Michael Brito of WCG helps teach employee advocacy program teams navigate the tricky road of content creation. He goes into many of the similarities and differences between personal content creation versus the process for the brand itself. Here's a recap of his "Feed the Content Engine" session at the Employee Advocacy Summit in Atlanta, GA on September 15, 2014. This is one of a series of posts recapping the day and key comments from speakers and guests.
SPEAKER:
Michael Brito
Group Director, WCG, a W2O Company
NOTES:
One of the first questions asked at the Employee Advocacy Summit was about what to do about content after setting up an EA program: "What content are my employees going to use?" Creating successful content for an EA program requires the ability to scale. The following are key considerations for content planning, creation and sharing in an employee advocacy program.
Content Operations
Content operations are very hard to scale through email. There is a need to invest in technology that functionally lets the brand and employees create and use/re-use content.
What's In It for Brands?
- Content creation
- Influence over others
- Improved morale
- Innovation
What's In It for Employees?
- "Rock Star" Recognition
- Access to exclusive content
- Platform for sharing opinions
There are two ways, Michael says, to allow your employees to be involved in "participatory storytelling." First is brand amplification, which is when a core team creates content on behalf of employees and encourages them to share it on their own personal networks. This is the bare bones version. Second is "brand journalism," which includes training and mobilization to empower employees to tell their own personal stories.
Functional Steps to Take to Enable Content Creation
The following steps, while totally applicable to employee advocacy, are not totally new ideas for brands. Just as employee advocacy program goals may include improving personal branding, the content creation process to do so is very similar to that of the brand itself.
- Build centralized editorial team
- Assign roles and responsibilities
- Align the global workforce
- While it may seem daunting to some, it is necessary to present a holistic picture, ensure quality and mitigate risk.
- Train and mobilize employees
- Optimize content supply chain
- Put in controls for content review when necessary.