20 Employee Advocacy Statistics That Will Inspire You

Employee advocacy statistics show that companies are dramatically redefining their employees’ role in their digital marketing efforts.

Companies are finally turning their eye on their most valuable capital: their employees. They are the people who know the company, who can offer valuable insight into its products and services, and who potential customers trust.

Unlike traditional influencer marketing, employee advocacy enjoys a higher degree of trust. That’s because employee advocates are regular people — parents, friends, former classmates, peers, colleagues — someone like you and me. And they are not cashing in on their likes, comments, posts, and suggestions. They share them in their limited social and professional circles, among those whose buying decisions they can actually impact.

It’s that trust — and not the enormous reach — that makes employee advocacy work.

If you haven’t established a formal program already, these employee advocacy statistics might open your eyes to what you’ve been missing out on. Let's dig in!

Employee advocacy & social media

1. Close to 76% of consumers are more likely to trust the content shared by a brand’s employees than the brand itself ¹. And this is because people don’t believe in ads paid for by faceless corporations, they want to connect with real people who promote something out of their genuine interest and passion.
   
   
2. LinkedIn Research shows that, on average, employees can leverage 10X more social media connections than brands, meaning that their collective posts can reach 10X more people, which is especially important in industries such as Fintech Social Media Marketing. Try to think how many people you could potentially reach with your company-branded content if you took advantage of all of your employees’ networks — the number is mind-blowing.
   
   
3. Consumers are 16X more likely to read something a friend posted on social media about a brand than any of the brand’s original posts ². I mean, at the end of the day, when you’re sitting on a train on your way back from the office and you’re scrolling through social media, which posts do you pay attention to? Your friends’ posts, or another company’s?
   
   
4. According to Social Media Today, company content shared by employees gets 8X more social media engagement than original company posts. Again, people want to connect with other people, especially on social media. And one way to do so is to engage with their posts and show they care. That’s why engagement spikes on employees’ posts rather than on companies’ posts — it’s people’s interactions that count.
   
   
5. 81% of millennials share information about their company online. With the correct guidance, they can become a powerful (hyperlocal) social media marketing force.
   
   
6. Research by Hinge Marketing Research Institute has found that formalized advocacy programs increase the time employees spend on company-centric social media activities to more than 5 hours per week. That is a staggering statistic, isn’t it? And on top of that, you have to think about the kind of influence and traction your potential ‘social employees’ can exert on their network in that time.
   
   

   Employee advocacy & sales stats

1. 64% of employees that participate in formal employee advocacy programs say that advocacy efforts create business opportunities and open up new revenue streams.
   
   
2. 73% of salespeople who use social selling as a part of their strategy exceed their quota 23% more often than colleagues who don’t use social media.
   
   
3. 84% of B2B buyers ask advice from peers and colleagues (and look at online reviews) when buying products or services for their company. But of course, we all knew this already, right? That’s why employee advocacy exists in the first place. Personal recommendations and word of mouth are the number one factor when it comes to making a purchasing decision after all.
   
   
4. Deloitte reports that customers referred by advocates (both customer and employee) have a 37% higher retention rate. Because it’s all about trust in the end. Having something recommended to you by someone you’re somehow connected with, automatically and instinctively puts you in a frame of mind that is more inclined to take that product into consideration.

Employee advocacy & digital marketing

1. According to Kredible, large employee ambassadorship programs (1000+ participants) are likely to generate more than $1.9 million in advertising value alone. So, you know, this proves that advocacy marketing is a viable way to pull the plug on pointless marketing costs for ads that are just not getting the job done. Rather, leverage your employees’ potential to obtain the results you need.
   
   
2. 65% of companies report increased brand recognition after implementing a formal employee advocacy program. And that’s another cool benefit of advocacy marketing. Having your employees share company content and promote your brand on socials communicates transparency and positive work culture. It means that everyone feels like they can be open and engage with whatever it is that resonates with them.
   
   
3. The Edelman Trust Barometer Report has shown that formalized employee advocacy programs can result in up to 5X more web traffic.

Employee advocacy & HR and retention

1. When considering an opportunity, potential hires consider current company employees the most trustworthy source of information. That seems pretty obvious, but then again, not all companies have realized just how telling of a statistic that is. Your new hires will want to get insights on the company from someone they feel they can trust, right? And let me tell you, that person isn’t going to be the manager or the CEO, but rather one or more of your regular employees.
   
   
2. Glassdoor reports that 79% of job seekers use social media during their job hunt. Employee advocates can significantly decrease recruitment costs by sharing vacancies through their social profiles.
   
   
3. Referrals resulting from employee advocacy efforts have the highest applicant-to-hire conversion rate — they account for 7% of applicants and 40% of new hires. That conversion rate can even be improved if you use an applicant tracking system.
   
   
4. LinkedIn has reported that employee advocacy programs strengthen employer brands. Also, companies with a strong employer brand see a 43% decrease in hiring costs.
   
   We hope these employee advocacy statistics are enough to convince you that you need to start utilizing your human capital to its full potential. If you have any questions about employee advocacy, reach out to us here at Ambassify — we’ll be more than happy to help!