PlanetNTF

Not surprising. Employees get higher click through rates than the same content shared through official company channels:

For every post that’s shared, LinkedIn discovered that employees receive, on average, a 2x higher click through rate than when the same piece of content is shared through an official company channel. …

Source: Your Employees’ Voice Really Matters on Social | Social Media Today

But it is more than just repeating official company content. The real value arrives, when employees develop their own profile through creating their own content which is going beyond companies marketing messages:

Thought leadership – … It just doesn’t happen, especially when all employees are sharing exactly the same content, some even choosing to not change the post title. To truly stand out you need to be willing to work for it.
…, you need to reply and engage with the community if you expect to get noticed and build your status. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll receive instant gratification, it takes time to establish thought leader status.
… You need to humanize your social presence by engaging in the community and sharing others content. Show your followers that you have a personality and that you’re not just a robot.

Source: Your Employees’ Voice Really Matters on Social | Social Media Today

Very true statement, but the author needs to take the employees motivation into consideration. If companies want employees to be engaged in social media and to be brand ambassadors, they need to recognize these efforts as part of their work, not as private amusement. To few managers really accept this as a fact. My experience: When it comes down to daily work and tasks, they always prioritize the “normal” work and de-prioritize engagement in social media.

You remember all the reports on not motivated employees? Why should they be engaged and become brand ambassadors, if their work is not really awarded. It is overdue, that this behavior changes, in particular, when we talk about digital transformation. The employee’s voice really matters in the digital transformation.

Very interesting results in the Social Media Employee Advocacy Report from the Altimeter Group:

My 2 cents: Only 27 % provide customers with support. A missed opportunity and perhaps a misperception of today’s needs.

55 % of employees share according to Altimeter information about work. But in fact the research found that 77% of those employees who do advocate are a manager or above. Why is the broader base not engaged? Remember my comments in one of my last postings: Are companies, managers and in particular middle managers really committed to have more employee advocates out there? Are the employees really motivated to become spokes people in social media?

And the Altimeter-survey results show that companies have difficulties to motivate the employees and a low adoption rate by employees. Content challenges and leadership commitment are other key issues. By the way: Only 8 % faced the challenge of employees sharing inappropriate content.

Last but not least an European perspective: European employees are less likely to share work-related content. Europeans have a stronger preference for keeping work and home life separate: 44% of Europeans cited this as a reason for not sharing work-related content, compared to only 23% of North Americans.

Source: [NEW RESEARCH] Social Media Employee Advocacy: Tapping Into The Power of An Engaged Social Workforce | Altimeter Group