Employee-generated content (EGC) is a unique and often underutilized tool in brand marketing. While user-generated content (UGC) has gained recognition for its ability to boost brand reach and credibility, the distinct value of employee-shared content should not be overlooked.
In many organizations, employees take pride in their work and are eager to showcase their contributions to the company. However, strict social media policies can pose barriers to employees wanting to share about their employer. This is where employee advocacy tools come into play, offering a solution to facilitate seamless sharing of approved branded content by employees across various social media and online marketing platforms.
These tools typically offer features such as:
- Content Library: A repository of content that has been vetted and approved by the social media or marketing team.
- Social Media Integrations: Seamless integrations that allow the social media team to create, edit, and approve content directly within the platform.
- Employee Sharing Capabilities: Social integrations that empower employees to share messages, content, and posts directly from the software to their personal channels.
- Analytics and Reporting: Comprehensive analytics and reporting functionalities that track the impact of the employee advocacy program, including metrics such as reach, clicks, shares, and ROI.
The significance of employee advocacy programs, particularly for SaaS brands, cannot be overstated. These programs play a vital role in social selling strategies, enabling sales representatives to engage with potential customers on social media platforms while upholding a consistent brand image.
Moreover, employee advocacy programs contribute to expanding brand reach organically. Employees naturally desire to promote their employer’s achievements and innovations, thereby enhancing the company’s visibility and reputation. By providing employees with a platform dedicated to sharing the approved content, organizations can harness the collective influence of their workforce without compromising confidentiality or brand integrity.
Learn about employee monitoring tools here.
Top Employee Advocacy Tools of 2024:
1. Sociabble
Sociabble stands out as one of the leading employee advocacy tools, earning top ratings on G2 with over 270 glowing reviews from satisfied users. Renowned for its versatility, Sociabble offers a comprehensive suite of platforms catering to employee communications, engagement, and advocacy, making it an indispensable all-in-one solution for organizations.
With Sociabble, brands gain the ability to curate diverse content formats, including photos, videos, and audio, for their teams to share across social media channels. Moreover, brands can prioritize specific posts by recommending or pushing them for enhanced visibility. Noteworthy features of Sociabble include:
- Customizable posts: Employees have the flexibility to personalize posts before sharing, ensuring authenticity and relevance.
- Content suggestion and approval: Employees can suggest relevant content for approval, fostering collaboration between teams.
- Goal-setting and challenges: Brands can set goals or challenges to motivate team members to achieve specific milestones, such as garnering a certain number of comments or likes.
- Schedule visibility: The platform provides visibility into scheduled posts, enabling seamless collaboration among team members.
For organizations looking to elevate their employee advocacy strategies, Sociabble offers a robust toolkit to drive engagement and amplify brand presence across digital platforms.
2. Hootsuite Amplify
Hootsuite, renowned for its prowess in social media marketing, extends its capabilities with Hootsuite Amplify, an employee advocacy tool that aligns seamlessly with its stellar reputation. Notably, Hootsuite Amplify has contributed significantly to cost savings, with customers collectively saving $839,000 over a three-year period.
Key features of Hootsuite Amplify include:
- Lock editing feature: This functionality allows users to lock specific posts, preventing unauthorized edits—a valuable feature for preserving the integrity of critical brand messages or announcements.
- Post categorization: Users can classify posts as internal announcements, approved posts, or featured posts, streamlining content dissemination within the organization.
- Platform-specific sharing: Brands can specify the platforms to which posts can be shared, ensuring targeted outreach to relevant audiences.
- Notifications: Hootsuite Amplify enables the automatic dispatch of notifications to employees whenever new posts become available, promoting timely engagement and participation.
3. Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
For brands already leveraging Sprout Social’s robust social media management software, exploring their Employee Advocacy platform is a logical next step.
Key features of Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social include:
- Library of approved content: Access a repository of pre-approved content curated by the marketing or social media team.
- Message ideas: Generate message ideas that serve as inspiration for the team, with the option to keep them as internal stories for exclusive viewing.
- Topic following: Empower employees to follow specific topics of interest to them, enhancing content relevance.
- Fast click-to-share: Enable seamless sharing of content across desktop and mobile devices with a simple click.
- Data analytics: Gain insights into the impact of the employee advocacy program through comprehensive data analytics.
- Exceptional interface: Enjoy a user-friendly interface designed for ease of use, with scalability to accommodate organizational growth over time.
4. PostBeyond
PostBeyond excels in simplifying and streamlining employee social sharing, offering a range of standout features:
- Content sorting by topics: Organize content by categories such as sales, marketing, and the latest updates for easy navigation.
- Multi-platform connectivity: Connect to multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, facilitating seamless content sharing by employees.
- Detailed analytics: Access comprehensive analytics providing insights into engagement metrics and return on investment (ROI).
- Customer advocacy platform: Utilize PostBeyond’s customer advocacy platform alongside the employee advocacy program to leverage brand ambassadors effectively.
- Transparent pricing: Benefit from transparent pricing starting at 100 employees and $16.50 per user/month, without the need for demo bookings.
5. EveryoneSocial
EveryoneSocial consistently garners top ratings on major software review platforms, boasting an impressive client roster that includes Meta, T-Mobile, and United Airlines.
