Not a sure-fire recipe for success

Employees as ambassadors is a growing trend. But they are by no means a sure-fire recipe for success. What framework conditions need to be met to ensure employees are willing to act as ambassadors, experts or even influencers for their employer in the first place? How can they be encouraged and mobilized?

Companies have been searching for solutions on how to turn employees into ambassadors or even influencers for some time. The benefit is clear to see: people are more likely to believe their peers, “people like you and me” than companies. We are also seeing that people have higher expectations of companies than simply striving for maximum returns and market dominance. They need to demonstrate values and responsibility for the greater good. And who better to do this than employees across all levels?

There are also two other trends which have once again changed communication for good. On the one hand there are algorithms controlling what we are shown – a counterbalance to this is people who share content in their networks. On the other, people are increasingly retreating to circles where they can network with like-minded people by communicating via messenger and moving in closed groups. The phenomenon is known as dark social media, as the discussions are not visible to outsiders. Sophisticated monitoring cannot help in this regard, only people who take part in topic-based communities – this includes employees.

It may seem worth one’s while to assign employees to perform these sorts of duties, but discussions have shown that ambassadors are only seen as credible if what they are doing is voluntary.

What would good prerequisites be for employees to become ambassadors?

• They feel at home in the workplace because they are appreciated for what they do, they enjoy the confidence of their superiors, and they feel well informed.
• They understand the goals being pursued by their employer when it comes to communication and what they need to contribute.
• They are encouraged to go on social media and accompanied along the way.
• The company provides them with adequate time, expertise and support for any costs incurred.
• There is space for sharing experiences with like-minded individuals, successes are “celebrated” internally through discussion and managers acknowledge the efforts.

What can employees do? First of all: it is much more than just sharing links to the latest blog posts on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. The contributions made can also be linked to incentives:

• Take part in events and gatherings, share your expertise as speakers or in panels, or simply learn and network with others.
• Participate in cross-sector specialist groups both online and at events.
• Present information at colleges and in courses as guest case studies, or take charge of course units.
• Serve on a jury as an expert.
• Recommend posts in social networks and similar (curate content) and actively participate in discussions.
• Write your own blog or write for other blogs as a guest author.

As you can see from the list, everything employees do has to be linked to their own skills and the company’s areas of focus.

Only a small number of employees will become active ambassadors on their own account. All the others first need to be brought around to the idea and, once they have decided what to do, need good guidance, sufficient time and patience. If this can be achieved, the employer and employees alike can benefit from the result.

Remark: Marie-Christine Schindler is holding a talk on this topic at Connecta 2019.