The development of advanced technology has made each business field more competitive in the last 10 years. Businesses now have the chance to advertise in different ways. More precisely, a lot of them use social media marketing as a tool to reach their potential customers.
Have in mind that using only SMM for your business won’t make you better than your competition. Everyone can use social media and the Internet, right? One of the tactics that will put you step ahead of competitors is – working on a personal brand of your employees.
It doesn’t matter how big your business is. The difference between employees in different positions must not exist. First of all, they will not be motivated enough if the “rules” are not the same for all. Besides that, each employee equally represents your company.
How to Improve your Employees’ Personal Branding
Various ways can help you improve the personal branding of your employees.
1. Teach Them How to Use Social Media
It is hard to believe that your employees do not have at least one account on social media, and in most cases, they have a workplace mentioned.
People use social media mostly for entertainment and don’t put too much thought on who will read it and why. This is not exactly your job to monitor as their employer, but you could help them realise the benefits. Social media is a great tool for self-promotion, and you should motivate them to use those channels and spread their opinions in specialised Facebook groups related to your niche.
If they are programmers, suggest them to publish tutorials on YouTube, or help answering questions on forums, websites such as Stack Overflow, and share them on their social media profiles.
Each platform has its advantages. However, we suggest LinkedIn because it is well-known as a specialized “business social media platform”.
You can also boost their online presence by sharing their posts directly on the company’s page or on official social media profiles. When a person wants to research your company, they will first start from your website and social media. If they see that your employees are experts in their field, they will want to collaborate with you.
2. Promote Your Employees through Email Newsletter
Well, this is only possible if you use this method of advertising. When you send out a newsletter, mention your employees as well. For example, you can add a link to their profile on LinkedIn and showcase some of their work.
You can even let them write the content for that newsletter. Of course, their writing skills may not be high-quality because it’s not their expertise. Yet, you can always offer them some sort of education that will improve those skills as well. Besides, you can always hire a content writer that will collaborate with the employees.
3. Let Them Share Blog Posts under Their Name on Company’s Website
As we said, some type of education is necessary. They already have the knowledge and skills for a certain subject. Writing high-quality blog posts shouldn’t be much of a problem, especially if you can outsource an editor that will keep things in check.
There is no reason that your employees are ghost-writers. Highlight that they are the authors of a certain blog post. Sooner or later, people will start to remember them and recognise their work.
Benefits of Personal Branding of Your Employees
Every entrepreneur knows how tough the business world can be. There are many things that you need to take care of when setting up a company. You can use different methods of work that will bring various benefits.
1. Better Reach to Potential Customers
As we said, a good presence on social media can be encouraged. They may mention your company in their bio. If their posts are engaging, their posts may become shareable. Most people will check their profile and they will notice your company as well.
2. Personal Satisfaction and Motivation
A trusty relationship between employer and employees needs to exist. Giving them enough space to personally promote their skills through your company improves that relationship. They will feel like they are completely involved in the business processes of the company.
That will motivate them to work harder. Their only goal to be effective won’t be a higher salary. This time, they will have a lot more reasons to give 100% of their effort.
3. Improve “Word-of-Mouth” Promotion
Even today, when we live in a world of social media, word-of-mouth is the most important aspect of marketing. People do not want to collaborate with companies with a bad reputation.
When your employees truly feel delighted to work at your company, they will share their positive impression with people online and offline. That won’t just improve your reputation among potential users. It will also attract new employees that possess high-quality skills.
4. Bigger Chances for Signing Better Contracts
Finally, let’s mix all the benefits that are previously mentioned. All those things open doors to new business opportunities. Other businesses will notice your company through your employees. If we add the company’s good reputation on top of that, then you won’t have to worry about finding new partners. More precisely, they will find you to work on complex (and profitable) projects.
Conclusion
All workers must be equal in a company. Their salaries and roles may be different, however, that is the only difference that should exist. They all deserve an equal opportunity to show the skills they have.
Invest a lot of effort to improve the communication and writing skills of your employees. First of all, it will show that you care. Besides, your company will benefit from having experts that know how to share their knowledge with the world.
By showing trust, you’ll build relationships based on trust and understanding, and that sometimes means more than a higher salary.
Have in mind – a higher salary is not the only thing that satisfies people.
Binh An Nguyen
Founder & CEO of Market Ease Business Promotions, Binh has worked with, and advised, some of the largest national campaigns and biggest brands in Australia and around the world, including Hyundai Motor Company Australia, Subaru Australia, Etihad Stadium, yd., Tarocash, Connor, Cartridge World Australia, and the Australian Federal Government.