Highlighted features of EveryoneSocial include:
- Content sorting by type: Sort content by categories, such as job postings, blog posts, and videos for convenient access.
- Intuitive interface: Enjoy an intuitive and user-friendly interface optimized for both desktop or mobile devices, like iPhone and Android.
- Central content feed: Access a centralized feed of content, allowing users to scroll through and engage with ease.
- Dedicated account manager: Receive personalized support from the account manager to streamline onboarding and program launch.
- Analytics: Leverage robust analytics tools to gain valuable insights into employee advocacy performance.
6. Oktopost
Oktopost, known for its social media management and publishing capabilities, also offers comprehensive community management and employee advocacy features with a strong focus on B2B applications.
Key features of Oktopost include:
- Two-in-one functionality: Benefit from a combined social media management and employee advocacy platform for enhanced efficiency.
- Content filtering: Filter content by relevant topics and platform types, ensuring targeted sharing across different channels.
- Content contribution: Allow employees to contribute content ideas, fostering collaboration and engagement.
- Goal-oriented dashboard: Utilize a dashboard that aligns sharing activities with B2B business goals and growth objectives.
- Advanced scheduling: Empower employees to schedule posts in advance for optimal timing and efficiency.
- Keyword filtering: Implement keyword filters to restrict the use of specific terms or phrases in advocate posts, maintaining brand integrity.
- Integrations: Access a wide range of integrations to enhance platform functionality and compatibility.
7. Haiilo
Formerly known as “Smarp,” Haiilo has rebranded itself as an employee communications platform with a strong focus on advocacy. Boasting clients such as Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, and DHL, Haiilo offers a comprehensive suite of features to support both internal communication and advocacy efforts.
Highlighted features of Haiilo include:
- Multi-platform connectivity: Seamlessly connect to multiple social platforms, including popular ones like Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as niche platforms like Xing or WeChat, facilitating easy sharing of content.
- Analytics: Access simple yet effective analytics tools to track key metrics such as shares, clicks, and ROI, enabling businesses to measure the impact of their advocacy efforts.
- Gamification options: Gamify the advocacy experience by allowing employees to compare their sharing activities with their peers, fostering healthy competition and engagement.
- Segment analysis: Analyze communications across all employee segments, gaining insights into advocacy performance and engagement levels across different departments or teams.
8. Firstup
Born from the merger of Dynamic Signal and SocialChorus, Firstup offers a powerful employee communications and advocacy platform designed to streamline internal communication and amplify brand advocacy efforts.
Key features of Firstup include:
- Easy content sharing: Enable employees to easily share approved content across multiple platforms, providing flexibility in sharing methods.
- Campaign management: Create and manage campaigns in addition to individual content pieces, allowing businesses to execute targeted advocacy initiatives.
- Predictive analytics: Optimize campaigns with automatic suggestions from predictive analytics, ensuring maximum impact and engagement.
9. DSMN8
DSMN8 is a dedicated employee advocacy tool tailored to the needs of social media managers, PR professionals, HR departments, and sales teams.
Highlighted features of DSMN8 include:
- User-friendly interface: Navigate the platform effortlessly with a classic and straightforward interface featuring a feed for browsing content.
- Fast setup and onboarding: Get up and running quickly with fast setup and onboarding processes, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity.
- Reward system: Incentivize employee advocacy with reward mechanisms and recognition features, including a built-in leaderboard to gamify the advocacy process.
- Location and role-based content: Access ready-to-share content tailored to employees’ locations, job roles, and other relevant factors, enhancing relevance and engagement.
- Detailed analytics: Gain deep insights into advocacy performance with detailed analytics tools, enabling businesses to track and measure the success of their advocacy initiatives.
Final Thoughts:
Employee advocacy platforms offer businesses the opportunity to amplify their brand reach while maintaining control over brand reputation. With notable brands like Shopify, Dropbox, Coca-Cola, and Amazon leveraging employee advocacy platforms, businesses of all sizes stand to benefit from incorporating these tools into their marketing strategies. If you’re looking to expand your brand’s reach and engage your workforce effectively, exploring employee advocacy platforms is highly recommended.
FAQs on Employee Advocacy Tools:
How do employee advocacy tools ensure compliance and brand consistency?
Most employee advocacy tools include features for content approval, allowing the marketing or communications team to review and approve content before it is shared by employees. Additionally, they often provide templates and guidelines to ensure that shared content aligns with the brand’s messaging and values.
Can employee advocacy tools track ROI?
Yes, many employee advocacy tools offer analytics and reporting functionalities that allow businesses to track key metrics such as reach, engagement, clicks, and conversions. These insights help measure the impact of employee advocacy efforts and justify the return on investment.
How do employee advocacy tools handle employee privacy and data security?
Employee advocacy tools typically adhere to strict data privacy and security standards to protect both employee and company data. They often include features such as role-based access controls, data encryption, and compliance with regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
What are some best practices for implementing an employee advocacy program?
Best practices involve defining clear objectives and goals, providing training and support to employees, incentivizing participation, regularly updating content, and fostering a culture of transparency and trust within the organization.