7 steps to creating a TOP employee ambassador program!

An employee ambassador program is a good way for your company to develop its employer reputation (e-reputation) on a large scale, to positively leverage word-of-mouth and recommendations, and to capitalize on networks of Ambassadors who are convinced and convinced by your Employer Brand. To launch your ambassador program and make it last, here are 7 steps to follow!

If you only have 30 seconds…Embarking on an employee ambassador program means knowing that :

• It’s a win/win project for both your company and your employees.
• This helps to raise the profile of your Employer Brand (externally and internally), facilitates recruitment and even boosts your business.
• Digital is an integral part of your program, and other means can be used, but your employee ambassadors’ channels of expression will mainly be digital.

7 steps to creating a successful employee ambassador program

• Have simple, precise objectives to give your program a reason to exist and, above all, to be able to improve it over time.
• Set up a simple framework, appoint a sponsor and a team to ensure it doesn’t fall into disuse.
• Start by identifying your volunteer ambassadors, your natural spokespersons whom you can support (employees, executives, managers, HR)… Who will encourage the others.
• Develop an ambassador pathway with simple rules to encourage speaking out, not control it.
• Provide your employees with a variety of content to help them speak out and promote diversity.
• Show your appreciation for this internal commitment.
• Organize long-term events to keep your program alive over time, with 3 watchwords: Consistency, Transparency, Relevance.

Why launch an employee ambassador program? As it is based on a favorable internal social climate, an Employee Advocacy or Employee Ambassador Program has a wide range of positive impacts, particularly on your Employer Brand and recruitment.

Your employee ambassadors:
– Give credibility to your Employer Brand.
– Increase your chances of sourcing the candidates you’re interested in, via referrals.
– Are more committed (because they’re more valued) and more easily federate your other employees.
– Are a strong relay to convince your candidates to join your ranks.

Implementing an ambassador program enables a company to develop positive word-of-mouth about its quality as an employer on a large scale… And not only that! Employer reputation (E-reputation) also plays a part in the purchasing process of customers, who are also sensitive to the way in which the Brand treats its employees.A small but important clarificationAn employee ambassador program is not necessarily a huge HR machine, like an ocean liner requiring a whole host of processes, regulations, controls, tools and so on. One of the most important prerequisites is “a favorable internal climate”. Your employees already feel good in your company; the program serves to make this “well-being” visible: no more, no less!

At Keycoopt System, for example, our project and marketing teams offer turnkey animation kits to facilitate communication and commitment. Our referral and internal mobility solution enables employees to become ambassadors too. The 7 steps to a solid employee ambassador programAn employee ambassador program can’t be improvised, but it can be fine-tuned, improved and enriched over time. You can very well start with a base that you will consolidate over time.
The key is to take the plunge and dare to ask your employees to have their say. Your program can be adapted to suit the size of your company, your reputation and your strategy. Step 1: Your program objectives.
Step 2: Who will embody your program? The face of your program.
Step 3: Your employee ambassadors.
Step 4: Your ambassador’s journey.
Step 5: Varied content for greater spontaneity and impact.
Step 6: Acknowledging your ambassadors’ commitment.
Step 7: Managing your employee ambassador program.
Step 1: Define your program’s objectives First of all, you need to define why you want to set up your program (its raison d’être) and for whom it is intended: to boost your recruitment, promote your employer brand, build employee loyalty, improve your image with your customers, etc. There are many reasons for this.

Clarifying these reasons in advance of your launch will enable you to define where you are going to devote your efforts and the means to achieve your objectives:
– Number and types of ambassadors required.
– Communication channels used and communication objectives.
– Content strategy implemented, etc.

As you go along, you can also adjust your objectives according to your strategy and the results you achieve.Step 2: Who will embody your program? The face of your program To make it easier for you to approach your employees, and also to create an identifiable point of contact internally, don’t hesitate to put a face on your program: a sponsor from your management team would be great, but it could also be a team in charge of the project.

By appointing a sponsor and/or a team behind your program, you will:
– Make it identifiable for your employees (they will know who to contact).
– Make it a real strategy in the eyes of everyone.
–Have a guarantor who will be the driving force and whose mission will be to make the program work over time.

You can also “name” (market) your program to make it easier for your employees to get on board.Step 3: Your employee ambassadors: Once you’ve defined your objectives and appointed a program “manager”, you can start approaching your employee ambassadors. In your approach, make it clear to your employees that the program is voluntary (otherwise it loses all meaning).

