Employee brand ambassador: where to start?

On social media, who hasn’t shared a good moment at work or a glimpse of their daily life with their professional or personal network? These online platforms now hold a privileged place in the web landscape. That’s why it’s important to embed them into your marketing strategy – both for sales and for recruitment!

An employer brand ambassador program can help your company stand out and attract top talent. Here’s how to make the most of it!

What does it mean to be an employee brand ambassador?

A brand ambassador employee is someone within an organization who represents, promotes, and positively communicates the company’s values, culture, and identity. Unlike external influencers or spokespeople, these ambassadors are employees who genuinely believe in their organization, its products or services, and who are naturally inclined to share their experiences and enthusiasm with their personal and professional networks. Their authentic testimonials are perceived as more credible and trustworthy by a wider audience, whether they are potential clients or future employees. Leveraging the collective voice of employees as brand ambassadors not only amplifies the company’s message but also adds a personal and credible touch, making it a powerful tool in today’s era of social connectivity and consumers seeking authenticity.

Increased credibility, a broader reach, and a more human brand – a program with a lot to offer!

By boosting company visibility and employee engagement, an ambassador program is a major asset. A few months ago, we highlighted why launching an internal ambassador program is advantageous. From your social media presence to traffic on your website, the positive impacts are numerous.

“The mission of your ambassadors? To make the company shine outside its ecosystem while adding their own touch to its identity.”

Quick reminder: before you start, make sure you have a well-defined employer brand and clear campaign objectives to align your program with. A vibrant company culture will also support your recruitment and retention efforts, as well as the success of your program!

In my suitcase – and in my brand ambassador toolkit, I bring…

Once your spokesperson team is in place, offer them training to clarify expectations and provide a quick start guide. What should it contain?

1. An itinerary presentation

What is your starting point, your destination, and the path in between? Specify, for example, whether they will have allocated time in their schedule, prizes, or participation incentives, such as a networking event bringing all your ambassadors together. Social media, blog, Glassdoor, job fairs: tell them on which stage(s) to play!

2. An overview of the situation

Explain to your ambassadors why you need them, the purpose of their involvement (e.g., brand visibility or candidate referrals), and how they can help.

Is it by taking photos during team activities? Sharing your news? Regularly posting their (positive!) impressions of life at the office or while working remotely? Participating in onboarding new hires?

3. A stop at definitions

Even if they embody and live the company culture daily, refresh employees’ memory by clarifying your employer brand identity and messages, including the story, mission, vision, voice, and employee value propositions.

This way, they’ll better understand what drives and guides the company, as well as how to present it to future colleagues. It’s also a good way to provide them with keywords and an idea of topics to address.

4. A roadmap and achievable goals

Guide your ambassadors by setting, for example, an ideal frequency for posts and interactions with your organization’s social media content. Make sure these goals are measurable and well aligned with your campaign objectives!

Not only are you active online, but your spokespersons can also organize team-building activities to inspire colleagues to share their engagement.

5. Tips and tools for your spokespersons

Without writing the content for them, provide some key arguments to highlight based on the typical profiles of the candidates you’re seeking. What can your ambassadors share about non-monetary benefits, career growth within your ranks, or the workplace atmosphere?

Create a comprehensive web writing guide that covers key aspects, including tone, post length, vocabulary, and typographic standards. Do you have official photos or videos that could accompany their posts?

Don’t forget: specify which best practices to implement and which missteps to avoid on social media. For example, constantly posting the same comment under your company’s publications can hurt you! Provide examples of varied texts.

Also read: How to improve employee engagement in your company?

A behind-the-scenes look thanks to your employer brand ambassadors

Well-equipped and well-informed with a complete toolkit, your spokespersons will have free rein to make your company shine.

Once implemented, consider integrating this program into your company culture guide to encourage new hires to get involved from day one.

Need a hand defining your employer brand positioning, creating a recruitment hashtag, or revamping your social media strategy? Reach out to us: our team is here for you!