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December 10, 2018 Content Chat Recap—Community Conversation: How to Get Internal SMEs to Share Content

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How to get internal SMEs to share brand content—a #ContentChat recap

It’s well known that audiences respond better to content from their peers compared to content from brands. At your company, you likely have a plethora of subject matter experts with rich social followings interested in topics that your company is directly involved in.

If life was easy, you could ask your SMEs to share your content, they would, and in turn their audiences would engage with your brand—but it’s more complex than that (and for good reason).

In this #ContentChat community conversation, we engaged in a free-form discussion about engaging your internal SMEs to share content on social. 

Q1: What is the current state of your company’s social sharing of your brand’s content?

For some, sharing of branded content appears to be on the decline. That said, it’s key for companies to also share content that isn’t branded but is still relevant for their audiences. 

For others, their brands and audiences are more eager to share content.  

There are some things that companies can do to combat low posting or engagement, such as sharing a social media suggestion email. 

If you try something like this (like Bernie is going to), create content suggestions that are flexible and easy for people to personalize. 

You don’t have to solely rely on email to get the word out. Use tools like Slack to share social suggestions, or Buffer to facilitate the posting. 

Employee advocacy solutions can also be your new best friend. 

Even with the best tools, there are some other pitfalls you may run into. We’ll dive more into how to address these in the next couple of questions. 

Q2: When a piece of content is published with an internal author’s byline on it, are they sharing it?

Although one would assume people would want to amplify their content, it doesn’t always happen (we dive into some reasons in Q3).

Authors that are more invested in their personal thought leadership are more likely to post the content, and their friends/colleagues are eager to reshare.  

Amplify this human element the best you can—you can even try making team videos to connect a face to a blog. 

Sometimes it takes a little incentive to get authors to take action. 

But if someone isn’t willing to share their content, they may not be the best for that (or any future) byline. 

Q3: When you talk to internal SMEs about the brand’s content, what are the reasons they give you for not sharing it?

Time is a common constraint, especially given the multitude of other business priorities. 

But this could be an indicator that the individual doesn’t realize the value of social media in building both the personal and business brand.  

Some folks are eager to help, but hesitant to post because they need more resources to know how to do it well. 

And others prefer to keep their social accounts for personal matters. 

Related to answers we saw in Q1 and Q2, providing sample content or feedback on employee content can help them become more comfortable (and effective) with their posts. 

If you’re unsure of the reason your team isn’t sharing your content, ask them! Understanding the problem by using data is the first step in finding solutions. 

Q4: What are some activation ideas you’ve tried that have gotten internal SMEs to share brand content?

Incentivization is one avenue, but it should be approached delicately. 

Internal contests can be a fun way to gamify social sharing. 

But ensure you keep focus on your goals or elements that will lead to actual business results. Encouraging your employees to mass post your content with no value for their audiences is the wrong way to approach a contest.  

Again, make it as easy for them as possible. Share draft posts and graphics that they can customize for their audiences. 

There may be some core culture elements that need changed to allow your team to truly thrive on social. 

And some content may be easier for team members to share.

Q5: What are some ideas you tried to encourage social sharing that didn’t work as well and need some tweaking?

While asking team members to post is necessary at times, you can’t assume they know exactly what you want. Social media guidelines can help with this. 

And even if you draft posts for individuals, they may not take it across the finish line and copy/paste and post. 

Some workarounds to the above issue include “click-to-share” links, or simply taking matters into your own hands and posting on their accounts for them (after their approval). 

Social media amplification emails may also falter if the ROI is less than desired. 

You should never forget the company’s goals for social media and employee advocacy. This also means you should never make employee social media sharing of brand content mandatory. 

Sponsored posts are a valid option that could reach your target audience more effectively while you get your SMEs on board. 

You can tackle social activity on a case-by-case basis, including a specific strategy for events. 

Bonus Question: How do you keep your executives on the right track with social?

An audit is the first step to understand where the executive may be lagging, and then you can identify an action plan. 

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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