[Episode Eighty-Seven of ‘The Employee Advocacy and Influence Podcast] 🎧
In this episode, Lewis Gray and Elliot Elsley are joined by Robyn Fawcett, Social Media Manager at BT Group. Robyn shares the realities of running a high-impact employee-generated content program and her plans to expand it further and into EE. You will learn how she manages internal creators, her manual but effective briefing process, and how she uses her background as an influencer to lead by example.
Key Takeaways:
- How a simple company-wide email generated 90 hand-raisers ready to create content.
- Using e-learning and “cheat sheets” to overcome employee confidence gaps and technical hurdles.
- Why letting employees use their own voice and stories outperforms rigid corporate communication.
- The strategy for training senior executives to be thought leaders is to set the tone for the rest of the organization.
- Moving beyond basic shares to track engagement, recruitment volume, and brand sentiment.
Active Original Content Creation
While many advocacy programs focus on employees sharing corporate posts, Robyn at BT shifted the strategy toward creating original content. By launching a Content Creation Academy, BT empowers employees to become creators who produce authentic content rather than simply amplifying a central marketing team. This approach solves the common challenge of social media managers being unable to be everywhere at once to capture the company culture. Robyn achieves this by focusing on a model in which employees own their narratives, supported by a toolkit and training to help them approach storytelling. This transition is essential for reaching modern audiences who prioritize authentic employee-generated content over polished corporate assets.
Bridge the Confidence Gap with Technical Training
A major blocker for employee advocacy is a lack of social media know-how and camera confidence. Robyn addressed this by creating an e-learning course and a toolkit that covers everything from camera positioning to lighting and storytelling. Drawing on her own experience as an influencer, she provides straightforward steps that remove the trial-and-error process for employees who feel uncomfortable on camera. This structured support makes content creation feel less like a chore and more like an accessible skill. Providing training ensures that the final output looks professional by default while keeping the employee’s unique personality intact.
Prioritize Human Authenticity Over Rigid Corporate Scripts
In the age of AI and automated content, authenticity has become a brand’s most valuable currency. Robyn emphasizes that employees should use their own voices and stories rather than reading from a script. By building a two-way working relationship with employees, she highlights the most relatable parts of their personal journeys to create corporate yet social content. This human-centric approach resonates more deeply because people believe in people rather than faceless logos. Emphasizing the importance of the audience needing to see the real person behind the professional title.
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Learn More About Employee Advocacy:
Selina Sher Gill
Selina has a Master's Degree in Marketing and Brand Management, and is DSMN8's Digital Marketing Executive. She's a pro at creating and editing video content, using these skills to create short-form social media videos and edit the Employee Advocacy and Influence podcast.
