With over 4 billion people using social media and millions of pieces of content posted every day, standing out and being seen is one of the biggest challenges that business face when it comes to digital marketing.  The good news is, there is a secret weapon, which you can harness to elevate your presence on social media – your own employees.

Why employee engagement matters
Since most people now use social media, it’s likely that your employees already have their own networks online.  Whilst not everyone in their network will be a potential customer for your business, they may well be connected to plenty of people who are.  By sharing your company’s content and engaging with your posts with likes and comments, your employees can widen the reach of your posts and contribute to your business’ online growth.

What’s more, employee engagement can amplify the authenticity of your posts, demonstrating to the world that you are people-led business and not just a brand. By contributing their own passions, expertise and experiences, employees can bring your online presence to life and help your brand to foster meaningful relationships that have the potential to transform into paying customers.

How to engage employees in your social media marketing strategy

1. Educate and train: Providing employees with training and guidance to help them navigate social media effectively and in a brand-friendly way is essential, not only for success but also to safeguard your brand’s reputation. Employees should be clear about what is expected of them and how to contribute to your social media presence in a positive and professional manner.
   
   
2. Showcase company culture: encouraging employees to share behind the scenes stories, videos and photos can provide you with invaluable content, which will humanise your brand and build trust amongst your audience.  Employees don’t necessarily have to post this kind of content to social media themselves; instead it might be preferable to encourage them to share their behind the scenes updates with your dedicated social media manager.
   
   
3. Collaborative campaigns: keep your team in the loop about specific marketing campaigns on social media and make it clear how those campaigns connect to the wider aims and objectives of the company. That way you can invite them to share content that relates specifically to your current campaign and encourage them to share your social media posts.
   
   
4. Recognise and reward: Consider how you can incentivise employees and acknowledge their contribution to your social media activities. This is essential to keep them engaged, ensure they feel valued and maintain morale.
   
   
5. Lead by example: Executives and managers should lead the way in employee engagement, setting a positive example for the rest of your organisation and promoting the idea that social media marketing is a team effort in your organisation.
   

From expanding your reach to strengthening brand reputation, engaging employees in your social media marketing strategy can yield a myriad of benefits.  Remember, the heart of any successful social media strategy is not merely clicks and likes but building meaningful connections – and who better to facilitate this than the very people who embody your brand.