Employee Advocacy Vs Paid Media
Finding the right marketing mix can be frustrating for any company: you want to drive your business forward but with global economic uncertainty it’s become harder than ever. Which way to turn? This article looks at employee advocacy vs paid media – and why both should be considered in a new light in the post-Covid19 world.
Fake news
The rise in ad blockers and fake news signals a new environment where mass advertising can feel ham-fisted and people trust the people closest to them the most.
Employee advocacy has gained traction as part of the marketing mix and an alternative for CMOs as a more direct approach to consumers.
Employees have a high-degree of trust in their networks and ‘people buy from people’ as the saying goes. Companies that empower employees have a chance of reaching an audience that their brand alone can’t access.
The Paid Media report
Historically, many companies – understandably – have spent a large part of their marketing mix on Paid Media as they can measure and report on it.
This makes complete sense but not when you are seeing diminishing returns and can measure ROI now on other marketing channels.
Word of mouth recommendations by employees is significantly more trusted by consumers than brand advertising and paid media according to most recent global surveys, plus you can measure its impact.
For many companies, the question isn’t now ’employee advocacy vs paid media’, but how much budget is allocated to each, with many adopting a more balanced approach where a percentage of traditional paid media spend is allocated to their employee advocacy programmes.