Swisscom Spirit

B2B marketing: How do I turn employees into social media ambassadors?

Employees acting as ambassadors for a company is nothing new. However, social media opens up an incredible number of opportunities and the topic takes on a whole new meaning. But how do we empower employees to utilise their opportunities in our interests? What expectations are realistic? What triggers this?

By Marcel Brandtner, Business Owner Online

Seven steps to a successful Social Ambassador Initiative - and the questions you will face.

Employees acting as ambassadors for a company is nothing new. However, social media opens up an incredible number of opportunities and the topic takes on a whole new meaning. Reinforcing the company's message and raising the profile of proven company experts on social media are key objectives of a social media ambassador initiative. But how do we empower employees to utilise their opportunities in our interests? What expectations are realistic? What triggers this?

Business customers also inform themselves online when making purchasing decisions

Our business customers are changing their behaviour when it comes to making purchasing decisions. In this new environment, the way we use our marketing must change:

  • B2B decisions are often influenced by recommendations. Experts and influencers who have positioned themselves with their topic on social media take on even more important roles than before.
  • B2B decision-makers are faced with challenges that they need to solve for their company. They search online and on social media for the right answers.
  • 6 people on average are involved in a B2B purchase decision. Our employees can use social media platforms to identify and connect with these people. They can share relevant content with potential business customers and help solve their problems.

Employees must be visible and networked online

Our employees are digitally networked. Every employee can be a door opener to a potential business customer. We should use this to our advantage! As social ambassadors, employees focus on sharing relevant content in their networks. This content is intended to help B2B decision-makers solve their problems. In this way, our employees establish 1-to-1 communication with potential business customers. The aim is to position themselves as an expert or influencer for business customers, provide answers and resolutions and distinguish themselves with expertise.

Principles of a successful social media ambassador initiative

How you organise such an initiative will probably vary from company to company. However, it has been shown that there are some principles that you need to observe from the outset and take into account in your strategy.

  • Empower and support your employees.
  • Your employees must remain authentic.
  • Quality always comes before quantity.
  • Observes and monitors, but does not control.
  • Measures performance and communicates successes.

Seven steps to a successful Social Ambassador Initiative

But how do we empower our employees to act as social media ambassadors for the company? The task of marketing is to train employees as ambassadors and anchor a social media culture in the company. Set an impulse and show your employees how they can become "famous" thanks to social media.

These 7 measures will convince your employees:

  • Start with face-to-face training or live webinars that show your employees how to position themselves with the thought leadership approach and a professional social media presence. Sales employees and product experts are best suited for this. Your employees should know,
  • how to behave on social media,
  • how to create a professional profile (personal branding),
  • how to maintain customer contacts and find new contacts,
  • how to find and share relevant and interesting content, and
  • how to become a "thought leader".
  • Supplement the courses with e-learning elements in order to broaden their scope.
  • Organise social selling days or tweet-ups within the company to strengthen the activities of the social ambassadors.
  • Communicates employees' success stories.
  • Defines key performance indicators. Measures the successes and provides regular information about them.
  • Provide your employees with good content centrally. From your own company and relevant specialised content for the Ambassadors and their contacts.
  • Identifies experts, sales and other employees who can create content for the company. Supports them in the creation of content.

Questions you should have answers to

You will trigger a lot with your Social Ambassador initiative. You will also have to face some challenges within the company. These are the most important questions you should be prepared for:

  • Where does private life end and business begin?
  • Are we ready to give up some control? Do we have the necessary error culture? How high is the risk of not having control over employees' activities?
  • Are employees allowed to post their own content related to their role in the company?
  • How do we motivate employees without working against our own goals? How do we ensure that we don't create "living chatbots" that post content about our company without authenticity?

However you answer the questions for your company, you should be aware of one thing: your employees are active on social media either way. With or without your support, with or without benefit for your company.

Marcel Brandtner

Marcel Brandtner

Business Owner Online

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