Social Media Advocacy 101

Social Media Advocacy 101 How to help your company grow with

LinkedIn & Facebook

QUESTION:

QUESTION:Do you have family members, friends, acquaintances, and/or professional contacts who could benefit from your company’s product or service?

QUESTION:Do you have family members, friends, acquaintances, and/or professional contacts who could benefit from your company’s product or service?

i think so-

yes!

ANOTHER QUESTION:

ANOTHER QUESTION:Are you connected with these people on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter?

ANOTHER QUESTION:Are you connected with these people on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter?

Yup!(skip to slide

34)

ANOTHER QUESTION:Are you connected with these people on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter?

Yup!(skip to slide

34)

No...I’m not on

these sites(proceed to next

slide)

The first step to social advocacy is to set up social profiles

Here’s what you need to know about:

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

Here’s what you need to know about:

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

The best social site for connecting with professional contacts such as past & present colleagues, B2B prospects, industry thought leaders, & more.

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

The best social site for connecting with professional contacts such as past & present colleagues, B2B prospects, industry thought leaders, & more.

Build your own professional identity or “personal brand.” This can help establish you as a trustworthy expert in your field.

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

The best social site for connecting with professional contacts such as past & present colleagues, B2B prospects, industry thought leaders, & more.

Build your own professional identity or “personal brand.” This can help establish you as a trustworthy expert in your field.

Learn more about prospects and stay in touch with them.

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

The best social site for connecting with professional contacts such as past & present colleagues, B2B prospects, industry thought leaders, & more.

Build your own professional identity or “personal brand.” This can help establish you as a trustworthy expert in your field.

Learn more about prospects and stay in touch with them.

Get better at your job by following & reading content from inspirational thought leaders, industry groups, news publications, and more.

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

The best social site for connecting with professional contacts such as past & present colleagues, B2B prospects, industry thought leaders, & more.

Build your own professional identity or “personal brand.” This can help establish you as a trustworthy expert in your field.

Learn more about prospects and stay in touch with them.

Get better at your job by following & reading content from inspirational thought leaders, industry groups, news publications, and more.

Share your expertise by writing and sharing articles your audience will find helpful, entertaining, or interesting.

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

GOT IT?

The world's largest professional network: 300 million strong.

GOT IT?Good.

Now, set up your profile

You!

Now, set up your profile

You!

Click here for our step-by-step guide to setting up your LinkedIn Profile

Social networking for family and friends.

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Connect with family and friends around any topic that is relevant to your network. Sometimes this can even include business content!

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Connect with family and friends around any topic that is relevant to your network. Sometimes this can even include business content!

If your business sells a product/service that is relevant to people in your Facebook followers list, it might be worthwhile to share content there. Just as long as it is actually helpful & relevant rather than too pushy or sales-y. You don’t want anyone to get annoyed with your brand.

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Connect with family and friends around any topic that is relevant to your network. Sometimes this can even include business content!

If your business sells a product/service that is relevant to people in your Facebook followers list, it might be worthwhile to share content there. Just as long as it is actually helpful & relevant rather than too pushy or sales-y. You don’t want anyone to get annoyed with your brand.

Facebook last one of the most successful business ad platforms, but that means it’s harder for business pages to get traction (likes & follows) without paying. That’s why it’s more helpful than ever for employees to advocate for their companies using their personal accounts.

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Connect with family and friends around any topic that is relevant to your network. Sometimes this can even include business content!

If your business sells a product/service that is relevant to people in your Facebook followers list, it might be worthwhile to share content there. Just as long as it is actually helpful & relevant rather than too pushy or sales-y. You don’t want anyone to get annoyed with your brand.

Facebook last one of the most successful business ad platforms, but that means it’s harder for business pages to get traction (likes & follows) without paying. That’s why it’s more helpful than ever for employees to advocate for their companies using their personal accounts.

Though Facebook is a more personal network, there are many groups you can join to gain and share insight related to your company.

Social networking for family and friends.^& businesses too!

Connect with family and friends around any topic that is relevant to your network. Sometimes this can even include business content!

If your business sells a product/service that is relevant to people in your Facebook followers list, it might be worthwhile to share content there. Just as long as it is actually helpful & relevant rather than too pushy or sales-y. You don’t want anyone to get annoyed with your brand.

Facebook last one of the most successful business ad platforms, but that means it’s harder for business pages to get traction (likes & follows) without paying. That’s why it’s more helpful than ever for employees to advocate for their companies using their personal accounts.

Though Facebook is a more personal network, there are many groups you can join to gain and share insight related to your company.

Like LinkedIn, you can also use Facebook to follow industry leaders and inspirational thought leaders.

Now, set up your profile

Click here for our Facebook’s FAQ on setting

up your first profile

&are generally the most important social

networks for B2B brand advocacy.

BUT…

BUT…If your customers are on other social sites, it’s best to focus your time there.

BUT…If your customers are on other social sites, it’s best to focus your time there.

Click to read these articles on other social networks you might be wondering about...

How to Promote Your Business with Instagram

56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest

14 Ways to Use Twitter to Market Your Business

Now that you’re all set up...

You might be wondering...what is social advocacy anyway?

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media.

