Nearly 85 per cent of millennials rely on the opinion of other consumers before making a purchase. And a total of 90 per cent of people irrespective of generation trust posts from friends on their social media channels as opposed to what brands and companies post on their newsfeeds.

To make things even worse for digital marketers, an average social media campaign will reach just 4 per cent of a brand’s social media followers. On the opposite side of the scale, an employee’s post on personal social media channel will reach 90 per cent of online friends.

Statistics may often be skewed to support a claim, yet this can’t be the case here due to the enormous gap between the two ends of the scale. That’s why companies are gradually realising the impact the online power of their people can have in driving preference, boosting sales for their brand, products and services or positioning the company as an employer of choice in order to attract talent.

Welcome to the age of employee advocacy, a new communications-driven concept in which companies encourage and empower their own people to share company news and success stories across their personal social media networks.

From a talent brand viewpoint, LinkedIn provides the ideal platform for companies to position themselves as employers of choice, and who better to do the talking on their behalf other than the people who work for them. Companies pursuing employee advocacy campaigns need to make sure that they get the basics right as per the below tips provided by the world’s biggest online network for professionals:

* Housekeeping: The quickest way to ensure that your employees’ LinkedIn profile is easily recognisable is to have a profile picture and a wealth of information about them. A photograph itself can drive 11 times more traffic to a profile as people can put a face to the name easily.

LinkedIn has also found that detailed listing of all areas of experience and expertise, training and education, and professional history in a profile is valuable information in attracting followers. LinkedIn research has shown that members who include their skills and education details on their profiles get 13 times and 10 times more profile views respectively.

* Wider network: Companies should choose employees whose profiles on LinkedIn have wide networks comprising trusted professional contacts, people that they have met, gone to school with or done business in the real world. A well-populated profile shows the ability to both build and maintain professional contacts.

Adding the industry to which an employee belongs can bring 15 times more profile views from professionals in the same or similar sector.

* More associations: With a range of professionals on LinkedIn, it is fast becoming an excellent platform for content. Being part of groups or company pages brings members access to a wide array of articles and commentary that are valuable from a professional as well as a personal development perspective.

* Engage and discuss: A networking platform is a great way to actually network with people easily from one’s desk or mobile device. Discussions are a great way to deepen one’s understanding or expertise in a subject, and when this discussion can potentially include LinkedIn’s 300 million members, it can be very enlightening indeed.

When employees engage with people with similar interests and expertise in a structured and positive way, their credentials as a reputed employer are strengthened.

* Staying active: Like, share, comment... Frequent activity on and from employee profiles can help companies remain top-of-mind for those in their employees’ network. Given the pace of daily lives, a comment or a post may not always have the desired effect, but it will still make its mark as a way of connecting.

To proactively drive engagement, sharing relevant articles, videos or other media is a great way to kick-start a debate or conversation.

In general, most successful campaigns for employee advocacy programmes should promote diversity and gender balance in the workplace, showcase support of a cause, highlight positive aspects of working environment through employee testimonials or share insights to the corporation’s internal culture.

The writer is Head of PR and Social Media at Al-Futtaim and author of “Back to the Future of Marketing — PRovolve or Perish”.