companies hire the best talent, and now more than ever its easier to find those people with the click of a button. Social media, online publication platforms and personal branding are very much a part of our everyday. Without even knowing it, we are all playing a content marketing role in our personal lives. Our online brand is built up through a process of sharing information with our networks that we feel is relevant and valuable.

Brand ambassadorship on social media is slowly gaining momentum, with research that supports its premise of making employees your extended ecosystem. According to Statista, 28.5% of LinkedIn members have between 500-999 1st degree connections. On average if there are 150 people working at a company, that company has direct access to 75 000 first degree connections, that is if they know how to encourage them to be brand ambassadors.

This simple fact forces us to look at how we integrate the concept of employees being brand ambassadors through the use of their social media networks and online platforms to profile themselves and subsequently the brand they work for.

But this also raises risk: increased activity means increased visibility which can result in offers from other companies to pinch the best people. Is the reward worth the risk?

Here are 5 things we know:

1. Great companies hire great people

Manager Foundation shares that Steve Jobs believed that hiring employees was the most important thing he did. He managed all the employee hiring for his team. He personally interviewed over 5 000 applicants. When we see this level of involvement from a C-Suite Executive, it’s evident that recruiting the right people is far more important than exceeding recruitment targets. If a company is only as successful as the people who make up the sum of its parts, then why aren’t big companies putting strategies in place to hold on to their best talent in a way that makes them feel like they want to stay.

Once an employee has been lured in by a company and all the glitz and glamour that come along with, the next step would be keeping them engaged and inspired. People are inspired by what they are passionate about, allow them to share this with the world and recognize them for doing it. Hone in on what get’s them up in the morning and keeps them up at night.

Progress is globally known as the single biggest motivator for employees. Allowing employees to progress their personal brand will aid in ensuring they continue to be your most valued employees.

2. Great people look for recognition

Recognition is a human need, having access to a “mass” audience means that we look for acknowledgement through likes, shares and mentions on our social media platforms. Looking at the key reasons companies use social media, it is evident that none of them are aligned to showing appreciation towards existing talent in a business. In an article on Mashable, Curt Finch talks about how recognition reflects well on the company and emphasizes that your company is the kind of employer that invests time in showing gratitude to its employees, which in turn gets the brand increased reach through employee sharing and also profiles your company as a company that other people want to work for.

3. Profiling employees directly links back to your brand

Employees are an extension of the brand they work for, through their profiling efforts their employer can get increased exposure. Getting employees who are keen to write/blog or share, gets businesses out there. A brand is attached to their name and it will spread across the internet with every interaction and engagement they create. Social media expects brands to have a personality, using employees to embody the personality of your brand will get you more cognitive recognition.

4. Profiling oneself is part of career growth and development

In a time when people say if you can’t be found on Google you don’t exist, it’s no surprise that people want to ensure that their online brand is wholly representative. As an employer, it is invaluable to ensure that your people have updated profiles and advocate brand values through their online presence.

5. Online publishing is too easy not to do

If you have any social media profile you are a publisher. Without even having to go as far as starting a Blog. LinkedIn publishing, Facebook status updates, Instagram pictures, Tweets, YouTube videos and Periscope live streaming are all media that everyone has access to. There is nearly no cost to being a part of that action, and it makes no sense not to participate!

Now that there is a compelling case for why companies should be encouraging and actively coaching employees to be brand evangelists through their online behavior, it’s time companies start training all levels of employees to be better publishers. Engagement stats on any social media platform will show you that tagging people in posts and mentioning their accomplishments online results in higher reach and interaction. People can only engage with something if they know (are made aware) that they should have a vested interest such as increased online presence or betterment of their personal brand. Engaging employees in your online strategy will give you greater leverage into their personal networks.

Your fear of the risk may be holding you back from a much grander reward.