Employees as Influencers: Your Most Powerful Brand Advocates Are Already on Your Team

The 2025 PRWeek/Cision Communications Report revealed a seismic shift in influence: employees have (finally and thankfully) dethroned celebrities as the most trusted brand voices.

In today's hyper-connected yet increasingly skeptical world, our targeted audiences are tuning out polished marketing messages in favor of authentic human stories. Your employees offer what audiences crave: genuine passion, insider expertise, and unscripted authenticity.

When Chipotle featured actual team members in its "Behind the Foil" campaign, it saw "overwhelming positive consumer response," according to Erin Wolford, the company's VP of External Communications. Feel-good moment for the brand? Yes. Did it drive meaningful engagement and become the foundation of a sustained strategy that continues five years later? Double yes.

The numbers tell a compelling story: content shared by employees generates eight times more engagement than content shared through official brand channels. This isn't surprising when you consider that employee advocacy combines two powerful trust factors: personal connection and insider knowledge.

Beyond external perception, employee advocacy programs also deliver significant internal benefits. When team members see themselves as valued brand ambassadors, their engagement and satisfaction typically increase. They develop deeper connections to your organization's mission and values, which can improve retention and attract like-minded talent.

Perhaps most importantly, employee advocacy offers something money literally cannot buy: credibility. While celebrities might initially reach more people, employees bring the irreplaceable authenticity from genuinely believing in what they're promoting.

Employee advocacy is an especially valuable opportunity for smaller organizations or those with limited marketing budgets. Your team members already have established networks and relationships. Empowering them to share your story allows you to extend your reach exponentially without proportionally increasing your spending.

Organizations that successfully activate their internal voices will gain a significant competitive advantage as we navigate increasingly crowded and skeptical markets.

Ready to get started? DOWNLOAD A FREE CHECKLIST, or email me (laura@onmessage.co).