The value of social media use in the workplace has become an important discussion among companies. No one will question the rapid growth of social media and its impact on a company, but many organizations struggle with allowing employees to engage in social media while also protecting against potential risks to corporate reputation.

The use of social media can turbo-charge your brand and expand your network. The best advocates for a business are the ones who understand it—educated employees can help expand reach and maximize followers by tapping into their own internal networks. They already work for you, so why not utilize them? Here are a few reasons why companies should engage employees in social media:

It improves internal communication. Encouraging employees to be active on social media can help to reduce silos across all departments. A social employee culture that promotes information and idea sharing can improve company workflow and increase the level of engagement among colleagues.

It gives your company visibility. On average, when employees share something – anything – with their social networks, each one reaches 20 times more people than a typical brand sharing with the same number of followers. Allowing employees to Facebook and Tweet company-related content can expand your company’s network and increase the number of followers, likes and shares.

It improves the company brand. Employee advocacy can turn a single corporate voice—usually coming from the marketing department—into an army of content creators and sharers who will magnify the volume and reach of your company’s message.

Social media is becoming more of a function of the company and less of a role of just one person or department. Employees are the ambassadors for your brand, and empowering them to become brand advocates can go a long way to amplifying your company’s message. It might take time to materialize, but it’s worth it to expand your company’s social network by empowering your team. It will foster high engagement with your customers and followers in addition to building a close-knit company culture as well as giving your brand more visibility.