7 tips to confidently scale your executive advocacy strategy

Govt advocacy: the key weapon hiding in plain sight

Your executives have the loudest voices within the room, in the event that they select to make use of them. In B2B, government advocacy is without doubt one of the most cost-effective methods to construct credibility, earn belief, and drive measurable pipeline. But many corporations battle to get leaders posting persistently.

That’s why we introduced collectively two of your B2B Social’s Rising 30 stars who provide two totally different views for a value-packed panel on executive advocacy:

• Jordan Tennenbaum, Head of Social Media at Talkdesk, who runs advocacy day-to-day as a one-person social workforce.
• Archana Dhankar, a seasoned B2B advertising and marketing chief, who has scaled advocacy from the highest down throughout international organizations.

Collectively, they laid out launch, scale, and show the worth of government advocacy. Listed below are the seven takeaways each social workforce wants to listen to.

1. Govt advocacy is the last word low effort, excessive ROI channel

Jordan referred to as government advocacy “low effort, excessive ROI”, and for good purpose. He’s seen executives spend minimal time on LinkedIn and spark conversations that affect pipeline.

Why it really works:

• Belief: Posts from executives carry much more weight than branded content material.
• Visibility: Leaders usually have bigger, extra engaged networks within the precise ICP you’re focusing on.
• Conversion: Jordan cited that leads influenced by social are seven instances extra prone to convert.

Archana added that government advocacy can also be about modeling. “When execs are lively, staff get lively too,” she mentioned. In a actuality the place each firm runs related campaigns, genuine voices from management develop into the true differentiator.

2. Begin small, educate broadly, and mannequin good conduct

When Jordan joined Talkdesk, he didn’t attempt to onboard lots of of leaders directly. He began with what he had: an advocacy software and a handful of keen executives.

His playbook:

• Be taught the software inside out: earlier than pitching anybody else, be sure you know load, schedule, and help posts.
• Educate the corporate: Jordan ran displays with totally different groups displaying ROI stats, trade benchmarks, and why advocacy mattered.
• Use government management enforcement: he requested executives to personally invite their groups to affix. Staff are much more prone to say sure when the ask comes from the highest.
• Mannequin the conduct: Executives who submit persistently set the tone for the remainder of the group.

3. Win management buy-in with ROI and a three-year maturity curve

Executives are busy, skeptical, and resource-conscious. They don’t simply wish to know that advocacy works, they wish to see it might probably scale and maintain.

Jordan’s recommendation: converse the language leaders care about. Present ROI when it comes to earned media worth, pipeline influenced, and alternatives created. Use UTM monitoring and CRM knowledge to attach advocacy on to income.

Archana added that you just additionally want to color a long-term image. Up to now, she constructed buy-in with a three-year maturity curve:

• Yr 1: Pilot → onboard a small group of executives, show early wins, and construct confidence.
  
• Yr 2: Scale → increase to senior leaders, introduce enablement, and standardize processes.
  
• Yr 3: Optimize → localize by area, encourage extra authentic thought management, and refine technique primarily based on learnings.
  

“Leaders wish to understand it’s not a one-off marketing campaign,” she defined. “They wish to see how this system grows with the corporate.”

4. Scale with a tiered pyramid mannequin of advocates

Not each advocate ought to be supported the identical means. To scale advocacy with out burning out your workforce, Archana recommends structuring participation as a four-tier pyramid mannequin:

• Tier 1: C-suite executives
  • White-glove remedy with bespoke content material, direct help, and cautious teaching.
  • Encourage them to steadiness firm bulletins with private management reflections and trade POV.
• Tier 2: Trade influencers and senior leaders
  • Present tailor-made content material and steerage, usually supported by AI-assisted drafts.
  • These leaders are nearer to the trade dialog and profit from instruments that adapt content material to their very own tone and experience.
• Tier 3: Skilled advocates (managers and specialists)
  • Supply extra self-service content material plus mild enablement.
  • Present prompts, prompt posts, and coaching to allow them to confidently share with out heavy reliance on the social workforce.
• Tier 4: Staff
  • Share tradition, HR, and lighter model content material to maintain their networks engaged.

This method ensures executives get the help they want whereas empowering the broader group to take part at scale.

5. Balancing AI with authenticity in government advocacy

No dialog about fashionable advocacy is full with out AI. Each consultants agreed it might probably make applications quicker and extra scalable, but it surely comes with clear caveats.

Jordan described AI as “the very best factor since sliced bread” for social groups. He sees it as a approach to enhance effectivity, cowl extra floor, and assist executives share content material extra persistently. For him, AI is a productiveness acquire that may lighten the load for lean social groups.

Archana welcomed AI too, however with warning. She emphasised that whereas AI can summarize a white paper or draft a submit, it can not provide the opinion that makes government content material genuine. Leaders nonetheless want so as to add their private perspective, as a result of audiences can rapidly spot a submit that feels generic or AI-generated.

Each agreed that the steadiness is vital: AI can help productiveness, however authenticity should come from the chief. The human voice, delight in a milestone, a mirrored image on trade adjustments, or a singular perspective, is what builds belief and credibility.

6. Create ripple results that flip advocacy into tradition

Advocacy isn’t only a advertising and marketing tactic, it might probably change firm tradition.

Jordan defined that when executives persistently submit, staff take discover. They begin to share, interact, and develop their very own private manufacturers.

The ripple impact: extra staff see the worth of being lively on LinkedIn and begin to take part, and for advertising and marketing groups, this implies extra attain, engagement, and influenced pipeline develop in parallel.

This cycle additionally creates leverage for the social workforce. With ends in hand, you’ll be able to ask for extra price range, sources, or seats in your advocacy platform.

7. Report the correct metrics, not self-importance numbers

Each consultants agreed: reporting is the place most advocacy applications sink or swim.

Archana mentioned she needs to see outcomes at the least quarterly, however self-importance metrics don’t transfer her. “Likes and shares are good, however I wish to know if we’re reaching the correct viewers, the correct job titles, the correct areas,” she defined.

Her guidelines for reporting that earns management belief:

• Viewers high quality: are new followers in your ICP?
• Affect on pipeline: observe advocacy-driven site visitors and alternatives.
• Consistency over time: present how government participation sustains outcomes, not simply one-off spikes.

The golden rule: at all times tie social outcomes again to enterprise outcomes.

Closing recommendation from the consultants

Jordan’s closing message was for practitioners:

1. Give your self grace, you’ll be able to’t do all the things as a one-person social workforce.
2. Hold advocacy enjoyable, partaking, and genuine.
3. At all times show ROI, numbers are your ticket to credibility and sources.

Archana’s recommendation was for leaders: be daring. “B2B social groups are sometimes afraid to experiment. Borrow from B2C, tailor it in your model, and stand out.”

Begin constructing your government advocacy technique

Govt advocacy isn’t simply one other advertising and marketing tactic, it’s a technique that drives credibility, builds belief, and influences income. With management buy-in, the correct buildings, and a steadiness of AI effectivity and genuine human voice, you’ll be able to scale it throughout your group with confidence.

At Oktopost, we assist B2B manufacturers roll out advocacy programs that stick, from government help to worker activation. Wish to see the way it works? Let’s talk, we’d love to assist.