How do you build a global employee advocacy program in a high-stakes, highly competitive industry like cybersecurity? In this episode of The Employee Advocacy & Influence Podcast, hosts Lewis Gray and Elliot Elsley welcome Ashleigh Perissi, Employer Brand & Social Media Strategist. Ashleigh brings a decade of experience building talent brands across defense, healthcare, pharma, technology, financial services, and cybersecurity.
In this episode, listeners will learn how to leverage employee advocacy as a core talent acquisition strategy that cuts ad spend and attracts passive candidates. Ashleigh shares actionable tactics on empowering recruiters with ready-to-share content, establishing brand safety guardrails against unauthorized AI graphics, navigating regional privacy cultures during a global rollout, and structuring rewards so every participant feels recognized.
3 Key Takeaways
Treat Employee Advocacy as a Talent Acquisition Advantage
In highly competitive markets like cybersecurity, relying solely on corporate ad spend or cold outreach is no longer enough to win top talent. As Ashleigh explains, employees are an organization’s most credible brand voices. Empowering recruiters and hiring managers with shareable employee stories creates a warm touchpoint for passive job seekers.
When candidates see authentic peer experiences, candidate trust increases significantly before a recruiter even reaches out. For employer brand leaders, advocacy transforms talent acquisition from a reactive push into a continuous pipeline builder.
Establish Firm Guardrails to Protect Brand Safety
With the rapid adoption of generative AI tools, employees are increasingly tempted to create their own promotional graphics and logos for social media. Ashleigh notes that without a centralized advocacy platform, this can lead to off-brand visuals, incorrect color palettes, and compliance issues. Providing approved content libraries, pre-branded assets, and clear do’s and don’ts protects corporate identity without stifling employee enthusiasm.
In regulated sectors, restricting caption edits ensures legal compliance, while less rigid industries can allow personalized spins. Guardrails empower staff to share confidently while keeping the brand secure.
Look Beyond Engagement to Measure Talent Influence
Passive candidates rarely leave visible likes or comments on hiring posts because they do not want their current employers to see their activity. Ashleigh advises program leads not to judge talent brand advocacy purely by public post engagement.
Instead, focus on “quieter metrics” such as expanded organic reach, link clicks, referral traffic, and direct candidate feedback. Recruiters regularly report candidates referencing specific employee posts during interview calls. Tracking these self-attributed touchpoints proves the direct impact of advocacy on candidate pipelines.
Ready to start your own employee advocacy program?
Whether you’re exploring employee advocacy or considering DSMN8 as your platform, we can help you get started with confidence.
Learn More About Employee Advocacy:
Lewis Gray
Senior Marketing Manager at DSMN8. Lewis runs DSMN8's own employee advocacy program, putting the platform into practice from the inside, hosts The Employee Advocacy Podcast, and launched the Employee Advocacy Certification Course. His background in sales informs his approach to demand generation and B2B content strategy.
