Ever wonder why some brands have “fans,” not just customers? A lot of times it comes down to your company culture.
Today’s consumers and job seekers are more discerning than ever. They want to work with humans and to be treated as more than consumers and numbers on a page. They’re seeking brands and employers that align with their values, not just products and services.
One of the best ways to showcase and build that company culture over time is via your owned social media channels. By investing in and showcasing your company culture across social media, you can build an engaged audience based on shared values and connection.
The Benefits of Showcasing Company Culture on Social Media
More than 34% of small-to-medium sized businesses say that posting on social media is one of their most time-consuming tasks. As such, it’s easy to put off or avoid.
However, in doing so, you miss a huge chance to showcase what your company is all about — going beyond products and services to building real connections and driving loyalty among customers and employees.
Build Relationships & Connections
In today’s crowded marketplace, it’s about more than products, services, and deliverables. It’s about connection.
We build connections with friends and colleagues in real life through interactions and relatable experiences. Social media can help you do that with your customers by providing an online space to showcase the team members, values, and experiences that make your company great.
“Social media’s direction has shifted to be more humanized and personable,” said Crystarra Tuchscherer, Social Media Specialist at E-Power Marketing. “People want to interact with other humans rather than read a graphic. Showcasing your team and company cultures allows your audience to make deeper connections.”
Enhance Engagement & Loyalty
Once you’ve built those relationships, you start to foster an engaged, loyal community that actually cares about your business, products, and company mission.
“The deeper the connections, the easier it is to form a community on social,” Crystarra said. “Community is key to creating brand loyalty. When your customers feel a personal connection to the people behind the company, their loyalty to your company grows. Brand loyalty leads to more word of mouth awareness and, most importantly, conversions.”
Attract & Retain Top Talent
In addition to building a loyal community of customers, social media is the new resume for companies. It’s key to helping you attract the best and brightest.
According to Glassdoor, “65% of Millennials consider company culture before salary when it comes to job satisfaction.”
Therefore, showcasing company culture through behind-the-scenes content, employee stories, and company achievements on social media can have a direct impact on hiring. These posts show potential hires what it’s like to be part of your team before they ever even interview.
How We Showcase Company Culture for E-Power & Our Clients
When it comes to showcasing your company culture across social media, we focus on authentic storytelling centered around the people and values that are important to us as an agency or the clients we’re representing.
Authentic Storytelling
At E-Power we focus on telling real stories, from triumphs to challenges. Employee spotlights, day-in-the-life videos, and team-building activities are central to our social strategies and campaigns both internally and for our clients.
A recent example of how we put authentic storytelling into action was our E-Power office Olympics series. We used a timely trend to showcase our growing team, camaraderie, and sense of humor.
“We’ve grown in size quite a bit from when I started — doubled in fact — so I wanted to create something that showcased our growing team’s personalities,” Crystarra said. “Since the Olympics were coming up, it felt natural to do an office Olympics. Kind of a two-birds, one stone type of deal.”
Bringing the concept to life, Crystarra tapped into our team’s competitive spirit and love of reality television — a frequent topic of conversation in the office and on Slack — with multiple “episodes” sharing behind-the-scenes interviews.
“Our team loves watching reality tv shows such as Love is Blind and I thought it would be a fun way to show the events,” she said. “It worked out way better than I expected in terms of creating the videos because we had our team telling the story.”
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Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses
From candid office moments to equipment demos, behind-the-scenes moments are a great way to give a peek into your daily operations and processes.
“Sometimes we are too close to our industry to recognize how interesting it can be,” Crystarra said. “Showing behind-the-scenes photos and videos gives a glimpse into your company. It can show why you do things a certain way and the people who are doing the work.”
For example, one of our clients in the aviation industry focuses on their family-like approach and dedicated team. What better way to showcase that than seeing the CEO getting directly involved with a project?
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Or check out this time lapse video of all the amazing exhibitors getting set up for The Inspired Home Show in Chicago. Seeing how an event like that comes together builds excitement and gives attendees, exhibitors, and the industry at large a new appreciation for all those involved in the planning and set-up process.
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Community Involvement & Social Responsibility
More than just words on a page, people actually want to see how you’re putting your company values into action. You can do this by highlighting what’s most important to you — be it community involvement, sustainability efforts, or partnerships — across your social platforms.
At E-Power, we’re big on supporting local businesses in the Oshkosh community we call home. With many of our team members graduating from UW Oshkosh, we also work to support the next generation of Titans. As a core part of who we are, you’ll often see local and community-focused posts across our social channels.
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Celebrating Success and Milestones
We always encourage sharing wins—big and small—with your audience to keep them engaged and invested in your journey. Whether it’s awards, client testimonials, and company or team members and anniversaries, give opportunities for your community to celebrate alongside you.
“Just acknowledging what’s going on with individuals in your company helps showcase your culture,” Crystarra said. “It tells everyone you care about all the individuals.”
Practical Tips for Showcasing Your Culture on Social Media
Want to up your game on social and really show off what makes your company great? Crystarra has some tips to get you started.
Be Authentic, Not Perfect
Authenticity trumps overly polished on social. Don’t be afraid to show the messy and the real.
“Social media users can smell when something is inauthentic and it can lead to adverse reactions,” Crystarra said. “Stay true to your brand. Don’t do the silly dance if it doesn’t match up with your team.”
Keep Quality in Mind
While you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on professional video shoots every time you want to post a video, there are some general quality guidelines to keep in mind.
- Make sure to have good lighting and that there are no shadows covering someone’s face.
- Clean off your camera lens.
- Check your phone camera settings to make sure you’re shooting in 4K.
- Consider investing in an affordable microphone to pick up your audio, especially when filming in a noisy area (like a manufacturing facility or gym).
Engage with Your Audience
When it comes to building a community around your brand, engagement is key. Don’t just talk at your audience, talk with them.
Utilize the different platform features and respond to comments, questions, and messages to build a community around your brand.
“Polls on Instagram stories or Linkedin posts are great ways to show off your company culture,” Star said. “They allow people to feel like they’re a part of your team in a fun way.”
Use the Right Platforms
Choose the platforms that best suit your company’s voice and audience and tailor the messaging as needed.
For example, LinkedIn is great for spotlighting your employees, company achievements, and processes and showing the human side of your business. The personal stories your employees share on LinkedIn shine a light on your company culture and values. Instagram is a great channel to showcase your brand through visual storytelling and share fun and trendy content..
“We’re always mindful about where we put specific pieces of content,” Crystarra said. “If we put something a little more niche and trendy on Facebook it might not hit the way it would on Instagram.”
Experiment
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to showcasing your company culture on social media. Whether it’s an office Olympics series or a simple employee appreciation post, it can take some time to figure out what works best for your brand and your audience.
“You don’t know what will do well unless you post it,” Crystarra said. “Videos of all outtakes have done well and polished videos can also do well. Find your balance through trial and error.”
Start Showcasing Your Culture Today
Ready to build a social media strategy or find creative ways to showcase your company culture online? We can help! Contact our team of marketing experts today to get started.
