Getting buy-in for your company’s social media strategy

Turning followers into sales starts at home. And by home, we mean the very workers who make your company so great and worth shouting about on social media in the first place.

Truth is, if you’re not getting your staff to buy in to your social media plan, you’re missing out. Social media advocacy by employees is vital to success. When people receive messages from their friends and coworkers, they’re much more likely to pay attention and trust what they’re being told. In fact, when your staff shares content, it beats company-generated content in engagement eight times over! Even better, it’s re-shared 25 times more regularly.

So now you know why you need to bring the team into the fold, but how do you do it?

It starts with the type of environment you’ve created at the office. Forcing employees is never a good idea. Instead, you want to create an ambiance in which they want to share. Staff who are engaged and happy, and who believe in the business, will be motivated to post and tweet about all the cool stuff you’re doing.

Make sure everyone is on the same page. Has your staff been trained on the social basics? Avoid making assumptions about what employees know. Get them up to speed on the various social platforms. Then provide them with clear guidelines on what they should discuss about the company.

Even the most passionate person will lose enthusiasm – and follow-through – if the process is too complicated. So keep it simple. Take the guesswork out of sharing with suggested posts, pre-written messages or even a custom app. This also ensures your employees stay on message.

An employee who’s a social supporter multiplies your marketing efforts, far beyond your Marketing Department. With a well thought-out approach in place, every team member can expand the reach and impact of your social media messaging.