Source: Social Media Today

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media. Most organizations embrace employee advocacy with one of four use-cases in mind:

Source: Social Media Today Source: Social Media Today

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media. Most organizations embrace employee advocacy with one of four use-cases in mind:

Awareness

Brand development, community outreach

Source: Social Media Today

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media. Most organizations embrace employee advocacy with one of four use-cases in mind:

CampaignsAwareness

Brand development, community outreach

Promotions, products, events

Source: Social Media Today

Source: Social Media Today

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media. Most organizations embrace employee advocacy with one of four use-cases in mind:

CampaignsAwareness Support

Brand development, community outreach

Promotions, products, events

Customer service, subject expertise

Source: Social Media Today

Social advocacyis when employees promote companies on social media. Most organizations embrace employee advocacy with one of four use-cases in mind:

CampaignsAwareness Support Talent

Brand development, community outreach

Promotions, products, events

Customer service, subject expertise

Recruitment, employer reputation

Source: Social Media Today

Source: Social Media Today

What does social advocacy look like?

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #1

GOAL: Drive awareness through brand promotion and community outreach

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #1

GOAL: Drive awareness through brand promotion and community outreach

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #1

GOAL: Drive awareness through brand promotion and community outreach

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #2

GOAL: Promote campaigns, products, and/or events

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #2

GOAL: Promote campaigns, products, and/or events

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #2

GOAL: Promote campaigns, products, and/or events

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #3

GOAL: Support prospects and customers by answering questions and sharing insight

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #3

GOAL: Support prospects and customers by answering questions and sharing insight

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #3

GOAL: Support prospects and customers by answering questions and sharing insight

First half: Second half:

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #4

GOAL: Find new talent by sharing job openings

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #4

GOAL: Find new talent by sharing job openings

Social advocacy examplesEXAMPLE #4

GOAL: Find new talent by sharing job openings

Why is social advocacy important?

FACT:

FACT:60-90% of the buying process happens before any contact is made with sales.(In other words, regardless of your product/service or industry, people are looking you up online and getting 60-90% through their buying decision before making any contact with your company.)

FACT:60-90% of the buying process happens before any contact is made with sales.(In other words, regardless of your product/service or industry, people are looking you up online and getting 60-90% through their buying decision before making any contact with your company.)

What do people look at when researching your company?

What do people look at when researching your company?

● Google (& other search engines)● Articles written about you● Blog posts you’ve written● Your social media pages● Customer reviews● Potentially other things depending

on your specific business

When prospects find information about your business online, it’s more compelling when it comes from employees rather than company channels

EXAMPLE:Which is more compelling?:

EXAMPLE:Which is more compelling?:OPTION #1: A positive article about HubSpot shared by the Founder of HubSpot

EXAMPLE:Which is more compelling?:OPTION #2: A positive article about HubSpot shared by HubSpot

EXAMPLE:Which is more compelling?:OPTION #3: A picture of a tattoo a HubSpot employee got of HubSpot’s logo

EXAMPLE:Which is more compelling?:OPTION #3: A picture of a tattoo a HubSpot employee got of HubSpot’s logo

NOTE: Though this is an extreme example, it’s pretty compelling brand advocacy, right?

FACT:“Members of the general public trust ordinary people like themselves nearly twice as much as they do company CEOs”

Source: Social Media Today

FACT:“Members of the general public trust ordinary people like themselves nearly twice as much as they do company CEOs”THat’s why social media/content marketing expert, Jay Baer, calls employee advocates “Human Trust Magnets”

Source: Social Media Today

“The people with the potential to be your best advocates already work for you, and in today’s connected world, the most powerful way to bring them into play is via social media. On average, when employees share something – anything – with their social networks, each one reaches 20 times more people than a typical brand sharing with the same number of followers.1

Throw in the fact that members of the general public trust ordinary people like themselves nearly twice as much as they do company CEOs, and you can see why forward-thinking business leaders encourage their people to become brand advocates, using personal social-media networks for business communication. They’re what social-content expert Jay Baer describes as “human trust-magnets” – that’s the true value of employee advocacy.” (SOURCE)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!Positive promotion from employees is more trustworthy and valuable than company or leadership-driven posts, AND it’s also seen by WAY MORE PEOPLE.

FACT:“On average, when employees share something – anything – with their social networks, each one reaches 20 times more people than a typical brand sharing with the same number of followers.”

Source: Stanford University; Ignite Social Media

vs

For most companies, attracting awareness is a top priority because:

more awareness =more leads =more sales =more $$$

It’s pretty simple.

It’s pretty simple.If you are in any way incentivized to help your company grow, sharing content on your social media sites is a no-brainer.

It’s pretty simple.If you are in any way incentivized to help your company grow, sharing content on your social media sites is a no-brainer.(Even if you’re not, don’t you want your company to look good? To do well?)

So how can you get started?

Find out if your company has guidelines and/or recommendations

● Many companies have social media policies about what employees can and cannot say regarding the company and brand on social media - make sure to find out if such a policy exists before posting anything.

● Your company leadership might have ideas about how you can promote the company on your social media sites - check with them to make sure it’s okay and to get their input.

If no social advocacy plan exists, you can still be a great advocate

There doesn’t have to be an elaborate strategy for social media advocacy. You can be a champion for your product/brand/culture by simply talking about your company on social media in a positive way.

If your company’s target audience is present amongst your social followers, you may generate a site visitor, lead, sale, or even job applicant. If they’re not a big part of your social following, you’ll at least have reflected positively on your company’s brand.

Where Can I Learn More?

Helpful Resources[Free eBook] The Inbound Way to Use LinkedIn

[Blog Article] A Kickstart Guide to Employee Advocacy on Social Media

[Blog Article] It is Okay to Ask Employees to Use Their Personal LinkedIn for Business Promotion?

[Blog Article] Social Media Training for Employees: From Risk Management to Brand Advocacy

[Blog Article] Beyond Engagement: What’s in it for my Business?