6 ways to harness an Employee – a micro Influencer
When a company looks for Influencers they should also look inwards at the employees – an important stakeholder. Most often they could be overlooked as there is no clear understanding of how to leverage the people who work for the company as influencers. This is an accessible, authentic and trustworthy resource pool of micro-influencers.
Listed below are 6 ways to leverage this untapped reservoir of potential micro influencers and brand advocates.
Employee Referrals to aid sales
Employees can refer or recommend the company Product or Service to their friends and family. As per a recent Nielsen report, the most credible form of ‘advertising’ comes from the people we know and trust. 83% of the respondents from 60 countries, said that they trust the recommendations of friends and family.
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Employee referrals for recruitment
Many companies place an incentive for referring a friend (for candidature). Most start-ups and SME use this as the primary source for recruitments. Hiring a placement agency is an expense they can do without. Employee referrals are believed to be the best method for recruitments. It is also believed that both the referrer and the referred tend to work longer and are more engaged.
Showcasing happy and engaged employees on social media is another method of attracting prospective employees.
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Own the customer relationship
Engaged employees provide better service or support to customers. The exemplary dedication and courage displayed by the TajMahal Palace (Tata) employees during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai is a great example. Of the 600 employees who were on the premises during the attack, not a single one abandoned the hotel till the guests who were in their custody were safe. While this kind of dedication is not common, customer relationship can thrive with better-engaged employees.
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Spread the word
I distinctly remember the time when companies had rigid policies to keep their employees off social media. Instead of trying to prevent them from using social media at work, now more and more companies are encouraging their employees to actively participate in the company’s social media marketing. You can have an enthused army of social media ambassadors of your company which could lead to recruitments or even sales. It would help if the company has a policy that is easy to understand and follow. Employees can also be provided access to content which can be shared freely.
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Endorsement by own use
Many companies encourage the use of their products among their employees by either providing employee discounts or free samples. This could be extended to gifting branded everyday use items like Mugs, Flasks, Backpacks, T-Shirts and Hoodies. Most of the employees like getting these Knick-Knacks and their constant usage creates awareness among their social circles.
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Valuable resources like Speakers & Trainers
Among the employees, there might be a hidden treasure trove of product, sales & marketing experts. There might be budding artists, sports enthusiasts & published authors. The company can run a survey and identify such key people and then audit them to assess the expertise or influence on various social platforms. Once these people have been identified they can be sensitised to the norms and also to the fact that they will be positioned as influencers. It helps if these select employees are provided support to create content or speak in events. Their expertise can also be utilised to train channel partners or customers on the usage of the product.
Employees are one of the biggest marketing assets that a company can have. Involving them in the marketing efforts as influencers not only benefits the company, it will also boost the morale of the employee.