Be branded internal ambassador Or brand ambassador your company has endless advantages for the organization. And also for you. In many talks the company's professionals ask me what they get gained for sharing corporate information. It is a recurring issue, I've decided to dedicate this article to him.
Part 1. If you don't feel the shirt, change gear
It's kind of rough., But it's like that… how long do you think it will be until your teammates and bosses know and notice that you don't have a certain pride in belonging?
If your values aren't aligned with those of your company or its brands, think a little before moving on. What happens to you can be due to several reasons:
- You came in because you wanted a job at all costs and you didn't care where
- Circumstances have changed, new direction, new company philosophy
- You're on a toxic team., breathing is getting harder every day
- Maybe you don't realize it., and the toxic person is you
In this case, the best thing you can do is start looking for something else. For your sake. For your colleagues and your company's.
Part 2. You feel the shirt, But you don't have time
You're not an isolated case.. The 99% professionals allege lack of time to be spokespersons for their company. And like everything, this is a matter of priorities.
#notengotiempo syndrome should be changed to #estonomeinteresa. And of course, if you don't care, why give him a minute? Of course, just short won't make you more money, but thanks to the sum of corporate and personal efforts, the company's brands can be strengthened. And what's good for your company's brands is good for you.
Part 3. Don't look like an employee, you're a shareholder, a part of the brand is yours
Yes. With all hours, Effort, know-how (hateful swearing) and even love you've put on the brand, Don't you think it's a little bit yours? You may not have shares or shares in the strictly commercial sense, but on the emotional level this brand is yours, or at least a little bit of yours.
I've been very lucky to be very proud of all the companies and brands I've worked for. And I'm sure none of them were perfect., but by carrying some of my DNA, those marks were part of my heritage.
Yes now, the advantages of being a brand ambassador (For you)
Think big. When you work for a brand, you do it in all its fields
We tend to focus solely on our tasks, Our job description. But nonconformist professionals always go further and look globally for the brand. There's the big difference between someone who “Meets” or someone who contributes. Prevent trees from letting you see the forest.
I know of the first people to be up to date
You'll get the freshest news from your company and its brands. In an advanced program, you'll create content for a corporate blog that will carry your signature.
Value your professional brand
You may have created a personal brand based on what you've shared on your social networks. When you share content from your organization, besides being a natural thing, you start strengthening your professional brand by getting hold of a field of experience. In a nutshell, the corporate brand projects the personal brand.
Create level relationships 1
Often we complain about not having time to create professional relationships. Then, why not do it from the networks? Linkedin and other networks allow you to access potential customers, potential collaborators, Suppliers, Prescribers. Maybe the virtual environment isn't so authentic, but in the absence of time/space, it's a more than good alternative.
Acquires new digital skills
Maybe you know how to interact, share content, network conversation. But do you know where to find the best content (without filling your mailbox with mails)? Do you know how to save and classify links? do you know how to treat SEO from professional networks? do you know how to schedule the contents of an entire week? you know what the best times to post on each network?
No doubt, the training that brings these kinds of programs is of great value, and contributes to adding communication and digital skills.
You're more believable than your brand how do you carry that responsibility?
We've talked a lot about Edelman Trust published every year. Employees and people like us offer more confidence than CEOs, steering committees, analysts…
That means that in a crisis situation, your role of reinforcing the Department. Communication can be crucial. No one talks to brands. People are understood with people. Among the advantages of being a brand ambassador, building trust is one of the most important.
Do you like to play? this is a game, and it has a prize
If a program of Employee Advocacy (that's what it's called technically) it's well done, includes a gamification part. Let's go, there are points, Awards… No. Money no. But some very tailor-made gifts.
Recognition, Influence, Success
To finish, wearing your brand's T-shirt will make you not only a spokesperson, also in a recognized and influential professional. Between your team and your company's digital environment, that is still an online reflection of the real world.
Someone influential is an informal leader, as defines it Eva Collado. You may not have the title or position, but everyone comes to the informal leader when a problem needs to be solved.
In my opinion, success is a measure that everyone must define. Define what's success for you, and you'll see how being a co-partner of your brand comes into play. In the book The Social Employee you'll find case studies from several companies like IBM, Cisco, Dell… who have carried out these programs, multiplying the scope of the brand thanks to its people.
You see.. The advantages of being a brand ambassador are not only for the company, are shared. The hard part is breaking the fear of applying these programs. Marketing and communication people prefer to use conventional media, not knowing that an employee advocacy program, being digital, Is 100% Measurable. RR's. HH don't want to take on new responsibilities. Looks like a utopia, but if you don't involve the general direction in this, there's no program. You may not know yet that your competition may be applying it. Let's go! it's never too late.
Image: publicdomainpictures.net Cc
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by Guillem Recolons
Convinced that everything leaves a mark, I help companies better connect with their stakeholders through personal branding programs (personal brand management) and employee advocacy (programs of branded internal ambassadors).
Socio of Soymimarca's Integra Personal Branding, Brand Directory of Omnia Branding, I also collaborate with Ponte en Valor, Brandergizers, MoreThanLaw, Noema Consulting and Quifer Consultores.
I participate in various programs at IESE, ISDI and EAE, among others. Collegiate advertising, Master in Marketing. Humanities Degree Student.
My advertising DNA comes from 20 years in agencies: Time/BBDO, J.W.T., Bassat Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Altraforma and TVLowCost among others.
Impressive, Guillem, you always sum up better than anyone the concepts that appeal to me.
Always, Intuitively, I've thought that since you work in some company, should leave its mark, and therefore, what the company produces, is part of the same worker, and everyone together.
If I find a job, and the company allows me, of course I'll get to employee-Advocacy programs.
Pd: to me the word know-how I love, Lol.
Hello, Juan, at the moment there are very few companies that are betting on this concept. Are the reasons? Fear, ignorance and tacticism.
Know-how is not that it's a bad concept, is that we've spent it among all. I explained it a few months ago in a post: https://guillemrecolons.com/palabras-inutiles-y-marca-personal/. Thank you from the heart for writing, and I trust it won't take long for that job to find!
At your feet!
Let's go for it…and remains a source of inspiration.
Pd: I like know-how, too., and the substitute “Expertise” you didn't just convince me, so I'll keep mixing until I find the right swearing.
Thank you Xavier!
I remember when I was working at J. Walter Thompson, the president called an internal contest to find a good translation of “top of mind”. It was deserted, And we were some 150 Contestants. There are expressions that are difficult to translate, And surely “know how” it's one of them. Thank you for writing!
Thank you for the Guillem article, I found it very interesting.
If as managers we make our workers feel that they are part of the DNA of the company, and we get them to feel it as theirs we'll have a lot of gained ground. Especially with the rise of Social Media, it is important that our workers are the first to energize the contents of our networks.
Thank you, Juan José for commenting. The key has a lot to do with feelings, the new emotional remuneration. I totally agree. And if it's important for workers to share content on social media, it's equally important that they have the address placet to do it at any time. Thanks again!