Building an employee advocacy program can significantly benefit your financial institution in multiple ways. On one hand, the program should raise employee morale and support a collaborative working environment. On the other hand, institutions generally see an increase in productivity and a natural boost in reach to highlight your firm’s thought-leadership and brand mission statement. There’s no better way to do this than through a financial social networking site, but here is a simple four point plan to help you implement employee advocacy to achieve maximum reach and create a solid culture.
Establish An Employee Advocacy Mission Statement
Every financial firm is unique, so you need to get together with your leadership team to determine what your overall goal and mission is as an organization. And when it comes to employee advocacy, getting the news of the mission statement out requires a collaborative effort.
Utilize your social financial network to distribute quality content reflecting the firm’s thought-leadership, focus and expertise. When social media for financial advisors is used appropriately through an employee advocacy program, current and potential clients will know exactly what you have to offer and will be more willing to become involved.
Appoint Leaders to Develop Your Desired Culture
Some employees will be more invested into the employee advocacy program than others, and that’s ok. When you identify potential leaders for the program, work with them to develop the workplace culture you desire. An employee won’t be the best ambassador for your brand unless they are focused on the big picture, rather than just receiving a paycheck. See which employees have been using their social financial network to highlight the firm’s brand most effectively and get them more involved with employee advocacy.
Develop A Clear and Concise Social Media Policy
A key component for the success of social media for financial advisors is having a clear and concise policy. The last thing you want to go through as a firm is dealing with FINRA violations. Create a list of the things advisors can and can’t do on a financial social networking site, and encourage questions if they are ever uncertain. When your environment is revolved around social media compliance, your advisors will be more willing and confident in sharing content and interacting with clients through different platforms.
Make it Easy for Advisors and Employees to Become Advocates
Your advisors and employees likely already have enough on their work plate so make it easy for them to advocate for the business. Here are some ideas:
- Let advisors and employees suggest the thought leadership ideas and outsource the writing. Writing articles can be time-consuming, but not for professional writers. Professional writers can also maintain a consistent tone and brand message.
- Automate the the content approval process so that employees are not burdened with chasing content, consuming precious employee time.
- Invest in mobile app so that the firm can easily share it’s content with its advisors and employees and make it easy for them to view and share company content with their personal networks.
Constantly Measure Your Program’s Success
No program is fully implemented unless you constantly monitor the success and address any potential issues. Be proactive in recognizing notable employee contributions and involvements. Develop key metrics for your program, like engagement, content shares, lead generation and client feedback. Once you’ve established and identified areas of concern and promise, and created the culture you desired, you can scale back your measurements as needed.
SocialFinServ is the expert in all things pertaining to social media for financial advisors. This four point plan will help you implement employee advocacy into your firm, and we have the tools to help you create a sustainable program. No matter what areas of your program you need assistance with, reach out to us to see how we can help.