A strong talent attraction strategy goes beyond posting a job ad and waiting for applicants to apply. The best approaches are holistic: they create an authentic, engaging end-to-end experience for candidates. They build trust and showcase what makes your company unique. But how can busy talent teams take this approach when they’re already stretched so thin? By harnessing the power of your company’s most valuable asset: its employees.
An employee ambassador program turns your employees into brand advocates, sharing authentic stories and experiences. Let’s dive in and break down the importance of employee voices, how to build a successful employee advocacy program, and our top tips for maximising its impact.
Your employees are your best recruiters
Let’s face it: no one’s buying a pair of jeans with zero reviews, no matter how stylish the ad looks. The same goes for jobseekers: before they click ‘apply’, they want the inside scoop from people who’ve worked in that environment.
The shift towards transparency is particularly important when you consider that 62% of candidates say they only apply for jobs that meet the majority of their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) requirements. This means, if your company’s EVP isn’t clearly communicated, candidates might never even consider applying. That’s where an employee ambassador program can make all the difference.
Employee stories and testimonials have far more weight than corporate messaging. In fact, LinkedIn research even found that companies with strong employee advocacy are 58% more likely to attract top talent. Shiny, corporate spin is out. Employee testimonials? They’re in.
Building trust with authentic content
An employee ambassador program enables you to tap into the power of your team to create genuine, relatable content that speaks to the real culture of your organisation. Employee ambassadors share real experiences, challenges, and successes—taking your company from a faceless corporation, to an organisation filled with culture and life.
The most effective way to share your employee stories is through employee-generated content (EGC). EGC can take many forms:
- Social media posts: Employees can share behind-the-scenes glimpses of their day-to-day work, team events, and company culture.
- Blog articles and testimonials: Longer-form content provides a platform to dive deeper into employee experiences and highlight specific roles or projects.
- Videos: Short, candid videos are highly engaging for potential candidates. Current employees can share their career path, work-life balance, and what makes the company unique.
- Live chat events: Getting team members involved in online events enables them to respond on the spot to potential job seekers or industry professionals, sharing experiences, answering queries and building employer brand awareness.
This type of content helps humanise your brand, and offers candidates a more accurate picture of what it’s like to work at your organisation.
How to launch a successful employee ambassador program
Building a successful employee ambassador program requires careful planning, and a focus on employee buy-in. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Present the program as a reward—not more work
For your employee ambassador program to thrive, it needs to feel like an opportunity, not just another item on an already overflowing to-do list. Present the program as a reward, recognising employees’ value and contributions. When employees understand that their efforts are appreciated and that they’re playing a key role in shaping the organisation’s success, they’ll be eager to participate.
Once ambassadors are onboard, create campaigns that inspire and excite them to share their experiences. Whether it’s a social media challenge, an event recap, or spotlighting a new initiative, provide creative briefs and clear goals to guide their content. To keep the momentum going, offer incentives—from public recognition on internal platforms to prizes for the most impactful content. This not only motivates ambassadors, but also makes the program feel even more rewarding.
2. Gain buy-in from leadership
Support from leadership is critical for a successful ambassador program. Get buy-in from department heads or key decision-makers, asking them to recommend employees who genuinely believe in your brand and culture. When leadership is involved, you’re more likely to secure enthusiastic and authentic ambassadors who will represent your organisation with passion.
3. Offer flexibility and avoid overburdening employees
Flexibility is essential to ensuring long-term success. Not every employee will have the time or desire to share content regularly, so allow for participation on their terms. Whether it’s opting in and out of campaigns or choosing events and initiatives that match their interests, giving employees the flexibility to participate as their schedule allows helps keep them motivated. The goal is to make the program adaptable, keeping ambassadors excited without overwhelming them—ensuring they stay involved without burning out.
Clinch Employee Connections: A recruiter’s must-have EGC tool
Employee Connections is a powerful tool designed to transform your employees into authentic brand ambassadors, enhancing your employer brand and attracting top talent. This platform enables real-time interactions between jobseekers and your team, through live Q&As, virtual events, and AI-powered chatbots, providing candidates with genuine insights into your company culture and values.
For busy talent teams, Employee Connections streamlines the process of gathering and sharing employee-generated content. With just a few clicks, you can create and distribute on-brand content across your website and social media channels, amplifying your employer brand without additional workload. The platform also offers analytics to identify high-performing content, ensuring you share the most engaging material at optimal times.
Employee Connections helps companies to build more authentic and engaging candidate experiences—with 77% of hires saying it improved their perception of the company. It’s the key to genuine candidate connection at scale.
Amplify your employer brand with employee advocacy
When it comes to recruitment, your workforce is your greatest asset. By harnessing the power of employee voices, you can build trust with candidates, amplify your EVP, and strengthen your employer brand. Plus, with the right tools, you can effortlessly scale your strategy—without adding extra work to your busy talent team’s plate.
