Content marketing goes way beyond stimulating consumer interest in your brand. Used properly, it can be leveraged as a tool to execute employee training and turn staff members into much-needed brand advocates.
From shareable online content to informative webinars, the proper content marketing strategy will inspire employees to turn other consumers onto their brands.
Yet, a lack of understanding denies businesses these efforts. While most companies want their employees to support the goals of their brand, they overlook content marketing’s key role.
Failing to recognize the ways in which they already use content marketing to engage and train employees— they flub potential efforts. However, a proper understanding of how to use content marketing to training employees can save the day.
If your brand is hoping to employ brand advocates, an effective inward-focused content marketing strategy will make all of the difference. Here’s how:
Social Media Will Turn Them Into Brand Advocates
With over 50 million businesses utilizing Facebook pages, marketers have to do their best to cut through the noise and get to the consumer. Little do they know, their best solution is sitting in a cubicle just down the hall. For businesses, building trust with consumers takes time.
Yet, with ninety percent of social media users relying on employee advocates, businesses have something to gain. This is especially true considering that employees can multiply a brand’s reach by the thousands with their personal online networks alone.
People are more devoted to people than brands. As such, personal reach has always proved to generate more revenue for businesses.
Train and encourage your employees to promote your brand by giving them content that they would be proud to share. Help them to understand the relevance of developing their own brand and support their efforts by also promoting them online.
Remember, you don’t just want employees, you want thought leaders as well. Help their efforts to become a leading voice by providing them with shareable content that can establish them as experts in their network.
It Stimulates Employee Collaboration
Employee participation means everything to your business. Use content marketing to train and inspire your employees to generate new ideas.
Start by using the content of their peers to show employees that you value their talents and that you’re eager to use them in bigger ways. If members of your customer support team see that the sales team is making logos or posting content for your blog, they’ll be motivated to participate as well.
IBM is one such company who uses content marketing to train employees and encourage collaborative skills. Their thought-leadership program offers across all fields employees the opportunity to learn how to blog.
Since the program has launched over 2,000 blog posts authored by employees have been published. The effort built engagement opportunities and helped employees fine tune a new skill.
Show employees that they have an opportunity to grow and expand outside of their current roles. Give them a chance to manage your social media page or record a video of the office.
Encouraging different departments to contribute to marketing ideation sessions. You might be surprised by how much it helps to implement collaboration across the company.
It Will Give Them A Deeper Understanding of Your Brand
Brands shouldn’t solely focus on winning over customers, they have to engage the people behind the brand too. A smart business recognizes that the relevance of its employees goes well beyond the work that they provide.
Passionate and informed employees go home and advocate for their brand. A content marketing strategy that targets employees will help them to understand the meaningful work behind their organization and turn them into brand advocates.
Inward-focused content strategies shouldn’t be run of the mill updates on benefits and the company holiday party. They should come in the form of product videos, informative presentations, and email updates that are just as clever as the ones you send out to customers.
Stimulate appreciation for your brand by showing employees how their work is helping your company make a difference. You’ll have a league of brand advocates championing the consumer line in no time.