Company culture. It’s a term popular amongst millennials, those seeking a career change, and entrepreneurs launching new businesses. Young adults entering the workforce often look for a company culture that suits their desired lifestyle. A new business owner may want to adopt a laid-back, collaborative environment in their workplace. A seasoned executive looking for a new opportunity may want to find an office with a completely different vibe than what they’ve experienced in the past. But what exactly is company culture, and how can it help grow your business?
Company culture is essentially a combination of the values and behaviors instilled in a company’s workplace. It’s the difference between coming to work dressed in a suit and tie, or in jeans and a t-shirt. It’s sitting at a cubicle for eight hours each day, versus practicing office yoga once a week and working from bean bag chairs. When organizations have a positive, inviting company culture, it makes employees want to work for them, and clients want to work with them. Using social media marketing to showcase your company culture can not only boost staff morale but can show potential clients and customers yet another reason why your organization is great to do business with. Here are 6 strategies you can use to embrace your company culture through social media.
Make Your Brand Personable
Using social media to feature your company culture helps humanize your brand. It puts faces to the name and helps clients gain a feel for who your company really is. Imagine the Instagram accounts of two different digital marketing agencies. Agency A’s account consists of mostly infographics, photos of previous work, and links to the company’s website. While this is all useful content, it might not stand out amongst the competition, or give potential clients a reason to do business with them instead of the agency down the street. Agency B’s Instagram account features infographics and important company information but also includes engaging photos of company events, smiling employees, and photos of the agency’s inviting, waterfront office. Which agency would you rather set up a meeting with?
Posting photos of your staff and work environment helps your brand’s personality shine through to your audience. Promoting your business to be one with friendly, welcoming company culture is more likely to grab the attention of potential clients and make them eager to learn more about what you do.
While photos can often speak for themselves, it’s still important to craft witty, compelling captions for your social media posts. Always keep it business-appropriate, but don’t be afraid to add a little humor and personality to the copy of your posts. Don’t forget, this is all about humanizing your brand!
Utilize Employee Generated Content
You’ve heard of user-generated content: posts and images that have been organically created by your audience. Employee-generated content follow the same concept. It’s content that your employees have created because they wanted to! For example, if your employees took a few great shots at your last company outing, consider posting those photos to the company’s social media accounts. It shows that your employees enjoy themselves at work, and it sparks business to consumer conversation.
With these employee-generated posts, let your team members be themselves and let their personalities shine through. While still remaining true to your brand values and relevant to the industry, don’t set too many barriers when it comes to the content that your employees can contribute. When it comes to highlighting your company culture, the key is to stay genuine and honest. These are the people that your potential clients will be in contact with, so offering a real behind-the-scenes look into what goes on in and out of the office will make consumers feel like they know your company, all before the first meeting.
Always remember to ask permission before posting photos of your employees and tagging their personal social media accounts. If this becomes an issue, it might be a better idea to simply include first names instead of tagging personal accounts.
Highlight Your Employees
Does your company recognize Employees of the Month? Have any team members won industry awards recently? Showcase your staff by celebrating these accomplishments on social media. It will make your employees feel valued and appreciated, and further motivate them to repost to their own social media channels and continue producing their best work.
Highlighting your employees on social media won’t only improve company culture in-house, but it will show current and potential customers why your company is the best choice. Who wouldn’t want to do business with an outstanding, award-winning team of professionals? Again, always get permission from your employees before posting photos of them, especially when tagging their personal profiles.
Adopt An In-House Advocacy Program
While you should never make it mandatory for your staff to engage with the company on social media, encouraging it in a fun and light-hearted way will make them more inclined to do so. If the employee-generated content at your company is low (or completely non-existent), there are a few things you can do to boost participation and morale around the office.
At your next company event or outing, suggest taking a group photo. This doesn’t have to be super formal – the more fun, the better! Take advantage of holidays and other special days throughout the year as photo opportunities. If staff members take it upon themselves to post these photos on their own social media accounts and tag the company, that’s just an added bonus.
To take it one step further, consider offering incentives for employees to repost these photos to their personal social media accounts. For example, run a little contest to see which employee can generate the most likes on a fun company photo. The winner gets free lunch, a gift card, or another small appreciative gesture. It’s a win-win!
Provide A Behind The Scenes Look At Your Brand
Aside from great customer service and quality products, there is nothing consumers love more than getting the inside scoop on their favorite brands, companies, and businesses. Offering a behind-the-scenes look into what your team is up to is exciting for your social media followers, and gives them an exclusive peek into your company culture.
Behind the Scenes Photo Opps that Capture Company Culture:
- Office yoga
- In-house celebrations
- Finishing a big project
- Employee promotions
- Team outings
- Lunch & Learns
Walk The Two-Way Street of Social Media Marketing
With all this talk about positive company culture, perhaps one of the most effective social media marketing is to engage, and not ignore. Your Instagram and Facebook posts are generating likes, comments, and conversations. Awesome – mission accomplished! However, you’d be missing a huge marketing opportunity by ignoring the comments on your social media posts. The beauty of social media is the idea that it provides a 24/7 platform for business-to-consumer interaction. Let your followers know that you notice and appreciate them and their feedback by responding to their comments and messages.
Not only does this type of engagement provide your company with a world of marketing opportunities, but it is yet another way to showcase your dynamite company culture. It proves that your staff is reactive and attentive. It confirms that your clients and customers are important to you, and considered part of your company’s family. It gives your business a personal, intimate feel, rather than a stuffy corporate vibe. Part of fostering positive company culture is transmitting those values into your interactions with potential customers, even if those interactions are digital at first.
The Importance of Exhibiting Your Company Culture Through Social Media
By showing current and potential clients that your business model is based around positivity, encouragement, and treating your customers and employees right, your company is far more likely to succeed in the future. Give industry professionals a reason to want to become a player on your team. Give consumers a reason to trust your company with their business, and make them want to maintain their relationship with you.
Looking for some guidance when it comes to your company’s social media marketing strategy? Contact our team today to find the plan that’s right for your business!
