1. Ragan’s 2015 Employee Communication Awards
EntryName: BlueCross Blue ShieldAmplifies Engagementwith Internal InfluencerProgram
CompanyName: Blue Cross BlueShield of North Carolina and Bambu by Sprout Social
INTRODUCTION
The mission of BlueCross Blue Shieldof North Carolina (BCBSNC) is to create a healthier
North Carolina. To support that mission, the communications team at BCBSNCdevelops
values-based content on health, wellness and the healthcare and are always looking for new
ways to amplify their efforts and channels to spread their message.In that vein, theydecided
to activate a group of individuals who could authentically and intelligently speak on the
brand’s behalf – their own employees. Not only did these employeeshave inherent
knowledge and investment of the brand’s message, they also had a built-in, engagedand
targeted social media audience. By providing those employees with the right content,
messaging and tools, BCBSNCcould organically extendtheir social reach, build trust in the
community and ensure their mission was woven throughout North Carolina.
GOALS
From the start, BCBSNCwanted their employee advocacy program to focus on two sets of
goals: adoption and amplification. First and foremost, they neededto recruit, train and
engage internal influencers who could help spread their mission of a healthy North Carolina
through social media. For BCBSNC,it wasn’t just about the sheer number of ambassadors; it
was about finding the right people who understood the program’s goal of authentic,
meaningful employee advocacy. Therefore,they began by focusing on a small group of 10
ambassadors who were already sharing company content and aimed to grow that group to
25 people by the end of 2015.
Once the initial cohort of social media influencers had beeninvited to the program, BCBSNC
focused on amplification. Theysought to empower those employee ambassadors to share
existing marketing messages and materials as well as drive engagementacross social
networks. They set a goal of increasing their reachby 100,000 impressions per month
through the employee ambassador program, as well as a goal of 500 engagements(likes,
comments, shares and clicks) per post. Ambassadors were eachasked to share and engage
with a minimum of six piecesof content per month.
STRATEGYAND EXECUTION
ThePilot Program
Before starting the program, BCBSNCwanted to make sure that it was a good fit for the
company, aligned with their mission and values, and not an initiative that felt like a burden to
their employees.Additionally, they wanted to make sure that employeeswere sharing
content in a genuine way—not merely pushing out identical messages—and that both
employeesand the BCBSNCbrand were able to grow and benefit from the program.

2. To accomplish that, BCBSNCfirst looked to those employeeswho were already engagedwith
sharing brand content via their social media channels. BCBSNCchose to focus on deepening
and amplifying those employees’efforts instead of rolling out a large program to all of their
5,000 employees so the program could grow organically.
Application Process
Building on those employees’ existing, organic social engagement,BCBSNCestablished basic
parameters and incorporated incentives through their application process. The application
ensuredthat employees understood the program and what was expectedof them. Each
ambassador was expectedto share and engage with a minimum six posts per month. By
keeping the numberof required shares small, BCBSNClowered the barrier to entry and kept
employeesfocused on sharing high quality content in a way that was true to their individual
voices and interests. Ambassadors who meetthese expectationsreceive “PROPS”,which are
points within a larger company incentive system that can be redeemedfor gift cards, prizes
and charitable donations.
Toolsand Training
To ensure that ambassadors have accessto fresh, relevant content and an easy way to share
to their personal networks, BCBSNCchose to use an employee advocacy tool. Bambu by
Sprout Social, their platform of choice,allows their internal communications team to curate
content, target it to specificteams or departments within the organization, and draft
suggested messagesfor social posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Ambassadors can
accesstheir feedat any time on web or mobile and find on-brand content, from BCBSNCblog
posts to healthy-living guides to job postings.
BCBSNCalso provides ambassadors with ongoing guidance so they can gain confidence using
different social networks and build a following as thought leaders on social media. Most
ambassadors join the program with some familiarity of social media and a preferrednetwork,
and these optional trainings are a means for ongoing professional development over time.
The employee ambassador program leader hosts in-person meetings for ambassadors to
discuss best practices and continues to acceptapplications from employeeswho want to
join.
Larger Rollout
From the initial 10 members,the ambassador program has grown to 30 people as of
December2015,surpassing the goal of 25 ambassadors. The next steps for BCBSNCinclude
growing the program to 100 or more ambassadors by the endof 2016. As the program
grows, BCBSNCwill keepits focus on training and empowering a core group of influencers
while in turn encouraging organic employee advocacy among its larger employee base.
EVALUATION
The BCBSNCemployee ambassador program has surpassed its goals in less than one year
and has grown through word of mouth since its inception. In October 2015, a group of 22
ambassadors shared 738 messages—an average of 33 times each,far more than the
minimum expectation of 6 per month. These messagesmade 113,000 impressions and
generated800 engagements.

3. Additionally, employee adoption has surpassed expectations and goals. The program has
grown to 30 people as of December2015,surpassing the goal of 25 and more and more
people are asking to be part of the program everyday. As BCBSNCcontinues to grow this
initiative, they hope to have 100 employeesas part of the program by the end of 2016.
Organization/Agency/ClientDescriptions:
Blue Cross and BlueShield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our
customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and
information to more than 3.91 million members, including approximately 1 million served on
behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place
to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote
good health. We have been recognizedas one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by
Ethisphere Institute every year since 2012. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an
independentlicensee of the BlueCross and Blue Shield Association.
Bambu by Sprout Social is an advocacy platform that gives your employees a simple way to
share curated content across their social networks, dramatically increasing your reachon
social media.
Contributing Staff Members:
James LaCorte
Nick Popio
Other URL:
bcbsnc.com
getbambu.com
Supporting Documents
Employee Ambassador Application