As mentioned in the preamble, an employee ambassador program can evolve and grow over time. You can start by identifying and soliciting those who speak up spontaneously: your natural ambassadors. (Among them, there may also be former employees – think about it!).

You can also call for volunteers:

• regularly, to reinforce your program and expand your “ambassador team”.
• according to your needs or lack of representation (managers, executive team, by geographical area, by business, etc.).

Step 4: Your ambassador’s career path To make life easier for your ambassadors, you can build your career path around:
– Modalities with simple rules that everyone understands, allowing you to set a framework and define everyone’s roles in a flexible way (why become an ambassador? How do I become one? What’s involved? What precautions need to be taken? etc.).
– Training in digital and social networking communication, for example, to help your employees express themselves (and to help some of them “get over the hump”).
– Facilitators such as: ready-to-post content (texts/images that can be used as they are by your employees), sources of inspiration for topics thanks to an internal newsletter, a tool for sharing (in 1 click) company information (such as Keycoopt System*)…

It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s by offering your ambassadors a simple path that your program will be most effective.

*KeycooptSystem is a collaborative digital solution that promotes recruitment by cooptation and internal mobility, turning employees into ambassadors.

In just a few clicks, the platform enables employees not only to apply for jobs, but also to recommend someone in their network for a position, or share internal job offers on their networks. This makes it easy for employees to become ambassadors for your company. Step 5: Varied content for greater spontaneity and impact: A pitfall to avoid when launching an employee ambassador program is confusing “providing employees with elements” with “controlling what employees say”.

Spontaneous communications from employees on social networks, for example, are generally positive and rewarding for the company. So trust us!

By varying the topics, you enable each of your ambassadors to express what’s closest to his or her heart, in a spontaneous and credible way. The power of your ambassador network also lies in its diversity.

In this way, you can provide content on: your brand’s product and universe, societal, social or ecological commitments, recruitment and HR (job offers, integration, professions), work atmosphere, career development, etc.Step N°6: Recognizing the commitment of your ambassadors Let’s draw a parallel with another employee program: the referral program. The referral program and the employee ambassador program have a number of points in common, particularly with regard to the mechanics of long-term commitment.

Although based on voluntary and committed employees, a referral program lasts over time thanks to the employer’s recognition of its employees/referrers (social recognition, referral bonus, etc.) Unlike a referral program, the type of recognition most often used to thank ambassadors is not monetary.

Regular, public recognition of your ambassadors’ involvement keeps them engaged (on your internal website, career site, at an event, etc.) and encourages others to join your program!

You can also offer gifts to your employees, depending on how you wish to organize your thanks to your committed employees.NB: The ambassador program highlights the commitment of your employees, and can also be a lever for engaging your employees… a welcome incentive that will boost their desire to get involved.

Here’s a simple tool to help you find out about other engagement levers (developed or not in your company): Employee engagement – HR practices self-diagnosis. Step 7: Organizing your employee ambassador program: organizing regular communication around your employee ambassador program.

There are several different types of communication:
– Informative, to remind people that your program exists.
– Pedagogical, to explain how it works.
– Valorizing, to talk about successes and ambassadors.
– Engaging, to recruit new ambassadors.

The golden rule of animation is regularity. This doesn’t mean communicating every day, 3 times a day, don’t worry!

You can liven up your program with simple actions to breathe new life into it and stay in people’s minds: posters, flyers, kakemonos, posts on internal (or external) social networks or your dedicated platform, videos, digital or face-to-face events, articles on your blog or career site, gifts ….

Our Keycoopt System project managers are experts in the field of recruitment community outreach, providing advice and sharing best practices on outreach: turnkey packages for specific actions or communication plans, strategic and operational advice… Everything is done to make outreach easy, regular and effective! We do everything we can to make your events easier, more regular and more effective!3 words to build a coherent eventCoherence: All communication with your ambassador employees must reflect their reality.
Transparency: Being transparent when distributing your content will help you gain the trust of your collaborators. It will also give them a broad and real vision of your strategy.
Relevance: the more relevant your content, the more likely it is to interest your colleague. You need to make them want to share this content (job offers, news, employee recognition, etc.).

Now you’re ready to launch your employee ambassador program! One last tip: use a Test & Learn approach to build (with your employees) the program that satisfies you the most. And don’t forget, your ambassador program is designed to enhance your internal climate… Pamper your employees, and they’ll return the favor!

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