Empower your employees to be your brand advocates

In the first ten chapters of the book Groundswell, I learned how to connect with customers in the groundswell. But what about employees? In chapter 12, The Groundswell Inside Your Company, gave us the answer.

In corporations around the world, employees are connecting on internal social networks, collaborating on company wikis, and contributing to in-house idea exchanges. Some of these applications came from management and others began as skunk-works projects, but what they have in common is this: they tap into the power of the groundswell of ideas among the people who truly know your business-your employees. It's a little scary to put such power into the hands of your workers, but if you want to run faster and smarter, you should consider it.

(Li, Bernoff, 2011, p. 234)

As we know, brand image is one of a company’s top priorities, whether you run a local restaurant or a global company. This isn't something you can fake or build overnight. Having a positive brand image isn't about creating a recognizable logo or name; it's about reputation, and you can't build or strengthen it alone. You need to earn the respect and trust of your employees so they support and believe in your company and its mission. Once you've established that trust, you can empower your employees to become advocates and share your brand's story with their personal networks. So as the authors of Groundswell said, connecting with employees is as important as connecting customers.

From the BestBuy case in the book, Blue Shirt Nation was created to listen to what employees had to say. Allowing employees to make suggestions, pitch ideas, or give feedback gave them a sense of accomplishment and responsibility in the company. It helped employees feel empowered, connected, and more committed on a day-to-day basis. It also helped BestBuy accomplish groundswell’s five objectives: listening, talking, energizing, supporting and embracing.

Actually, many people are passionate about their company and want to talk about it, but they need to know the company supports and even encourages those efforts. So what should company do? Engaged employees. Empowered employees. They live your brand story everyday. They embody the story. If you give them the tools, guidelines, brand-safe content, and support them; they will present your brand story in a trusted, authentic way.

Coffee chain Starbucks is another company dedicated to creating brand advocates out of employees. Starbucks is very care about employees and refers to their employees as “partners”. I believe that at least a part of Starbucks’ success is in how they treat their employees. Let’s watch this video to see what it's like to be a Starbucks partner.

 “We’ve up weighted our commitment in the training and development of our people because as brand ambassadors our partners must truly embrace the values of our company. We know that the longer we keep and develop our baristas, and the more they embrace our values the better our coffee and our service. ”

-----Brian Waring, Starbucks VP of Marketing

With employees being the most trusted sources for customers, it’s vital that your company’s employees are encouraged to participate in your brand. If you’re looking to cultivate loyalty and create brand ambassadors, why not start in your own backyard?