Empowering Employees as Empowering Employees as Brand AmbassadorsBrand Ambassadors
Empowering Employees as Empowering Employees as Brand AmbassadorsBrand Ambassadors
Employees are on social media: engage them to promote your products,
services and brand
Write Speak SellWrite Speak SellWrite Speak SellWrite Speak Sell
Jeannette Paladino, founder and writer-in-chief.
Social media is my beat. I help organizations to build brand
awareness to increase revenues, and engage employees as brand advocates on social media.
http://WriteSpeakSell.com
© Write Speak Sell 2012 Page 2
@jepaladino
jeannettepaladinojeannettepaladino
TodayToday’’s Agendas AgendaTodayToday’’s Agendas Agenda
Why companies are enlisting employees as brand ambassadors.
How to develop a social media policy that works for your company.
Companies that are doing it well. The 6 Steps to engage your employees as your
most trusted advocates.
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PollPollPollPoll
Does your company have a brand ambassador program?
If your answer was no, are you planning to engage your employees as brand ambassadors on social media in the near future?
Does your company have a social media policy?
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The Situation NowThe Situation NowThe Situation NowThe Situation Now
Some companies have totally banned employees from social media.
Some companies have totally embraced it. Some companies are on the fence and not
sure what to do.
Which one are you?Which one are you?
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Benefits to Your CompanyBenefits to Your CompanyBenefits to Your CompanyBenefits to Your Company
Retain and attract talent. Burnish your brand. Leverage the viral power of social networks
to reach millions of customers for your products and services.
Create funnel for ideas and innovation. Increase “Earned Media” and reduce cost of
traditional advertising.
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The Viral Power of One Tweet
Cisco Study of New Professionals Cisco Study of New Professionals and College Studentsand College Students
Cisco Study of New Professionals Cisco Study of New Professionals and College Studentsand College Students
Cisco survey of 2,800 college students and recently employed graduates, September 2011
Cisco: Requirements of New Professionals & College StudentsCisco: Requirements of New Professionals & College StudentsCisco: Requirements of New Professionals & College StudentsCisco: Requirements of New Professionals & College Students
Cisco survey of 2,800 college students and recently employed graduates, September 2011
Cisco survey of 2,800 college students and recently employed graduates, September 2011
Survey of 2,800 college students & recently employed grads, September 2011
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80% said theInternet is as important to their lives as food, air & water!!
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Seriously?Seriously?Seriously?Seriously?
If you want to attract and retain the “Best in Class” young professionals,
engage your employees on social media!
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SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIESSOCIAL MEDIA POLICIESSOCIAL MEDIA POLICIESSOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES
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Social Media GovernanceSocial Media Governance
List and descriptions of 195 Corporate Social Media Policies.
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.
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Intel’s Social Media Guidelines Intel’s Social Media Guidelines
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“We expect Times journalists to behave like Times journalists, and they generally do.”
…William Corbett, Standards Editor, The New York Times
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“…Personal experience with employees has the greatest impact on executive opinions of our company.”
IBMIBM’’s Social Computing Guideliness Social Computing Guidelines
…“not mass communications, but masses of communicators.”
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“These Online Social Media Principles have been Developed to empower our associates to participate in this new frontier of marketing and communications, represent our Company, and share the optimistic and positive spirits ofour brands.”
Coca-Cola® Social Media PrinciplesCoca-Cola® Social Media Principles S
Coca-Cola has a Social Media Certification Program
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Jon Iawata, SVP, Jon Iawata, SVP, Marketing & Communications, IBMMarketing & Communications, IBM
Jon Iawata, SVP, Jon Iawata, SVP, Marketing & Communications, IBMMarketing & Communications, IBM
Cannot control what employees say - but employees can be trusted.
Management knows what its people are talking about on social media.
Strategically, social media drives the business. IBM Social Computing Guidelines readily
available online http://bit.ly/3yKymv.
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Gap’s Social Media PolicyGap’s Social Media PolicyGap’s Social Media PolicyGap’s Social Media Policy
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Gap gives 134,000 employeessocial media policy with 3 categories:-"Keep in mind" -"How to be the best” -“Don't even think about it"
Title of policy*
*Ragan.com
Case StudiesCase StudiesCase StudiesCase Studies
Zappos.comZappos.comZappos.comZappos.com
Hundreds of Zappos employees on Twitter. 1.9 million followers of CEO Tony Hsieh. He trusts his employees to “be real and use
their best judgment.”
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Zappos Gets 38,000 Applications a Year for 1,600 PositionsZappos Gets 38,000 Applications a Year for 1,600 Positions
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Social Media Improves Social Media Improves the Customer the Customer ExpeExperiencerience
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6 Steps To Engage Your Employees as Brand Ambassadors
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1. Create Social Media Policy1. Create Social Media Policy1. Create Social Media Policy1. Create Social Media Policy
Form a committee including HR, Compliance, CMO, PR Director, Legal Counsel and select employees.
Develop guidelines that promote engagement on social networks.
Keep the “no-no’s” to a minimum. Trust your employees to say the right things.
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2. Survey Employees2. Survey Employees2. Survey Employees2. Survey Employees
What social networks are your employees using?
Analyze their content to determine if they would be reliable “wingmen.”
Are they willing to serve as the company’s brand ambassadors on social media?
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3. Form Pilot Group3. Form Pilot Group3. Form Pilot Group3. Form Pilot Group
Use the survey to identify enthusiastic employees.
Facilitate training sessions.
Integrate social networking with traditional marketing campaigns.
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4. Provide Guidelines and Rewards4. Provide Guidelines and Rewards4. Provide Guidelines and Rewards4. Provide Guidelines and Rewards
Incorporate responsibilities and goals into job descriptions.
Strike a balance between free-wheeling and over-bearing in advising employees what they can and cannot say.
Provide incentives and rewards.
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5. Feed Information to the Pipeline5. Feed Information to the Pipeline5. Feed Information to the Pipeline5. Feed Information to the Pipeline
Create branded blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts for senior executives and share content with pilot group.
Ambassadors comment on senior executive blogs, RT their tweets, share articles on social networking sites
Employees create their own content within company guidelines for their social media accounts and blogs.
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6. Measure Results6. Measure Results6. Measure Results6. Measure Results
Track business relationships established. Monitor key words to measure search
rankings. Conduct rolling surveys of ambassadors to
assess activity and make course corrections. Create a system to collect information about
customer interactions: complaints and kudos.
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To SummarizeTo SummarizeTo SummarizeTo Summarize
1. Create a social media policy.2. Survey employees.3. Form pilot group.4. Provide guidelines and rewards.5. Feed information to the pipeline.6. Measure results.
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You Need To ---You Need To ---You Need To ---You Need To ---
Communicate social media policy and activities to all employees. Add ambassadors.
Be transparent in all communications. Accept that you cannot exert 100% control of
what employees will say. Trust your employees to do the right things.
They want the company to flourish – because then they will too!
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Jeannette PaladinoWrite Speak [email protected]: 212-308-4364Cell: 917-572-3635
@jepaladino
jeannettepaladinojeannettepaladino
http://writespeaksell.com
QUESTIONS?COMMENTS
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THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN BE OF HELP TO YOU.