Did you know your employees are your influencers?

One of the biggest and latest trends in social media marketing is influencer marketing. With more than 4.14 billion active social media users, it has emerged as one of the most effective ways for your brand to reach new audiences.

What is influencer marketing?

The technique involves engaging with an influencer – an online persona with a large and active following – who promotes your product or service to their audience. The method effectively shines a light on who you are and what you do.

To put it into perspective, influencer marketing is estimated to have grown a market size of $9.7 billion in 2020. That’s expected to reach $13.8 billion by the end of 2021.

The best influencers may be closer than you think…your employees!

Are your employees online?

Employees who are active on social media comes with an array of benefits. When used correctly, social media can be a source for networking, an opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader, and can be a platform to build and increase brand awareness, trust, and credibility.

Purple’s Director of Design and Digital, Jamie Wilkinson grew his LinkedIn network by 50% in six short weeks. As a result of growing his network, Jamie has firmly established himself as a credible professional and thought leader in his field.

Thought leadership establishes trust and credibility between employees and consumers. Trust and credibility plays a crucial role in the success of a brands growth and reputation. This was demonstrated when Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, personally took control of the airline’s reputation after Qantas Flight 32 had to perform an emergency landing. Alan Joyce took to social media to actively communicate and reassure stakeholders.

What are your employees saying?

When social media isn’t executed properly, even CEO’s can risk the reputation of their brand. When you have millions of followers supporting both you and your company, you need to be careful about what you say and do. Take Founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, for example.

The entrepreneur played an April Fools joke on his millions of Twitter followers by announcing that Tesla was going bankrupt…

However, Tesla investors were not laughing.

With the auto maker’s cash reserves at risk amid the months-long struggle to build the critical Model 3 sedan, demonstrating that what is said on social media, can have a significant impact on a brand. 

What SHOULD your employees be saying?

Think of your employees as the cheerleaders of your brand.

• Your employees should be showcasing their achievements on social media. At the end of the day, the more they achieve, the more credible your brand will be. This can be as simple as sharing a LinkedIn post when an employee finishes a training module or an online educational course.
• When your employees attend any form events, ask for them to post about it. When others see your employees out and about at events, it demonstrates that they are engaging, motivated and have an expanded network.
• Employees should be advised to share their knowledge online. This will position them as industry experts, ultimately impacting both their career path, as well the reputation of your brand.

Purple Digital Content Officer, Robyn Poole recently updated her LinkedIn with something she’s been working on.

Purple can help

As a leading social media marketing agency, we can offer a helping hand. With social media crisis communications solutions, LinkedIn training and an experienced digital team….

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