Businesses are increasingly realising that their strongest brand advocates are already part of the team.
Employees who are genuinely proud of where they work and what they do can be powerful voices, connecting with audiences in ways traditional advertising simply can’t. By building a corporate influencer program, companies tap into this potential, empowering their people to share insights, values, and moments that humanise the brand.
This shift is part of a larger trend where consumers—and clients—are drawn to brands with a human touch.
Let’s look at how you can create a program that’s impactful, authentic, and built to last.
Step 1: Define your objectives
We know the usual goals: to grow brand visibility, create engagement, and show the human side of the business.
But setting up a program doesn’t have to be complicated or overly technical. Often, it’s simply about putting your people in the spotlight to show that there’s a heartbeat behind your brand. My advice? Keep it straightforward and don’t tie every post to immediate results like sales. You’ll probably see some nice side effects—like more activity in your inbox—but the real benefit is the trust and connection that builds over time.
Step 2: Identify key employees to champion the program
The ‘who’ can really shape the voice of the program. Think about the voices that would resonate best with your audience.
CEOs are natural ambassadors, as they’re already visible faces of the company. If you’re in a technical field, the CTO might bring depth to the conversation, a talking shop in a way others can’t.
For larger companies, an HR leader can paint a vivid picture of the culture and people. The best picks are those who enjoy sharing their insights and feel proud to represent the brand in their own unique way.
Step 3: Set some guidelines
People feel empowered when they have direction, so creating some simple guidelines is key.
Think of this as giving your team a map to guide them without boxing them in. Identify two or three company hashtags that feel authentic, put together a short list of key messages, and add a simple photography style guide. It’s less about rules, but more about giving everyone the confidence to post freely, knowing they’re aligned with the bigger picture.
Step 4: Provide training and support
Many people want to contribute but feel lost about where to start. Maybe they’re wondering, ‘How do I format a LinkedIn caption? How long should it be? Am I tagging people right?’ Offering a few training sessions on the nuts and bolts of posting—caption formatting, tagging, hashtags—can go a long way. And consider bringing in an expert to make it easy, clear, and fun. Sometimes, an outside agency can make all the difference with a bit of mentoring and by bringing a fresh perspective.
Step 5: Craft a content strategy for your corporate influencer
Think of this as creating the foundation. Having a simple content strategy keeps things flowing and lets people plan without feeling scripted.
You’ll want a those spontaneous, behind-the-scenes moments that show the real human side of the brand, but some intentional planning goes a long way too. Here, it should be a combination of reactive and planned content. For more strategically planned content, you can ideate a few video stories or campaign themes, especially since LinkedIn is giving a boost to video content these days.
Step 6: Track and refine your corporate influencer
Finally, check in regularly to see how things are going. By having a quarterly or monthly meeting, depending on the frequence of content, you should assess what’s working, what could use tweaking, and to celebrate any wins—big or small.
Investing in a corporate influencer program is investing in the power of human connection. It’s a strategy that builds trust, strengthens relationships, and leads to organic growth because people are drawn to people—not brands. With employees representing your business authentically, you create a ripple effect that extends beyond metrics and KPIs, generating real value that lasts.
By Svenja Maltzahn, Founder of Sumea Social.
