When we talk about employee advocacy, the focus is often on how to encourage employees to share content, speak positively about the company, and become brand champions. But advocacy doesn't start with social media posts or external campaigns, it starts from within.
Internal engagement is the foundation that makes genuine, sustained employee advocacy possible. According to IC Index 2024: The Trust Issue, 74% of leaders in an organisation understand the importance of internal communication to organisational outcomes.
At Tribal Impact, we believe that creating advocates begins with building a strong internal culture where employees feel connected, informed, and valued.
This was the focus of a recent webinar I hosted with James Tyer from Microsoft, who shared key insights on how internal communication platforms like Microsoft’s Viva Engage can help build internal communities that lead to external advocacy.
Let’s dive a little deeper into why you should be building your employee advocacy from the inside out.
The Connection Between Internal Engagement and Advocacy
Understanding social behaviours within a company is crucial for building effective advocacy and brand ambassadorship. A recent Edelman Trust at Work Report highlights a compelling link between employee optimism and advocacy.
Optimistic employees are not only more likely to recommend their organisation, but they also tend to remain loyal for longer. If employees believe in the company’s mission and values, they are more inclined to advocate for it.
Furthermore, optimistic employees engage positively on social media, with many posting at least weekly. Their sentiments about their brand are overwhelmingly positive, making them ideal advocates.
This led me to think about how we can help our clients cultivate optimism in the workplace.
Gallup's State of the Workplace Report reveals a direct link between optimism and employee engagement. Alarmingly, Gallup reports that only 23% of employees are engaged, while 62% are not engaged, and 15% are actively disengaged. So, what drives employee engagement and disengagement?
Gallup identified three main factors affecting engagement:
- Loneliness in the Workplace: This issue is particularly pronounced in hybrid and remote settings, where employees often feel isolated.
- Leadership Engagement: If leaders aren’t engaged, their teams are unlikely to be either. Strong leadership is crucial in driving overall employee engagement.
- Effective Communication: Only 13% of employees agree that the leadership of their organisation communicates effectively.
So how do we address these factors and improve engagement? I believe we start at the top and the importance of a leader’s role in facilitating improved internal communication.
Leadership’s Role in Building Trust and Advocacy
The Institute of Internal Communications report emphasises the direct correlation between effective internal communication and employee engagement. Employee belonging and community drive engagement, which fuels optimism and leads to advocacy.
Employees are looking for transparency and real interaction from their leaders, not just top-down communication.
James shared how leaders at Microsoft actively participate in internal discussions on Viva Engage, joining conversations rather than simply pushing out messages. This approach builds trust and ensures employees feel heard, which ultimately leads to stronger external advocacy.
At Tribal Impact, we’ve seen the difference that visible leadership can make in driving advocacy. Employees are much more likely to share their organisation's content and speak positively about the company when they feel their leadership is transparent, authentic, and approachable.
How to Create Internal Connection and Belonging
During our webinar, I learned from James about the significant role tools like Viva Engage can play in improving internal engagement and addressing the issues highlighted by Gallup's findings.One of the key takeaways was how building a digital space for employees to interact, ask questions, and share knowledge can create a sense of belonging, which is critical for cultivating advocacy among employees.
Establishing digital communities promotes open communication, allowing employees to share successes and seek assistance. This approach directly addresses workplace loneliness and enhances leadership engagement.
Encouraging transparent dialogue between leaders and employees is vital. When leaders actively communicate their vision and invite feedback, it builds trust and strengthens connections. Tailored announcements and notifications help ensure that everyone feels informed and aligned with the company's mission.
Integrating both social and professional elements into these platforms can further enhance engagement. A mix of work-related discussions and social interactions encourages a more inclusive environment, where employees feel valued and invested in their organisation's success.
The Power of Analytics in Measuring Success
Another point James raised during the webinar is the importance of tracking internal engagement metrics to understand what’s working. Tools like Viva Engage offer analytics that allow organisations to measure sentiment, track participation, and identify key conversations.
This data provides invaluable insights into where employees are engaging and where leadership might need to step in to help generate more connections. It also helps ensure that internal engagement efforts are aligned with the company’s overall advocacy strategy.
This leads me on to a reminder that strong advocacy programs need internal and external communications to work together. In this blog, I’ve talked about why internal engagement is key, but bridging the gap between internal and external comms is also important. We look deeper into this topic in our blog: 5 Reasons Unified Internal and External Communications are Essential for Strong Employer Branding.
Why Internal Engagement is the Key to External Advocacy
Ultimately, employee advocacy begins with building a culture of trust, connection, and belonging. Communication tools can offer a way to create that culture by cultivating internal communities where employees feel informed and valued.
But it’s not just about the tools. It’s about leadership, transparency, and the purposeful effort that goes into creating these environments.
When employees feel connected to the organisation and its leadership, advocacy happens naturally. They share not because they’re asked to, but because they want to. They believe in the company’s mission and are proud to represent it.
At Tribal Impact, we’ve long understood that the path to advocacy starts on the inside. By focusing on internal engagement first, organisations can create authentic, lasting advocates who amplify their brand with passion and purpose.
Ready to explore how internal engagement can drive your employee advocacy strategy? See how we can help.