Do you know how many of your employees subscribe to your business blog? Follow you on Facebook and Twitter? Even know that you have a Google+ Page? If the answer is “very few” or “none”, you’re not alone.

When starting any type of content marketing or social media program, getting buy-in from your employees is an important first step.

1. Be sure your employees know that you have a company blog.

When you introduce your company blog to the public (via email or some other announcement), be sure your employees get the message, too. Give them an overview of the blog, including what they can expect to read and how often you plan to update it.

2. Make sure they know that they can sign up to receive new posts via email – and ask them to subscribe.

It’s a sure way to know they’re aware of any new post that’s written. If your mail service allows you to add addresses yourself, you may consider subscribing them all directly.

3. Give your employees a role in the blog’s success.

A few ways to involve employees:

• Ask for their content ideas and input. Some may even welcome the opportunity to be a guest blogger.
• Set up an in-house “Name that Blog” contest. Ask employees for their ideas, and may the best name win!
• Feature your employees in your blog. Whether in a regular (monthly) column, in a welcome post for new employees, or in coverage of a special accomplishment, just about everyone likes to see their name in print.

4. Let your employees become your company’s social advocates.

Invite them to follow your company’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter page. Depending on your company’s culture, you may encourage them to share, retweet, or comment on your posts.

Of course, before you ask for this level of engagement, your company should establish some guidelines that define what it considers appropriate behavior on social media sites. A written policy that is shared company-wide can go a long way to maintaining a positive online reputation. It’s also a good idea to be sure employees understand the etiquette of different social media sites. Read our post Putting the Social in Social Media for more tips on how to put together a team of employees for your content marketing program. And subscribe to our Growth Spurts blog for an upcoming how-to on creating a company social media policy.