Social media budget can be a useful but costly way to expand your reach. Find out how you can achieve social media wins without the hefty price tag.
I still remember the first time I won some budget for the company social media channels I managed. I was over the moon! And understandably so. It’s comforting to know that the work of social media as a marketing tool is valued (literally).
Social media budget certainly has its perks. It can help boost your reach, engagement and even drive more traffic to your site. You can target your users by demographic, location, interests and more.
Users are more likely to consider and engage with posts that are more personally relevant to them from connections they trust.
But most consumers know they are being sold to, and social media budget comes at a price. Not only the fee, but the content shared will also feature a neat “promoted” label on the post itself.
Why does this matter?
When users scroll through their feeds and see a “promoted” post, it is clear that they have been targeted for the content.
Users are more likely to engage with posts that are personally relevant to them and their interests. This includes organic content from their own connections or people they follow. Not to mention the updates of peers that post on groups they follow, too.
This is where social media advocacy comes in.
What is social media advocacy?
Social media advocacy refers to employees actively engaging with and sharing content from your organization on their own channels to amplify the company message. Organizations can benefit from increased exposure from their employee’s networks for brand awareness, engagement and lead generation.
According to GaggleAmp, brand messages can achieve 561% better reach when they are shared by employees, as opposed to a branded and boosted corporate social media message. Posts shared by connections appear more credible and trustworthy compared to a carefully crafted, targeted advertisement labelled “Promoted”.
Why social media advocacy?
It’s no surprise that organizations are under the pump. Social media teams are already under enormous pressure to deliver on campaigns and justify marketing spend. Furthermore, if there is a lengthy approvals process internally, social media campaigns can become very time consuming activities.
Social media advocacy is a simple but effective approach to broadening your reach without the hefty price tag, but also saves on the ongoing costs of perfecting targeting parameters to optimize each campaign.
brand messages have 561% better reach when they are shared by employees
Will my employees engage in social media advocacy?
GaggleAmp says that 63% of new employees are reluctant to share company social media messages, but they want to. There are understandable concerns about sharing the wrong content or making a mistake publicly. Furthermore, employees like to be in control of what messaging they share on their own social channels.
By building trust with employees and providing adequate training on best practice, your team can really help amplify your company’s messages on social media.
Achieving your next social media objective doesn’t have to be complicated! NSA Communications can help you get employees on board with your social media advocacy programs with confidence.
Contact us today:
E: noha@nsacomms.cpm M: 0405 383 190
Noha Shaheed Ahmed is the Principal and Founder of NSA Communications. A proud, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) entrepreneur in Australia, she is an ex-business journalist and communications manager. Her career spans a decade across financial services, NFP, data/insights, technology, green economy, government and more. She is passionate about the ‘why’ in content, and delivering data-driven reporting that skips the marketing jargon and provides useful insights and strategic advice for leaders. Noha is also a Mum of two young children, an avid coffee enthusiast and loves to give back to the community with her services.
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