One Secret to Going Viral: Trust & Empower Employees

Some of the best marketing videos don’t come from corporate marketing or PR departments. They come straight from front-line employees, without involvement or even knowledge of their marketing or PR departments.

Target employee Scott Simms gave a rousing speech to fellow workers just before the store opened its doors to Black Friday shoppers. “They come here with bargains in their heads and fire in their eyes and we shall give those bargains to them,” he shouted, sounding like Winston Churchill preparing to fight Nazi Germany.

Co-worker Chole Frebertshauser took a video of the pep talk and posted it online, reports The Washington Post. The video went viral, gaining close to four million views. News outlets reported the story, generating free publicity for the retailer.

YouTube videos show Southwest Airlines flight attendant David Holmes welcoming passengers and giving safety instructions with rap songs. Passengers clap and stomp along and cheer. The videos have received over a million views and generated widespread exposure for the airline.

Without instruction from his company, Comcast customer service manager Frank Eliason began responding to customers on Twitter with the handle @ComcastCares in 2008. He didn’t think to obtain permission from superiors. At the time, customer service through Twitter was unusual and innovative. His actions attracted extensive media attention and favorable coverage for the company.

In all these examples, the employees acted on their own without involvement of their corporate superiors and without fear that they would suffer reprimands. Companies that trust and empower their employees can gather a vast amount of favorable exposure through social media reach and traditional media coverage, writes Justin Brady, a writer and speaker for the Washington Post, focusing on employee relations.

Recruiting Employees as Brand Ambassadors

Most organizations aren’t fortunate enough to have employees who post videos that receive millions of views in a short time. While trusting and empowering employees is a central element, transforming employees into social media brand ambassadors requires time and investment.

Experts recommend that organizations create a social media policy and train employees, especially sales staff, how to mention their employer online.

Employees are probably more familiar with Facebook than other networks. Marketers might need to teach them Tweeter basics, such as how many hashtags to use, and the difference between a mention, reply and direct message. Employees should also know about the intricacies of LinkedIn, such as receiving and giving recommendations. In-house workshops and virtual classes may be appropriate for large, global organizations.

Social Media Policies

Larger organizations should consider establishing formal, written social media policies for employees. Here are some common elements of an employee social media policy. The guidelines sometimes apply to employees using the company’s social media accounts in addition to their private accounts.

• Employees should disclose their relationship to the company, as required by government regulations.

• Reference other company policies in an effort to avoid reinventing the wheel. Most organizations have policies on employee behaviors. The same rules apply.

• Ban sharing confidential information or information not meeting regulations in your industry. Give examples of what is considered confidential, and advise employees not to post if they are in doubt.

• Inform employees about copyright laws. Inform them about the laws on re-using articles, images and other content they find on the Internet.

• Explain how to talk about customer interactions and what can be mentioned on social media networks and what must be handled through private channels.

• Urge employees to avoid arguments online. “Flame outs” reflect badly on the company. Post or responding to inflammatory comments is inadvisable.

• Offer help. Tell employees who to contact if they have questions about social media activities or if they would like more training or resources.

Bottom Line: Videos and other materials posted online by employees have received millions of views, creating vast amounts of free, favorable publicity for companies. Trusting and empowering employees can create enthusiastic online ambassadors for the company and its brands. Larger organizations may wish to create a social media policy to guide employee social media activities and to provide social media training for interested employees.

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