Some companies have bupkis in the marketing budget.
However, a lack of cash doesn’t mean you can’t flex any marketing muscle.
If you have employees, you have a powerful messaging force at your
disposal.
For better or worse, your employees talk about what it’s like to work at
your company. Either way, what they do say has a significant impact on your
company’s reputation. Whether it’s in casual conversation or online, your
staffers wield a lot of power in shaping the perception of your
organization.
That’s why it’s crucial to systematically identify, cultivate and recognize
your brand ambassadors. Here are four tips to do so:
1. Choose the right brand ambassadors.
Not everyone is an ideal brand ambassador. Seek out employees who clearly
enjoy working at the company and who routinely go the extra mile. Select
somebody who is gregarious and has risen in the company.
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Employees who deeply understand your culture will come across as genuine
rather than forced. Brand ambassadors should also be savvy social media
users and confident communicators.
2. Encourage them to speak in their own voice.
Avoid scripted or heavily edited material. Employee testimonials are
useless unless they’re sincere and believable.
Let your brand ambassadors speak in their own voice, and give them
platforms where they can share raw opinions, ideas and feedback. Honest,
candid employee testimonials can be a powerful (and cheap) recruiting tool.
3. Encourage and reward positive social media activity.
Your employees probably won’t go out of their way to start social media
accounts representing the company. Most won’t even share a link unless
prodded—or piqued.
Use gift cards, thank-you notes, public praise from the CEO or some other
form or recognition to encourage more workers to share your content online.
Make sure you’re doing your part to produce content that’s worth sharing.
4. Keep employees engaged, interested and inspired.
Do your best to remind colleagues of the big picture. Your jobs provide a
means to pay bills and care for your respective families, and you’re all in
it together. You’re all part of the same team. Every small bit contributes
to the larger goal of creating—and sustaining—a successful company.
Provide a steady stream of useful, uplifting and compelling content to keep
your colleagues connected and engaged. Keep them feeling inspired,
motivated and part of something bigger than themselves. That’s the key to
empowering brand ambassadors who can provide the kind of marketing that
money can’t buy.
A version of this post first appeared on the
Rezoomo blog
.