Organizations are building their brands by investing their efforts into social professional networks — the fastest growing source of quality hires. Sharing company-related articles and blog posts with your followers are signs that you’re doing the right things.

But, you may be ignoring one of your greatest assets: your employees. Employees embody your culture and values, and are 3X more trusted than your CEO**. A huge opportunity to enhance your employer brand strategy? Empowering all your employees to act as talent brand ambassadors.

Looks like it’s time to convince people to share content across social media. Educate your employees using any of these 5 methods:  

Every 6 pieces of content a LinkedIn member shares, it influences 6 job views, 3 company page views, 1 company page follower, 6 profile views, and 2 new connections. But, employees might not understand why they should position themselves as social professionals. Here’s what to tell them:

“Be known as an expert” Employees who share and create career-related content will get more LinkedIn profiles views, InMails and connection requests, ultimately elevating their professional brand.

“Impact our business” Employees who share company content help build their organization’s talent brand, driving more LinkedIn Company Page followers, job views and applicants.

When Dell encouraged business lines to share content, they answered the question, “What’s in it for me?”. Here are some examples:

• Build your credibility by sharing your expertise on LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Position yourself as a leader, and find talent like you to join your team.
• Build your network by connecting with new people.
• Learn something new by joining LinkedIn groups, following new people on Twitter, etc.

Employees want to know what content is and isn’t appropriate to share. If you don’t have time create a Do’s and Don’ts list from scratch, leverage social media guidelines from your social media and corporate communications teams.

Tip: Don't forget to ask your employees to follow your company and talent-focused social media channels. Encourage them to like, comment and share!

To get employees comfortable using social media personally and professionally, Adobe and Dell created certification programs that include interactive training modules, monthly Lunch & Learns and “Power Hour” webinars. These sessions offer various ways to learn at scale.

Tip: Want something more on-demand? Scrappy SlideShares, PowerPoint decks and short videos are timesaving ways to educate employees.

Adobe found it critical working with their internal communications partners. They built a marketing plan that included employee competitions, splashy videos, break rooms posters and giveaways. As a result, they achieved high awareness and fast adoption.

“If you don’t create a large-scale internal marketing plan, it will be a lot harder for you to succeed.”  Cory Edwards, Adobe

No matter how many emails you send, people still might not know what’s going on. Follow up to digital communications with a mini-roadshow. Present at AllHands and team meetings, or offer hands-on training sessions monthly. Good old face-to-face interaction builds trust and deepens commitment.

** Source: Edelman Trust Barometer