Employee Advocacy as A Content Strategy

and how to get employee by-ins in content marketing

Earlier this week I posted this on my LinkedIn:

And I thought, this is one thing every marketer should be adding to their content strategy, but many don’t know how.

Employee Advocacy as a Content Strategy is a powerful and authentic way to amplify your brand’s voice by turning employees into brand ambassadors.

Let’s learn a thing or two from Buffer.

What Buffer Gets Right About Employee Advocacy

If you've been following people like Tamilore O., you’ll notice she doesn’t just talk about Buffer, she talks like @Buffer. And that’s the magic.

Buffer has cracked the code on employee advocacy by:

1. Empowering employees to build personal brands
   Their team members are encouraged to share, write, and show up online, not as marketers, but as individuals who genuinely believe in what they do. And their Creators Camp initiative supports anyone on the team (and others) who wants to build a personal brand, and the results? Pure magic. It's human-first content at its finest.

2. Aligning internal culture with external messaging
   What employees share reflects the brand tone, transparent, people-first, and calm. It’s natural because it’s authentic.

3. Celebrating employee voices
   Buffer amplifies their team’s voices. Not every brand is humble enough to do that, but it’s powerful.

Why It Works as a Content Strategy

1. Authenticity Wins
   People trust people more than brands. When employees speak, audiences listen because it's perceived as real and unbiased.

2. Extended Reach
   Some employees collectively have a larger network than their brand’s official channels. Leveraging their followers increases your visibility.

3. Increased Engagement
   Content shared by employees typically sees higher engagement than when shared from corporate accounts alone.

4. Boosted Employer Brand
   Advocacy humanizes your brand and helps attract talent who resonate with your values and culture.

5. Thought Leadership
   Empowering employees to share insights positions both them and your brand as knowledgeable and influential.

Types of Employee Advocacy

1. Social Media Advocacy

   Employees share company updates, news, content, or achievements on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, or Facebook.

   Best For: Amplifying brand awareness and reach.

2. Referral Advocacy

   Employees refer top talent to open roles and vouch for your company culture.

   Best For: Recruitment and employer branding.

3. Brand Culture Advocacy

   Employees organically highlight positive workplace experiences, team wins, or company values.

   Best For: Internal branding and morale.

4. Product/Service Advocacy

   Employees recommend or speak highly of your product/service in professional or casual settings.

   Best For: Building trust and credibility.

5. Thought Leadership Advocacy

   Employees post professional insights, trends, or opinions related to their roles or industry.

   Best For: Positioning the organization as a hub of expertise.

6. Event-Based Advocacy

   Employees promote and engage with company-hosted or sponsored events like webinars, trade shows, or CSR campaigns.

   Best For: Driving event participation and visibility.

   Note that you can combine the different types to create a strong employee advocacy program for your organization.

How to Create an Employee Advocacy Program for Your Organization

1. Define Goals and KPIs

• What do you want to achieve? (e.g., increase brand awareness, boost recruitment, grow engagement)

• Set measurable metrics like reach, shares, referral traffic, or hires.

2. Identify and Empower Advocates

• Start with enthusiastic team members, especially in HR, Marketing, Sales, or Tech.

• Look for employees who are already active on social or passionate about the company.

3. Develop a Content Strategy

• Create ready-to-share templates and media: articles, job posts, culture spotlights, behind-the-scenes photos, etc.

• Encourage storytelling over broadcasting.

4. Provide Training and Guidelines

• Offer workshops or resources on:

  • Personal branding

  • Best practices for LinkedIn or other platforms

  • Social media do’s and don’ts

• Set clear brand messaging guidelines (but don’t script employees).

5. Use Advocacy Tools (Optional)

• Platforms like EveryoneSocial, Bambu, Sociabble, or PostBeyond help streamline sharing, tracking, and management.

6. Recognize and Reward Advocates

• Celebrate top advocates with public recognition, rewards, shoutouts, or LinkedIn endorsements.

7. Measure and Iterate

• Track engagement, traffic sources, and employee participation.

• Regularly update content and feedback loops to keep the program fresh and relevant.

How to Get Employee Buy-Ins for Content Marketing

Getting employee advocacy right isn’t just about asking people to post. It's about earning their buy-in genuinely and respectfully. It can be hard especially if you are new on the team but here's how to do it:

1. Involve Them Early

Let employees in on the why. Explain the content goals, the impact of advocacy, and how their voice fits into the bigger picture.

Pro tip: Host a short lunch & learn or town hall explaining the value of their voices in building brand trust.

2. Make Participation Easy

Don’t expect everyone to be a LinkedIn wizard.

• Provide plug-and-play templates.

• Share talking points.

• Offer examples of great posts.

Make it feel less like extra work, and more like sharing what they already know.

3. Highlight Their Expertise

People love being seen as thought leaders. Frame advocacy as a way to grow their personal brand, not just the company’s.

• Encourage them to share their process, wins, or learnings.

• Feature employees in blog posts, videos, or podcast interviews.

4. Celebrate and Reward

Recognition builds momentum.

• Shout out employee advocates in newsletters or company calls.

• Set up a simple monthly reward system for most impactful posts.

5. Lead by Example

If the marketing team or leadership never posts about the brand, employees won’t feel inspired to either. Model what good advocacy looks like, authentic, human, and value-packed.

In 2025 and beyond, the most trusted content will come from people, not brands. If your content strategy doesn’t include employee voices, you’re leaving connection (and conversions) on the table.

And you don’t need a team of 100 to make employee advocacy work. Even two to three voices sharing authentically can amplify your content significantly.

Let your team tell your brand’s story with heart, with honesty, and with pride.

You’ll be surprised how far it goes.

Does your company currently have an employee advocacy program in place?

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Meme of The Week

Freelance marketers can relate!

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Happening on DDMB Newsletter in May

See You Next Thursday at 13:00 WAT

Best,

Success Lawal

Your Marketing Buddy.