As social media marketing has achieved an ever more dominant position in digital marketing, it’s blurred the lines between the personal and professional. Given the social nature of social media sites, the public has come to appreciate seeing the human side of businesses. And herein lies some of the greatest potential of social media marketing.
It makes sense. Businesses are entities, but they are made up of people. People who create and provide the products and services. People who are responsible for safety and quality and customer service. Consumers love to support a “mom and pop” shop when they know Mom and Pop. And social media has created an environment where any small, medium, or large company can show that same humanity.
“Company culture” is a big buzzword these days, though a lot of small businesses don’t think much about theirs. Still, they all have one, just as much as any tech startup with ping-pong tables in the conference room or massive corporation covered in innovation-stifling red tape.
Benefits of Showing Company Culture on Social Media
Today, company culture is touted as one of the best ways to attract top talent. That’s one reason many small businesses might not give it much thought—they’re just not looking to proactively recruit, or at least not from what they consider a large, competitive talent pool.
But even businesses that only hire a few people to work the register can attract and retain employees who are more loyal and who provide better customer service with an enjoyable company culture.
Build your company culture and show it off on your social media pages. It catches the eye of potential employees, but it also shows your audience the brand’s human side. When they see the people behind the curtain, people just like themselves, it gives the brand more substance and fosters a bond. That bond is a powerful way to win over new consumers and strengthen your relationship with existing ones.
Ideas for Showing Company Culture on Social Media
- Post pictures or videos of holiday parties, birthday celebrations, company outings, client appreciation gatherings, a staff lunch, training events, coworkers enjoying an after-work drink, and other fun or communal happenings
- Spotlight your employees with an employee-of-the-month program or something less formal, such as highlighting their hobbies or accomplishments (in or out of the workplace), publicly saying “Thanks for 5 years of great work,” or for any other reason
- Participate in charitable events or causes as a company and post pictures and information about your good deeds
- Give your audience a peek behind the scenes with images from your place of business, like showing how something is made, how certain processes work, what the owner’s office looks like, who has the neatest and the messiest desk, the cat who lives in the break room, and so on
- Encourage employees to participate in conversations—but make sure you’ve established and disseminated clear policies on acceptable use and content
- Use humor and emotion in your social media posts; people connect so much better with brands that talk like people, as opposed to sounding like they were scripted by a bureaucrat or lawyer
- Don’t be afraid to be irrelevant to your business and industry once in a while and share something funny, touching, cute, thought-provoking, or otherwise engaging that you think your audience will appreciate; you know what they say about all work and no play…
- Engage with your audience! The point of social media is to be social, so acknowledge the people who take the time to comment on and share your content, be responsive, and remember that conversations are a two-way street
Stay True to Your Brand and Mindful of Your Audience
While showing off your company culture is an effective way to harness some of the power of social media marketing, it must be done mindfully. The above suggestions are widely applicable, but they’re still generalizations, and not all are always appropriate for every business.
Hopefully, you’ve established a brand voice and brand personality, and it’s important to stay true to them to keep your branding consistent and effective. Also, take into consideration your audience and your field. A children’s party entertainment company and a funeral parlor should probably have fairly different social media pages. Having a solid buyer persona helps greatly with knowing whom you’re talking to and how to talk to them.
As long as you stick to your branding and see things from your audience’s perspective, showcasing your company culture as part of your social media marketing is a great way to build your brand.
