Are employees an untapped resource for companies that want to broaden their outreach and boost the trust factor?
Yes, yes, and yes again. So says Taylor Hatch, a content writer for Utah’s leading digital marketing firm Fusion360.
“It isn’t just about ads in the newspaper or a giant billboard near the side of I-15,” Hatch writes. “The market has grown and information is available digitally with just the click of a button. The digital word of social networks has created an amazing marketing tool for Utah businesses. Now you can create a small ad, or post a link, or answer customers’ questions over social networks in just a matter of seconds.”
Of course, what Hatch asserts about businesses in Utah applies to businesses everywhere.
“Businesses use digital marketing to help their companies grow and get their names out there,” Hatch says. “One thing .. businesses might forget is that they have employees who have their own personal accounts.”
Hatch mentions that most forward-looking companies have entered the world of digital marketing. They have Facebook pages, Twitter profiles, a Pinterest presence, and accounts on LinkedIn and Instagram.
But so do the company’s employees — and they, according to the writer — might just be the most believable spokespeople in the marketing matrix.
Hatch quotes a Business News Daily story that asserts that “If your staff isn’t using their profiles – particularly LinkedIn and Twitter – as branding tools for your company, you may be missing out on a big marketing opportunity. Your business needs to have a face, and people trust faces they know — more often your employees than your logo.”
Three keys to social media standing from Business News Daily are also included in Hatch’s essay:
- Create high quality profiles. High quality profiles present the business in the most favorable light, show consistency in intent and language, and make good use of photos and graphics.
- Build a relevant network. Relevance matters more than network size. Employees should be encouraged to connect with customers, partners, and prospects they really know.
- Engage connections with valuable content. Share interesting and timely news stories, blog posts, videos, journal reports, white papers, and other items of interest to customers and prospective customers.
To read the essay in its entirety, click here.
