Scenario: You walk into a cafe with a friend. The cafe is new, very trendy (we’re talking $5 lattes). You ask your friend how they heard about the cafe and they respond, “oh, I saw their barista on Instagram write Beyonce lyrics with the foam in the lattes!”
I know that the magical Beyonce cafe is too good to be true, but the scenario isn’t. How many times have you gone to a specific hair salon because you’ve seen the Instagram of one of their stylists? People are finding businesses online and, more than ever, they want to know about the products they are purchasing, down to the nitty-gritty details.
They want to know that their dollars are supporting businesses that align with their lifestyle. Even deeper than the history and breakdown of the product, they want to know about you and your team. Your employees are no longer just employees, they are an integral part of your brand and the professional development of your employees should be a huge focus of your business.
If you’re thinking “this doesn’t apply to my industry”, you’re probably wrong. From restaurants to boutiques to tattoo shops, customers are interested in the staff that makes your business successful.
Encourage your employees to blossom like Jorge Bendersky, celebrity dog groomer. Owner of Planet Jorge in New York City, he takes his personal brand very seriously. Through his personal Instagram account, he extends the reach of his business’ values and connects and engages with potential customers. Scroll through his Instagram and you’ll feel like you know him, relate to him and envy him.
At first, this can seem intimidating and you may be hesitant to integrate this tactic into your overall social media strategy. I assure you, it’s not so bad. Here’s how to tackle it:
Do Well
Encouraging your employees to perform well is not enough. Of course, when employees perform well your business succeeds, but we need to take this to the next level. Team members need to be given the tools, time and freedom to develop their creative ideas and perform their best work. I hope you selected your team because you think they’re talented, creative and inspiring. Give them room to be these things without super rigid limitations (AKA stop micro-managing).
Buffer does a wonderful job of leveraging their employees’ personal career development. From looking at Darcy Peters’ Twitter feed, you get a refreshing mix of her personal brand & Buffer’s. It’s not all business. It’s not all play. Darcy is a very talented and intelligent human and people want to connect with her.
Encourage Engagement
Engagement is essential. I mean, that’s probably why you’re here reading this blog, right? We all want people to engage with our business and spend their hard earned dollars, and a lot of them, with us. Unfortunately for your small business, people don’t respond well to overly promotional posts about your summer sale. Showing your audience essentially why you hired your employees allows them to become invested as well. Getting an engaged audience for your team empowers them to continue working hard to produce high-quality work. It’s really a win-win.
But, why should people care about your employees? Social media channels sure are over-saturated with professionals and businesses promoting themselves. Organizations still figure out a way to warm the hearts and delight the minds of their audience by:
- Figuring out what they do and why (probably part of a larger branding discussion).
- Figuring out the unique characteristics and skills that make their team so great
- Doing the damn thing.
Buffalo boutique, Sunshine + Bluebirds highlights their star players by showcasing their staff’s favorite items and personal style.
As always, there will definitely be trial and error. When you do try, please share with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we’d love to see!