When it comes to talent attraction, it’s tough to know exactly what top candidates want from you.
Sure, an inside look into your office, information about your benefits, and photos from fun company outings certainly don’t hurt.
But when talent is eager to find out what it’s really like to work for your organization, there’s one thing that carries more weight than anything else: employee advocacy.
What Is Employee Advocacy?
Here’s our simplest employee advocacy definition: It’s the recommendation or promotion of your company by your current employees. As advocates, they’re the ones spreading the word about your mission, team culture, core values, and what it’s actually like to work in your office every day.
Employee advocacy can take many different forms—it can happen in-person and online.
For example, let’s say one of your employees gushes about your company’s recent volunteer initiative at dinner with a friend, or someone posts a photo on their Instagram from a recent team social event. Those are both examples of employee advocacy happening in real time.
Does Employee Advocacy Really Matter?
Wondering why employee advocacy is important? Well, there’s a reason that companies are eager to have their employees proactively telling their stories, sharing their positive experiences, and boosting their employer branding efforts: Because it seriously works.
When it comes to talent attraction and your recruitment marketing strategy, employee advocacy is a big piece of the puzzle.
In fact, your employees want to get involved. According to our own 2018 survey of Muse users, 42% of respondents said their company could do a better job attracting talent by involving current employees to share their experiences.
Employee advocacy goes beyond getting talent in the door—it also helps them gain a better understanding of your company and whether or not it’s somewhere they could see themselves working and being successful.
In that same survey of our Muse users, 59% of respondents said that testimonials from verified employees are among the most helpful types of content when deciding if a company is a good fit for them, while 85% said a company’s reputation is “important” or “very important” when they’re considering working there.
So, in short, employee advocacy is much more than just a “nice to have” for your company—it’s essential if you want to appeal to top talent and provide an exceptional experience for candidates.
How Can You Build Your Own Employee Advocacy Program?
You’re sold on the importance of employee advocacy as a core part of your employer brand and your recruitment strategy.
But one big question still remains: How do you actually build an employee advocacy program? You know it’s not something that will just happen on its own—it requires some thoughtful planning, time, and effort.
Here’s the good news: Our latest ebook can help you get started. Packed with employee advocacy best practices, examples from companies who are doing it right, and actionable steps that you can follow, consider this your guide to getting your own employee advocacy program up and running and attracting the talent you really want.
