4 tips to turn employees into brand ambassadors

Some companies have bupkis in the marketing budget.

However, a lack of cash doesn’t mean you can’t flex any marketing muscle. If you have employees, you have a powerful messaging force at your disposal.

For better or worse, your employees talk about what it’s like to work at your company. Either way, what they do say has a significant impact on your company’s reputation. Whether it’s in casual conversation or online, your staffers wield a lot of power in shaping the perception of your organization.

That’s why it’s crucial to systematically identify, cultivate and recognize your brand ambassadors. Here are four tips to do so:

1. Choose the right brand ambassadors. 

Not everyone is an ideal brand ambassador. Seek out employees who clearly enjoy working at the company and who routinely go the extra mile. Select somebody who is gregarious and has risen in the company.

Employees who deeply understand your culture will come across as genuine rather than forced. Brand ambassadors should also be savvy social media users and confident communicators.

2. Encourage them to speak in their own voice.

Avoid scripted or heavily edited material. Employee testimonials are useless unless they’re sincere and believable.