Ambassadors - or Corporate Influencers - are employees who give our company a face in external representation - especially in the digital realm. They report and post on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or on an in-house blog.
Influencers convey our messages outward, being personable, approachable, and authentic. They share success stories and convey expertise. They drive topics forward, which is particularly interesting for the B2B sector. They share what it's like to work in our company. This is important, for example, in the field of Employer Branding.
Why is the topic of influencers so important? Because real followers mean communication and interest.
The diversity of our company must also be reflected in our communication. Spontaneous tweets and witty posts alongside professional press releases.
Ambassadors - important messengers of our company
In an employee-centered corporate culture, employees enjoy working and feel comfortable. Our employees should communicate externally - on the website, on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok - saying: We have a pleasant corporate culture and want to welcome you as a new member. We have job openings, we are a good employer.
For example, a large technology company was looking for programmers in Germany. Among applicants, the company was relatively unknown as an attractive employer for IT specialists.
The company's IT specialists became active on social media. They explained what they do, what their expertise is. They answered questions from applicants, making the application process easier for them.
Ambassadors should come from all areas and departments. Men and women of different backgrounds, different age groups, colorful and diverse. For example, a public transport company produced a very sympathetic-authentic video of an older gentleman (head of tram drivers).
Authenticity means no agency photos, no staged videos, or actors. The information shared must align with the person and their role in the company. Otherwise, it appears fake - which is counterproductive.
Employees should not engage in monotonous, one-dimensional communication on social channels. It's about our company's interaction with the outside world. With customers, potential applicants, the public. The ambassadors are diverse, unique, appealing to different people. They communicate differently and are not (assistant) spokespersons.
An ambassador can be the spokesperson who shares their messages on Twitter and engages in discussions with others. It can be the designer who shares our products on Facebook. The mid-level manager who engages in conferences or workshops. Or the engineer who shares their products through photos on Instagram.
They are passionate about our products, working conditions, corporate culture, and make this enthusiasm public.
Large reach and improved interaction
There is no one brand ambassador; there are very different types of influencers. With different experiences and educational backgrounds. There are subject matter experts who engagingly and understandably discuss complex topics. An employee from the HR department might be passionate about complex legal issues. A mobile technician might post photos of their daily work. Technical rooms, mobile antennas, or interesting details about mobile technology. Or the influencer could be the rockstar who presents their content in a flashy manner.
Influencers have communities they serve, which our company does not. Ambassadors communicate in large and diverse networks. The key is: they all stand for diversity and engagement. They have their peer groups, interact with various people. People who may have never been interested in our company otherwise.
Many people struggle with corporate content. Impersonal, boring websites do not convey information effectively. People prefer to talk to other people and receive information from living individuals. They listen to recommendations from their peer groups, engage in dialogue, and trust each other.
For a company's influencers, it's not about large reach but about expertise. Who are they addressing? With what content? In what situation? Experts in their respective fields build real trust.
Influencers must be authentic and credible. They are well-versed in their field and listen to their target audience. They report feedback from the community to our company and act as trend scouts. What resonates with customers? What content is important? Is the corporate content contemporary and credible?
All these factors are crucial for the success of influencers and ultimately for the success of our company.
Establishing a program
A program is not only suitable for huge companies. Even smaller companies benefit from involving influencers. However, without a good corporate culture and trust in employees, the program will not be successful.
Influencers do not have to convey our brand messages. That's the PR department's responsibility. They should highlight themselves, their work, and their expertise.
There are different ways to start our program. We can define internal contacts and responsible individuals. How many employees? How much time do they get? We start with a small group (5-10 employees), and insights from the pilot project will guide the expansion to more employees.
Our first influencers will likely bring great enthusiasm for social media. However, the program should not stop with these employees. Particularly long-serving and experienced employees have invaluable expertise. We should try to get them interested in participating. However, being an influencer must always be voluntary, otherwise, it is doomed to fail.
Our company must provide guidance to employees. Influencers need training and guidelines. We must develop guidelines together with the influencers. What can I communicate and how? Employees must know exactly what the brand stands for. This ensures a consistent brand image.
We must trust employees and relinquish a small part of communication authority. Not every tweet can be pre-approved. We must let go of the idea of absolute control as an employer.
With proper guidance, incentives, and meaningful development, we will have interesting, entertaining, and reliable ambassadors for our company.
Checklist and tips for Corporate Influencers
Corporate influencers have nothing to do with influencer marketing. We are people who communicate credibly and autonomously. We are selected voices from the company for the company. From a technical perspective, we are Nano influencers: we authentically promote our company out of conviction.
As influencers, we produce independent content that is published. This indirectly supports the company's reach. Enthusiasm for social media is helpful but not mandatory. Companies need our experience, our expertise as ambassadors. We report exciting, witty, entertaining - but always very well-founded - about the company, our work, our products, or interesting topics. Being an influencer is a complex and demanding task that is very enjoyable. The following checklist covers important points.
Training
Influencers come from all departments and positions. The company must offer us internal and external training. Both for handling social media and about our role as influencers.
We need to be trained as ambassadors to achieve a higher reach. It's not about senselessly counting followers. Our channel should be interesting and attractive for a specific target group. For tech nerds, tram enthusiasts... We want to be a point of contact for both customers and potential employees.
Not everyone is born a writer or video journalist and familiar with social media. This is where the company comes in. It must create structures and processes that enable successful communication. A double-check principle - how is this written? - can support us (not control us).
Training can present suggestions for posts. Perhaps a mini-series (in Netflix style) with our own employees. How does a candidate journey work in our company? Communication will become more interactive, and we want to be at the forefront.
Not all ambassadors are professionals in social media. We need support through social media guidelines. We develop this guide together with the responsible parties. Especially newcomers can be relieved of the fear of new media by the guideline. The approach is explained concretely through practical examples. This guide must not be restrictive.
Finding topics
In finding topics, editorial coordination with the communication department can be very helpful. This dialogue should help and prepare us, not completely dictate our communication. We want to authentically present our company, not spread coordinated advertising texts.
Access to relevant content
Ideally, we have many topics and own content to share with our personal networks. In any case, we must be provided with the necessary resources. We need images, information, and graphics to share. An ideal scenario is a central content platform in the company. This way, we can quickly share current company content - ideally with an introductory statement from us.
Recognition
Usually, brand ambassadors have to integrate their activities on networks into their normal work routine. However, our activities should be explicitly included in the goals. A certain time allocation, provided to us each week, is possible.
Recognition for our work is necessary and can take many forms: joint training, workshops, and visibility within the company.
As influencers, we need a fixed contact person in case of problems. Who can I turn to in case of problematic followers or criticism of my posts?
Communication
The role of an influencer is relatively new. Therefore, it is necessary for us to communicate intensively, not only with our fellow influencers. Our posts, photos, etc., must be easily accessible - on a "Social Wall" on the company's platform, etc.
Not every communication department, not every board of directors, will be immediately enthusiastic about our work. We must explain clearly that our work does not compete with the traditional communication department. The board must trust our work. Employees must understand our activity on social media - and ideally, appreciate it. Influencers can only be permanently successful in a value-oriented and transparent company. Transparency
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