Personal perspectives instead of a second press office
People from sales, production, consulting, or service encounter a variety of questions. This is precisely where the value of their perspectives lies: They can explain what customers often misunderstand, how decisions are made, or how a problem is practically solved.
Not everyone needs to be visible in the same way. Some people enjoy writing, others are good at explaining things in conversation, or demonstrate work processes on camera. The program should leverage different strengths. A consistent approach and accurate statements are important; identical wording and presentations are not.
Define what you want to achieve with the program. Professional visibility, recruiting, and sales support are different tasks. A clear priority facilitates topic selection and evaluation. Our article explains the connection to customer relationships. What is Social Selling?.
Who should participate?
Start with people who are interested and want to contribute. Hierarchy alone is not a good selection criterion. A person with direct insight into customer issues can be just as relevant as a manager. What's important is professional affinity, a willingness to learn, and realistically available time.
Discuss expectations openly. Are they about personal profiles, company channels, or both? What support is available? What happens if someone wants to take a break or quit? Voluntary participation should not only be stated in the invitation but also be evident in everyday practice.
Clear agreements are especially necessary regarding personal profiles. Do not require private login credentials and do not make participation a requirement for constant availability. Questions about working hours, data protection, and any co-determination rights should be clarified with the relevant departments before the program is formally established.
These roles help in everyday life
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Participant | Own perspective, technical accuracy, and personal approval |
| Program responsibility | Planning, support, feedback, and internal coordination |
| Technical contact person | Review of sensitive or complex topics Statements |
| Editorial or Production | Structure, Recording, Editing, and Appropriate Preparation |
| Leadership | Realistic timeframes and support in day-to-day operations |
In small companies, one person can take on multiple roles. The crucial point is that responsibilities remain clear. If every publication is passed through several hierarchical levels without a plan, a good idea quickly becomes a tedious side job.
A pilot project that enables learning
A possible starting point is a limited pilot project with a small group of volunteers. The exact duration and number of participants should depend on your resources. Schedule an evaluation meeting before committing to an ongoing program.
Start with a workshop: What questions do you encounter regularly? What can you explain from your own experience? What shouldn't be made public? Develop a few recurring topics from this and create initial drafts together. Afterward, short, regular check-ins are more helpful than a lengthy document that no one uses.
For the first round, each person can choose a typical customer question. This will result in a post with the situation, your own explanation, and a concrete example. This is a suggested exercise, not a prescribed posting frequency. Only experience will show what rhythm is actually sustainable.
Our Social Media Workshop for the Team describes what training should cover Social Media Workshop for the TeamThose who want to work in front of the camera can additionally practice recording, body language, and clear speech.
Guardrails that provide security
Document in a brief overview which topics can be freely addressed and when consultation is necessary. Confidential customer information, unpublished products, and personal data should not be inadvertently included in a practical example. Also, define a contact person for critical comments or uncertainties.
The personal perspective should remain recognizable but should be professionally accurate. Expressing an opinion does not replace the review of confidential or commercial content. For promotional posts, the guidelines of the media authorities provide guidance on labeling.
Paid promotions also require separate approval. LinkedIn requires permission from the person whose post is to be promoted for Thought Leader Ads. This is not an automatic consequence of program participation: LinkedIn Help on Thought Leader Ads.
What should be better after the pilot project?
Don't just evaluate the number of published posts. Can participants independently find topics? Are approval processes practical? Does the content reach relevant conversations? Are there questions from the market that weren't previously visible?
Avoid public rankings that reduce people to their reach. Different roles and topics have different starting points. Concrete observations are more helpful for further development: Which content was used in sales? Which explanations triggered follow-up questions? Which obstacles are wasting time?
Document what ongoing support is needed. Perhaps the team can develop topics themselves but still needs editing or editorial feedback. This creates a suitable scope instead of a blanket expectation that everything has to be handled internally.
Would you like to launch a program together with your team? In our workshops and coaching sessions We can combine thematic work, presentation and concrete processes – on site or in a suitably planned online format.
Corporate influencer, employee advocacy, or personal branding?
A corporate influencer program organizes support for professional appearances within the company. Employee advocacy can begin with the voluntary sharing and contextualization of relevant content. Personal branding focuses more on the positioning of an individual. Depending on the goal, these approaches can be combined.
For a low-threshold start, Employee Advocacy. For individual topic selection, there is Personal Branding. Paid boosting of personal posts is categorized separately under Thought Leader Ads categorized.