How Do You Leverage Employee Advocacy in Public Relations?
PR Thrive
How Do You Leverage Employee Advocacy in Public Relations?
In our latest exploration of innovative public relations strategies, we've gathered four unique perspectives from founders and public relations specialists. From highlighting diversity through employee stories to empowering authentic sustainability advocacy, discover the methods these experts have successfully harnessed employee advocacy to elevate their company's PR efforts.
- Highlight Diversity Through Employee Stories
- Celebrate Employee Engagement
- Donate Talent to Charity
- Have Employees Share Experiences on Social Media
Highlight Diversity Through Employee Stories
One example of how I've leveraged employee advocacy to boost our company's public relations efforts is through our commitment to international hiring and improving accessibility. We recognized early on that diversity in our workforce not only enhances our problem-solving and innovation capabilities but also resonates strongly with global audiences.
To capitalize on this, we encouraged our employees from various international backgrounds to share their stories and experiences about working at our company. This initiative was part of a broader 'Our People, Our Stories' campaign, aimed at highlighting our inclusive work culture and our efforts to create a supportive environment for employees with disabilities.
We facilitated this by creating a series of blog posts, videos, and social media content featuring our employees talking about their journeys. They shared insights on how the company's commitment to accessibility—such as adaptive technologies and flexible work policies—enabled them to thrive both professionally and personally.
These stories were incredibly effective for several reasons. First, they showcased real, diverse voices within our company, making our commitment to inclusion more credible and relatable. Second, they highlighted our innovative practices in creating an accessible workplace, which not only attracted potential employees from underrepresented groups, but also appealed to clients and partners who value social responsibility.
Celebrate Employee Engagement
To leverage employee advocacy, we established a monthly award program celebrating employees who excel at sharing original ideas, or who participate in community activities that further our PR goals. We feature the winners in an internal newsletter and on our corporate social networks, along with a detailed story about their contributions.
Not only does this program motivate employees to step up their engagement with our brand mission, it also exposes external audiences to authentic engagement and innovation happening across our organization. It has fundamentally boosted morale and strengthened our external brand image as an innovative and progressive place to work.
Donate Talent to Charity
Our design team participated in a charity design challenge. Their work has been featured online and proudly shared across their platforms, not only showcasing their skills, but also representing our company as a force for societal good. Good news from the web and design community generated great PR, painting a balanced picture of the creative environment and social awareness at our company.
Have Employees Share Experiences on Social Media
We launched an internal campaign that encouraged employees to share their personal experiences with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative on their social media channels, using a specific hashtag we created for this purpose. We provided guidelines and ideas for posts, ensuring messages were aligned with our brand values, but also allowed personal stories to shine through.
This approach turned our employees into brand ambassadors, amplifying our message far beyond what our corporate accounts could achieve alone. Their genuine, personal stories about participating in community clean-ups, sustainability challenges, and charity events resonated strongly with their networks, leading to increased positive visibility and engagement with our brand on social media.
