--- title: "Daily Buzz: Start an Employee Advocacy Program" id: "47985" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-start-an-employee-advocacy-program" published_at: "2019-09-17T21:05:26+00:00" modified_at: "2019-09-17T21:05:26+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/09/17/daily-buzz-start-an-employee-advocacy-program/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/09/17/daily-buzz-start-an-employee-advocacy-program.md" excerpt: "Influencer marketing might rein in some A-list names, but employees have more leverage with audiences. Also: lessons from Boeing’s 737 Max fail." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advocacy" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Marketing" - "Mid-Level Professional" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Start an Employee Advocacy Program How does your team advocate for your association? Employees might not be influencers, but they have influence all the same: Research shows that content shared by employees gets [8 times more engagement (opens in a new tab)](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/employee-advocate-mobilize-your-team-share-your-brand-content) on average than content shared through branded channels. Similarly, [61 percent of consumers (opens in a new tab)](https://www.krusecontrolinc.com/employee-advocacy-is-the-new-influencer-marketing/) say that they’re more likely to research a product or service after seeing a friend’s social media post about it, compared to 36 percent if the same were mentioned by an influencer or celebrity. “In that sense, employee advocacy may be even more effective than influencer marketing,” [writes Andrew Hutchinson on Social Media Today (opens in a new tab)](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/smt-employee-advocacy-survey-2019-part-1-the-current-state-of-employee-a/563018/) . Yet nearly 40 percent of businesses don’t have an employee advocacy strategy in place, nor plans to implement one in the future, [according to a new study from Social Media Today and GaggleAMP (opens in a new tab)](https://resources.industrydive.com/building-the-case-for-an-employee-advocacy-program?ignoremxtracking=mxtrue&mxcpi=b922ec2d-bc14-4437-875f-e16929fe8262&omt=1&result=success) . And among those with a strategy in place, only 35 percent of employees felt confident in what they could say or post. The takeaway here is twofold: Organizations without an employee advocacy strategy should consider adding the tactic to their marketing toolbox. Then, once in place, employees must be trained on how to find and share company content so that they feel empowered to follow through on the strategy. ### What Associations Can Learn From Boeing > We believe it doesn’t matter where the lessons come from as long as we keep learning. So, we had to ask: What can the association industry learn from the [#Boeing737MAX (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Boeing737MAX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ? [https://t.co/vTaCJXWxOZ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/vTaCJXWxOZ) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#crisiscomms (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/crisiscomms?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#Communication (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Communication?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) [September 16, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/sidecarglobal/status/1173687752870813697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Remember all of the fallout** from Boeing’s handling of the 737 Max aircraft? Well, it’s not over yet. But let it be a lesson to your organization on how to handle and *not* handle tough situations, [says Chelsea Brasted from Association Success (opens in a new tab)](https://www.associationsuccess.org/transform/what-can-we-learn-from-the-boeing-737-max) . For one, don’t cut corners or skip training teams on new methodology, as Boeing did. “Sometimes the expensive, time-consuming choice is the right one,” Brasted says. “Give yourself time to make sure your job is done right.” And if a mistake does happen—hopefully one not as grave—own up to it. “Owning your mistakes shows members you respond to problems and are willing to listen to complaints,” she says. ### Other Links of Note **Trying to fill a leadership vacancy?** Blue Avocado explains the [three traits most important to nonprofit leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://blueavocado.org/hr-and-employment-issues/how-to-hire-great-nonprofit-leaders/) . **If you’re feeling stressed,** it’s likely your team is too. [So add a little silliness (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90403865/the-importance-of-being-silly-in-the-workplace) , says *Fast Company*. **The next phase of selfies is here:** [Snapchat just introduced a 3D camera mode (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/17/20869179/snapchat-3d-camera-mode-update-iphone-x-selfie) to add dimension to your pictures, says *The Verge*. (Mykyta Dolmatov/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Advocacy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advocacy/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F09%2F17%2Fdaily-buzz-start-an-employee-advocacy-program%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !