Here we go again, the Marketing Manager is asking you to perform as the company’s brand advocate by liking and sharing its posts on social media - and you couldn’t care less about it!
And why should you? You are not a Marketer, in fact, you are far from that. You might be a Software Developer, Data Scientist, Technical Support Agent or the company’s Finance Manager - so what’s in it for you?
Well, since you’ve asked so nicely, here are 3 ways to make the company’s employee advocacy whims totally work in your favor.
1. Add Some Competitive Spirit
Ask the Marketing Manager to make a fun employee advocacy game, by creating a “Hotshot Board” which would show metrics on who’s getting the most impressions or engagement. Then, announce the lead advocate at the weekly happy hour and add a little incentive - a fun office prize! It would not only help elevate the company’s brand awareness, but also improve the company’s culture.
2. Promote Topics You Care About
Marketing professionals are always on the lookout for new engaging topics. So if you have a good and relevant topic idea, whether it is a new interesting product or a difficult issue your industry is facing - they would probably be happy to write about it. They might even give you all the credit for the piece if you co-write it with them!
It would be a win-win-win situation for everyone: the company would be presented as a thought leader, the Marketing team would generate more leads, and you would gain the management appreciation, which would really come in handy when you decide to ask for a promotion or a raise.
3. Think About the Next Step in Your Career
In the contrary to what most non-marketers believe, a great company reputation is not built overnight. Successful companies like Google, Facebook and LinkedIn are investing billions of dollars in brand awareness efforts, and this what makes them so appealing to job seekers as well as recruiters. This means that if the company you work for has developed that stimulating brand magic, you’ll get much better job offers than candidates from other companies.
