Employee Actions Speak Louder Than Campaigns

Many business leaders have been taught that CEOs and executives should be the ‘voice’ of a brand, while professional models should be the ‘face’ via commercials and ads. This all comes from a very traditional and hierarchical system of doing business, dating back to a period when social media wasn’t an option for brands to communicate with their consumers. But today, according to a recent Gallup study, we live in an age where 4 of 5 smartphone users check their devices within 15 minutes of waking up and 53% of people would rather give up their sense of smell before their access to social media. That point, coupled with the fact that regular employees are seen as more credible than the CEO of a brand (52% over 49%)*, means that now, more than ever, brands should be engaging their employees, making them the faces and voices projected to the public.

But it’s not as easy as coercing your employees to ‘fake’ it. Fabricated messages written by PR teams and fed through the mouths of regular people won’t work.

Why? Because employee brand advocacy is more than just word of mouth marketing – it translates into real dollars. The Gallup study showed that companies with high employee engagement have 3.9 times the earnings per share compared to industry peers or competitors.

When Reebok shifted its strategy to focus 100% on fitness, the brand also dedicated itself to creating a corporate culture which would reflect its fitness mindset – in turn, growing a community of engaged employees who live and breathe the brand’s values.

Reebok’s Be More Human Campaign is a rally cry for people to embrace fitness as a catalyst to optimize the quality of their lives – to push past their limits to be better people both in and out of the gym. Reebok created a corporate environment where employees are empowered to ‘Be More Human’ – to sweat during the day, to eat healthy and to really enjoy the Reebok community. With such an engaged team of employees, the brand often utilizes its own people as models and voices of the brand on social media and beyond.

So what can you do in your own company to move the needle? Whether you’re the boss or an intern, your voice can make a difference in the way your company operates.

Understand and remind yourself of your company’s mission – it will make the day-to-day grind more fulfilling and you more excited to share that mission with the world.

Voice your own accomplishments and encourage your colleagues to stand out – to do the same for themselves and their teammates both internally and externally on social media.

If you’re the ‘boss’, try to reconsider how you present your brand to consumers – use your employees! They make for an authentic representation of your brand, whether that’s on social media, or even in an official ad campaign.