How to Make Your Employees Brand Advocates

How to Make Your Employees Brand Advocates

You probably already know that your employees are your business’s greatest assets. In fact, they can make or break your business! But did you know that simply keeping your employees happy isn’t enough to make your business successful? If you really want your bar or restaurant to be the best it can be, you should focus on making your employees your brand advocates.

The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that regular employees have more credibility than CEOs. And customers tend to trust personal recommendations way more than they trust advertisements! That’s why it’s so important to make sure your employees are positively representing and promoting your brand. But how can you do this? Here are a few ways you can make your employees brand advocates.

Figure out what you stand for.

Simply put, your employees can’t be brand advocates if you don’t have a brand! What are your values? What do you care about? What does your bar or restaurant stand for? Once you figure that out, you can start identifying and hiring employees who share your values. For example, if part of your brand involves friendly, helpful service, you’ll want to hire employees who are already friendly and helpful, rather than trying to train unfriendly employees to turn them into brand ambassadors.

Celebrate achievements.

If your employees are doing great things for you, it’s important to recognize their achievements. Rewards can go a long way towards motivating employees. Regular performance reviews are a great way to check in with employees and let them know how they’re doing.

Let employees talk!

Employees can’t be your brand advocates if you don’t give them the freedom to talk about your business. Some companies have social media policies that prohibit employees from mentioning the company online—while this might seem to make sense, it also makes it hard for employees to talk up your bar or restaurant. Give your trusted employees a little bit of freedom and allow them to brag about the awesome things your business is doing.

Treat them well.

Chances are, your employees work long hours, and their jobs aren’t always easy. What are you giving them in return? If your employees are unhappy with their jobs and they don’t feel appreciated, you can’t expect them to be great brand advocates. Give your employees reasonable benefits, be honest with them, and don’t overwork them. Treat them with respect and you’ll have a much better chance of having brand advocates.

Communicate.

Do your employees understand your brand? Do they know what your bar or restaurant stands for? Do they understand the image they should be projecting to customers? Remember, your employees aren’t psychic. They have no way of knowing these things if you don’t communicate with them! Whether you relay this information via one-on-one meetings or through company-wide assemblies, communicating with employees is a must.

Your employees are some of your most valuable resources. By following these tips, you can turn them into brand advocates!

Article provided by Buzztime.

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Trusted by over 3,200 bars and restaurants in North America since 1985, Buzztime integrates trivia, card and sports games with in- and out-of-venue messaging and communication tools. With over 4.2 million player registrations on the Buzztime platform and over 52 million games played each year, Buzztime players spread the word and invite friends and family to their favorite Buzztime location to enjoy an evening of fun and competition.