As the rise of social media continues, a social media marketing plan is no longer just a “nice to have” for brands, it's become an essential element in the growth strategies of virtually every successful organization.

Ignoring the power of social media can put businesses at a huge disadvantage, and see them missing opportunities to connect with prospects, customers, and even their own employees. In fact, in order to maximize the potential of social outreach, an increasing number of brands are looking to employee advocacy as a key pillar in their approach, enabling them to boost their results, while also elevating the professional profiles of their staff.

As it sounds, employee advocacy centers on employees sharing about their company, their jobs, work culture and professional interests on social media. Said slightly different, it's about companies equipping and encouraging their employees to become active brand advocates.

As noted, this can have a major impact on your organization, both externally and internally. To further underline this, take a look at this new infographic from Everyone Social which provides an overview of some of the benefits of employee advocacy in marketing.