As social media has become an increasingly stronger force in people’s personal and professional spheres, platforms like LinkedIn have opened up new opportunities for employees to actively participate in their companies’ marketing initiatives.
This cutting-edge concept, known as workforce marketing, can amplify companies’ efforts to spread their brand through the additional touch points of their employees. By proactively bringing their employees into the marketing mix, companies are able to reinforce their central marketing message through a greater number of channels and create a lasting sense of cohesion among all departments and staff members.
Google is among the best examples of companies that have capitalized on workforce marketing to ensure that the outside world understands their brand, which in Google’s case is characterized by a playful, colorful theme and a user-friendly attitude. In addition to featuring common imagery among its various social media platforms, Google has turned to its employees to broadcast its brand. When it comes to LinkedIn, Google employees’ profile pictures are uniform in portraying colorful backgrounds that reflect the company’s distinct identity and reinforce its playful, colorful nature.
To take advantage of workforce marketing in the same way that Google has, companies first need to outline what they want their employees to say or portray and establish messaging that is clear, simple and social ready. Company leaders then need to demonstrate to employees how leveraging this messaging will strengthen their own online presence and social identity.
Once employees begin reinforcing their company’s messaging, companies can maximize the benefits on both ends by facilitating analytics, updates and routine training.
To ensure lasting success with workforce marketing, swift action is required on the part of employers. Since many employees already have a social presence through one platform or another, companies need to move quickly if they want to get in front of their employees and encourage cohesion.
By taking this action and committing to workforce marketing, companies can operate more efficiently and transparently as a unified team and share their story with the world in a much greater capacity.
Tips gathered by staff writer Erica Breunlin from Jason Seiden, chief executive officer of Ajax Workforce Marketing, during his Webinar, “Beyond Social: The Rise of Workforce Marketing.”
