5 Reasons Employees Won't Share Company Content on Social Media
Employee advocacy, mobilizing employees to promote the company's brand on their personal social media platforms to inform, educate, and engage customers, prospects, and the workforce, is not new but has seen a resurgence in popularity in the business world.
On average, employee networks have 10x more connections than a company has followers on social media. According to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, people are 3x more likely to trust company information shared by an employee than that shared by a CEO. Companies that want to increase their reach and credibility and leverage their employees' platforms save over and enhance their own brands. It's a win-win.
Here's the thing. Launching an employee advocacy program is more than flipping on a switch.
Just because your company creates content doesn't mean your employees will share it. Some will never share a single post related to their work. Mobilizing employees on social media takes strategy, education, and quality content. If your company is churning out content and employees aren't sharing, you must find out why.
Here are five reasons your employees aren't sharing your branded content on social media.
Employees don't know what to share.
During my employee advocacy training, participants commonly say they avoid sharing anything about their jobs or company on social media because they don't know what to share. Another common sentiment is fear. Employees are terrified about saying the wrong thing. Many companies have social media guidelines about what not to share but fewer details about what to share or provide examples on how to do it. Examples and training can help employees become inspired and feel more comfortable sharing content. Tools like Sprout Social's Employee Advocacy platform can help keep your team updated on company updates and content so they can know what to share.
2. Your company content isn't share-worthy.
Remember, what people share on social media says more about them than the content itself. For example, people share content that makes them seem intelligent, helpful, funny, influential, etc. Think about the content you've recently shared and what that says about you. If your company's content is not up to par - your employees won't want to risk their reputation by sharing it.
3. Your employees are checked out.
It's tough to sing company praises or amplify anything if your workers are unsatisfied with their jobs or resent the company. If your employees feel overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid, this may not be the right time to roll out an employee advocacy initiative. Address those issues and try again when morale is up. Happy and empowered employees lean in, while resentful and overworked ones go through the motions while looking for their next opportunity.
4. Leadership doesn't lead by example.
Have you ever tried to get employees to do anything leadership isn't invested in? I don't recommend it. It's a steep, uphill climb that typically doesn't lead to behavior change. People quickly determine the difference between what executives say they value and what they actually value. Leading by example is key to creating a culture of social sharing and thought leadership. That starts with leadership. If leadership isn't walking the walk, it signals that employee advocacy is NOT a priority.
5. Participation is Mandatory
Requiring everyone to share content builds resentment and doesn't acknowledge that not everyone wants to share their work or company on social media. Also, posting on social media works. If you want your colleagues to share content on social meaningfully:
Educate your workforce and give them the space to be thought leaders.
Share the benefits to the company, their career, and the industry.
Show them how to integrate employee advocacy into the great work they're already doing.
And if some people still don't want to opt in, that's okay. Invest in and reward those who do. They may be tomorrow's company spokespeople.
If you're interested in launching an employee advocacy program for your company, let's work together! I help legacy and challenger brands who want to mobilize their workforce to maintain a competitive advantage, attract talent, and enhance their credibility and visibility with stakeholders.