Employee advocacy is the new word-of-mouth marketing

All brands want to stand out, show their credibility and connect with their audience in a genuine way. When everything looks perfect online, it’s no wonder trust is slipping, which is why authenticity is worth so much. People no longer resonate with polished corporate messaging or picture-perfect branding; they want to hear real voices and honest insights, they want to build meaningful connections. And the most powerful and authentic voices are right inside your business: your employees.

Employee advocacy is the generous act of employees voluntarily and positively promoting and sharing content about their company, and it can be one of the most underrated but highly effective marketing tactics. With authenticity at the heart of consumer trust, brands that are able to channel their employees’ voices in the right way will find themselves reaping the rewards and here’s why.

To cut to the chase, who would you trust more – an over-enthusiastic corporate advert or a genuine recommendation from someone you know? Advocacy brings trustworthiness, reliability and reach that traditional marketing just can’t match.

A recent statistic shows that 93% of people are more likely to trust content shared by someone they know. A great example of this is Octopus Energy, which has nurtured a culture of employee advocacy through its initiatives like the “listening ear” program, creating a safe and positive place to work.

Employee advocacy holds a mirror up to your culture and reflects what’s really happening inside.

Starbucks, like Octopus Energy, understands the power of employee advocacy. The company has dedicated employee partner accounts across various social media platforms, giving its team members a space to share their experiences, post behind-the-scenes content and engage in discussions about the brand. This approach amplifies Starbucks’ reach and brings humanity to their brand, making it more relatable and authentic to customers.

The benefits of employee advocacy will increase your brand visibility online. An employee doesn’t have to write a lengthy blog post about how great your business is or preach on all social media channels – a like, share or comment of recent work could propel your business across new networks and audiences that your brand’s official channels might never be able to reach. It offers that human touch of real people vouching for your brand in an authentic, unscripted way. Nowadays, consumers are drawn to brands that feel personal and relatable, this kind of advocacy develops trust and engagement and ultimately strengthens your brand’s reputation.

If you want to explore how physical spaces can reinforce a positive work culture? Read how interior branding can impact employee engagement.

Your employer brand exists whether you shape it or not.

Another clear benefit to employee advocacy is the proof of a strong internal culture. When employees are championing your brand, it speaks volumes about your company’s culture and values. It’s a testament to a workplace that genuinely values and empowers its people. From a recruitment perspective, it’s incredibly powerful. Potential hires are far more likely to be drawn to a company where enthusiasm is visible and the culture is celebrated from within. What’s happening inside your business becomes part of the story the outside world sees, and that kind of authenticity is hard to ignore.

How to encourage employee advocacy

Create a culture of trust and transparency

• Open communication: Share your brand’s mission, vision and goals openly. When employees feel informed, they’re more likely to advocate for you.
• Celebrate success: Recognise and reward employees who actively advocate for your brand, making them feel valued and appreciated.

 Provide the right tools and training

• Social media training: Offer workshops or guidelines on how to share brand messages effectively.
• Curated content: Make it easy for employees to share by providing ready-to-use content but encourage them to add their own personal spin.

 Lead by example

• Involve leadership: When senior team members actively advocate for the brand, it sets a powerful example for the rest of the company.
• Storytelling: Encourage leaders to share their personal brand stories and experiences.

Encourage genuine expression

• Don’t script: Allow employees to be themselves. Authenticity is the key to effective advocacy, so let them share their experiences in their own words.
• Empower creativity: Encourage employees to create their own content – whether it’s a blog post, a video or even a quick social media update.

Employee advocacy builds trust, strengthens culture and creates genuine engagement. And this isn’t built through corporate driven campaigns or catchphrases, but through the everyday actions of people who genuinely believe in where they work.

In this earlier article, we explored how to bring departments outside your brand team into the conversation and strengthen internal culture.

Employee advocacy is the cultural litmus test for your brand. If your people aren’t engaging with your brand, why would anyone else?

Platforms like LinkedIn are key to this. It’s often the first place potential hires and industry peers will encounter your brand, most likely via an employee sharing their perspective or celebrating a recent win. These moments add credibility and humanise your business, show pride in the work being done and act as real-time indicators of your culture. When your people are seen and vocal in this space, the impact extends far beyond likes and impressions, but it’s not something that can be forced, it has to be encouraged and allowed to happen organically.

Glassdoor also plays a pivotal role. It’s where job seekers go to get the inside scoop – and what they find can either reinforce your employer brand or undermine it. Positive reviews from current employees, especially those who feel empowered to share their experiences authentically, can sway top talent. Again, it’s not a channel you have any control over, but it is one you can influence, by creating an environment where people genuinely want to talk positively about your brand.

You can read more here about why internal culture and employee engagement are now becoming top strategic priorities for brands.

Employee advocacy checklist

A strategic guide for brand leaders

If you want your brand to truly connect, it needs to be heard through the real voices of your people. That’s what makes employee advocacy so powerful. It’s not a one-off campaign or a comms tactic, but a long-term, culture-first way to build brand credibility from the inside out.

This checklist is here to help you take stock. It’s a practical tool for brand and marketing leaders to help sense-check where you are now, and what to do next.

1. Culture check: is advocacy even possible?

• Have you built a culture of trust and transparency that people want to talk about?
• Are employees informed, in agreement and emotionally invested in your brand values?
• Are open conversations encouraged and visible across teams?

2. Leadership buy-in

• Do your senior leaders actively display brand advocacy?
• Are they sharing brand stories, insights and personal experiences publicly (e.g. on LinkedIn, Instagram or Glassdoor)?
• Are leaders supporting employee-led content and celebrating internal wins externally?

3. Practical enablement

• Have you provided simple, accessible guidance on what, how and when to share?
• Is there a clear brand narrative for employees to tap into without being ‘scripted’?
• Are employees encouraged to personalise messaging and add their voice?

4. Content flow and visibility

• Do you make shareable content easy to find and repurpose?
• Are social-ready assets (images, copy, videos) regularly created and distributed internally?
• Are employee contributions highlighted through your brand’s own channels?

5. Platform strategy

• Are employees empowered to use platforms like LinkedIn to engage with your industry?
• Is your Glassdoor profile actively monitored and shaped through real employee experiences?
• Have you considered which platforms your people are already active on—and met them there?

6. Metrics that matter

• Are you measuring advocacy beyond vanity metrics (likes, shares) to include:
  • Reach and engagement from employee networks?
  • Referral traffic or applications from employee posts?
  • Sentiment and employer reputation over time?
• Have you set targets that link employee advocacy to broader brand and recruitment goals?

In conclusion

So, if you’re wanting to cut through the noise and connect with your audience in a more human and meaningful way, start with your people. Create a space for their voices to be heard, encourage them to tell their own stories and champion their experiences. Advocacy works best when it’s a natural result of a great place to work.

Hopefully this article has sparked ideas about how you can bring your internal culture to life. If you’re looking for more inspiration, our work in internal communications might be just what you’re looking for. Take a look at what we did with E.ON, NSK and UGI, or get in touch to chat about how we can support your employee advocacy strategy.