tom-peters-employees-quote

Every brand strives for authenticity. But how do you measure your success? And more importantly, why is professional development valuable to create employee advocacy?

You’ve got to hand it to Tom Peters: He certainly has a way with words. Never one to shy away from a debate or share his wisdom on an important topic, Peters has the uncanny ability to take a complex issue and boil it down to its essence. It’s perhaps for this reason this particular brand of thought leadership is ideally suited for a platform like Twitter. So it’s no surprise when, in sharing his thoughts recently on the current emphasis in experience-based branding, Peters was able to cut right to the core of the issue.

Quickly, other users chimed in, leading Peters to further clarify his position. 

And finally:

This conversation couldn’t have been more timely. As more and more brands begin to embrace social employee advocacy, fascinating new questions are popping up. Today’s customer experience may be centered around authentic employee engagement, but what does that mean—and how do marketers know if it’s working? Are there telltale signs to look for? Is delivering an emotional experience really “unmetricable” as Peters says—and if so, how are brands supposed to embrace Van Gogh’s maxim and deliver this promise consistently?

Update:  After the publication of my post, Tom Peters graciously contributed his thoughts to this conversation by tweeting out: 

Encourage authenticity. Foster emotion. Measure engagement.

We get it: Everyone wants to capture the viral genie and unleash its power on the world. Whether it involves capturing the imagination of audiences like Chipotle did with their “Back to the Start” video, or delighting Oscar fans like Ellen did with her now-famous “Oscar Selfie,” every marketer wants their brand to be defined by powerful moments.

The secret ingredient? Authenticity.

Sure, a true emotional experience may be unmetricable as Tom Peters says, but there are plenty of metricable factors that can make the coveted unmetricable emotional response possible. Essentially, creating the conditions for authentic emotional engagement begins with social employee empowerment. Give your employees not only the tools, but also the know-how, training, and culture to thrive, and watch them breathe new life into your brand.

Learn how to empower your social employee advocates with Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning

Ready to get started building an authentic,

engaged social employee culture?

Register now for “Social Employees: The New Marketing Channel,” our 22-part video tutorial course on Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning. Buoyed by the 5-D framework of our social employee pilot program, this course shows you why employee-generated content is up to eight times more effective than branded content on the social web—and how social guardrails can eliminate guesswork, save time, and support your employees as they engage online as authentic brand ambassadors.

Your audience doesn’t want to talk to a brand. They want to talk to real people. And with the power of the social employee, your brand will be well-positioned to be able to consistently craft a consistent, authentic emotional experience for your fans.

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