What if you overheard a story around the water cooler?  And instead of the typical office gossip, your colleagues were discussing good news. And you reacted: “wow, this message is spreading like fire among employees (and outside the organization) and that was exactly our goal”?

Research shows that engaged employees are more productive, exhibit less absenteeism and are more likely to stay at their company longer. So how can you capture the power of a passionate group?  The Allstate Insurance Company has proven that engaging them as Ambassadors can drive positive business results.

Allstate’s exclusive, in-the-know employee group has been designed from the bottom-up with the goal of expanding the company’s network of advocates to promote its brand and reputation.

CEC members, join us and Laura Glaza, member of the Reputation Leadership team from Allstate, on November 18th to hear how they’ve designed the program and how the movement has created ambassadors who are excited about speaking on behalf of the company. We guarantee that this is not your standard “corporate” ambassador program. Register here.

For a sneak peak into how the program works, read on.

How can you cultivate employee advocates within your organization?

1. Start with a small group of employees and give them ownership of designing the program.
2. Provide information and opportunities exclusively to this group. And give them permission to share it with their peers inside and outside the company. Let the program expand through grassroots recruiting by ambassadors of peers they think would contribute to the movement.
3. Prompt ambassador participation and keep them engaged with specific calls-to-action and challenges around company initiatives (which ambassadors can help design).
4. Recognize ambassador contribution to the organization both through company and peer recognition.
5. Throughout, keep communications role in the program very light. Communications has provided the opportunity, but that opportunity is most likely to be taken advantage of if it expands through the word-of-mouth of employee ambassadors, not through “corporate” messages about the program nor incentives from the top.

Related Resources for CEC Members:

• Allstate Ambassador Movement (full case study)
• Activating Stakeholder Support
• Word of Mouth and Advocacy Webinar Replay

Related Blog Posts

• Word of Mouth: Not Just for Burgers and Beer
• Get Happy Advocates