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) on average than content shared through branded channels.

Similarly, 61 percent of consumers  (opens in a new tab) 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).

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). 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://t.co/vTaCJXWxOZ  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #assnprofs  (opens in a new tab) #crisiscomms  (opens in a new tab) #Communication  (opens in a new tab)

— Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) September 16, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

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).

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).

If you’re feeling stressed, it’s likely your team is too. So add a little silliness  (opens in a new tab), says Fast Company.

The next phase of selfies is here: Snapchat just introduced a 3D camera mode  (opens in a new tab) to add dimension to your pictures, says The Verge.

(Mykyta Dolmatov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)