How Pure Storage® Amplifies Employee Voices to Propel Page Engagement

Challenge

•   Pure Storage, a data solutions provider, is a fast-growing enterprise IT company seeking to increase social traction and engagement.

•   With an enthusiastic base of employee advocates around the globe, Pure Storage wanted to better activate these individuals on social media in a way that appealed to them, and supported business objectives.

Solution

Identifying LinkedIn as a prime platform for this activation — “a large base of our employees are on LinkedIn,” says Ian Wikramanayake — Pure Storage increased its focus on promoting advocacy in a way that would resonate with its workforce.

Results

•   Developing a consistent publishing schedule on the LinkedIn Page, and including content that aligns with various areas of interest (technology, thought leadership, culture, etc.) led to a major increase in employee sharing, and a coinciding jump in engagement.

•   Achieving major gains in clicks and shares, Pure Storage has seen tremendous Page growth, with a 54% increase in unique visitors.

Situation Analysis

•   Wikramanayake manages all of Pure Storage’s social media accounts, so he welcomes all the help he can get when it comes to boosting the brand.

•   Encouraging fellow employees to help out by sharing content, in a way that makes sense for them and their own personal goals, helps him make the most of his resources.

How They Did It

•   For Pure Storage, the key to increasing employee engagement on social is in showing the benefits, rather than pushing it as a corporate directive.

•   “We’re evangelizing LinkedIn as a tool to help build the brand, but we’re also training folks on how they can start to optimize their own personal brands on LinkedIn, and using our content as a piece to that elevation,” says Wikramanayake.

Overall Impact

•   Between growing employee involvement and strengthening engagement with followers, Pure Storage has moved closer to building what it really wants to nurture on LinkedIn: a community.

•   “What we want to do with our company’s Page is give people a sense of belonging,” says Wikramanayake. "We want them to understand our content, but also feel like they’re a part of it, rather than it just being a one-way conversation.”