Editor’s note: Terry Vavra and Douglas Pruden are senior partners at research firm Customer Experience Partners. Vavra is based in Terry Richmond, Va. He can be reached at vavra@customerexperiencepartners.com. Pruden is based in Darien, Conn. He can be reached at pruden@customerexperiencepartners.com.  

When we speak or write about advocacy we’re usually focusing on customers – what they’re writing and saying about businesses. Hopefully positive comments. But there’s another side to advocacy – the value of employees as advocates or “ambassadors.” And, while we probably accept the need to stimulate customer advocacy, we may be less likely to recognize the need for stimulating our employees to be positive advocates – both on the job and off. The common, incorrect assumption may be: “Employees know where their pay is coming from, why wouldn’t they act to build business?” But human nature often defies logic! So, we ask the questions, “Do you know how well or poorly your employees advocate for you on or off the job?” And, “Do you know what your employees are saying about you?” Few organizations can answer either question.

If your organization assumes employees act in rational ways (and therefore are effective advocates for your brand) it’s unlikely you’re either. Actively building an “internal brand” or monitoring how employees feel or what they might be saying about your organization in (personal and public) word of mouth.

What is an internal branding process?

What is an internal branding process? It’s a series of messages and actions that are compatible and synergistic with your company’s external brand, but reformulated for an “internal audience.” It’s a strategic program that develops your employees into knowledgeable communicators. And it treats employees as true insiders, people in the know about your company’s operations, products and future plans. This perspective boosts employees’ morale, self-esteem and ability to advocate your brand.

Checking in with employees

As to monitoring if and what your employees are currently communicating about your company, employee research is every bit as important as customer research. This is especially true considering the control you have over them. Don’t assume they know your products; test them to find out! Cheesecake Factory hosts regular staff meals and impromptu menu tests to ensure that their employees are completely comfortable with the restaurant’s menu and have experienced a wide selection of its entrees. Despite its potential, employee research is fraught with at least two problems:

  • Monitoring employees’ social media postings (as some companies have attempted) can be considered illegal or, at the very least, of questionable ethics (See “Cisco fatty”).
  • Surveying employees, while offering tremendous potential value, suffers from the unlikelihood of employees answering in total candor. Try as an alternative occasionally gauging their enthusiasm and preparedness in a brief, informal and anonymous survey or blog kiosk/’listening post.’

Equipping your ambassadors

Once you have a baseline understanding of your employees' current activity level, you'll probably want to improve their ability to advocate for you. To equip your employees to serve as effective, positive advocates (ambassadors) consider CEP’s word-of-mouth model to help manage their feelings and beliefs about your organization and to promote their subsequent word of mouth. The tested process consists of three key ingredients:

  1. Motivation – Reminding employees how much they can help your organization (and ultimately themselves) through their word of mouth may encourage more communication. Let them know that you encourage them to do so (with a few simple rules). Your organization might even run internal contests inspiring employees to communicate more.
  2. Content – While employees hopefully know their job and their function very well their corporate perspective is probably less certain. Considering today’s siloed corporate structures and cultures most employees likely only have a small window’s view of your brand’s or organization’s big picture. It's a mistake to assume they’re familiar with all the good things the organization does for customers and the community and how this may differ from competitors. They need content (stories) that can be provided to them by disseminating sharable and even possibly entertaining information.
  3. Opportunity – Help to ignite employee conversations both online and offline. Alert them to sharing sites beyond their own Instagram or Twitter accounts, sites on which your brand is currently being discussed. Equip them with something to wear, carry, wave, stick-on or otherwise personally display that identifies them to the world as your employee and suggests that they are open to a conversation.