By Kirsti Lang

Many of the companies generating buzz on social media right now likely all have something in common: it's not just their brand accounts posting great content, but their employees too.

That’s particularly true for businesses and employees active on LinkedIn. According to the network-building platform, content posted by employees is seen as three times more authentic and has a click-through rate twice as high as brand accounts.

Business leaders and marketers are tapping into this powerful approach, both with gentle encouragement and intentional employee advocacy programs.

I spoke to experts at companies who have gone one of these routes. In this article, I’ll unpack their learnings and advice to help you kickstart a personal branding movement within your own team or business (and why it’s a great idea for everyone).

What is employee advocacy?

First a brief detour: You’ll often see the term ‘employee advocacy’ pop up in conversations about personal brands in this context.

Generally speaking, employee advocacy refers to the promotion of a company and/or its products by its employees. That could mean on social media, but also in person (say, at conferences, networking events, or even a family get-together) and on other sites like Glassdoor.

Employee advocacy is the term LinkedIn has long used to describe what I’ll be unpacking in this article (“empowering your employees to share smart, quality content with their own social networks” is their definition). Still, the phrase ‘personal brand’ has gained more traction with the platform’s users in recent years, which is why I’m using it here.

The benefits of building a personal brand — for both employees and their company

It wasn’t that long ago that companies were wary of their employees posting on LinkedIn. Getting active on the platform used to be a sign that people were polishing up their resumes and getting ready to move on.

“But LinkedIn is no longer just a ‘jobs board’,” says Lorraine K. Lee, Founder of RISE Learning Solutions and a LinkedIn Top Voice. “Now, employers are the ones who know that their employees are their best advocates.”

She believes that supporting employees in building their own personal brand is one of the smartest things a company can do. “When employees have an online presence, the company gets organic visibility in an authentic way. It's a win-win for employee and employer.”

For employees:

• Opportunities for career growth. Curating a presence on LinkedIn is effectively a live portfolio. It shows employers exactly what you can do, all your achievements, and how passionate you are about your work.
• Internal recognition and opportunities. “At my last company, they knew I was a keynote speaker [thanks to building a brand …read more

  Source:: Buffer Blog

        

  

  Author: Aaron