Dear Metter,
My business has a great social media presence. We have over 7,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and our customers regularly engage with our content. Our staff is a different story. I’d love to get them more involved with our social channels, but they just don’t care. How do I get my staff involved in my business’ social media?
— Tired business owner
Tired business owner,
Sounds like you’ve got a great foundation for your business on social media — props on the great following! It’s tough to get your staff invested in your social channels, especially when they don’t personally care much for social media. But it’s important that they do, and even more important that they’re involved. Here are some tips:
Offer rewards
You probably know by now that the best way to get your staff to do something they might not love is to incentivize it! Some of our clients like to offer rewards to their staff for their involvement — for example, run an ugly Christmas sweater contest on Facebook and give a $20 Dunkin’ Donuts card to the winner! Your staff will enjoy the activity, and your audience will love the content. Win/win!
Train your staff in social
Sometimes, the reason your staff won’t engage on social is because they simply don’t know where to start. We love having teamwide meetings with our clients to show the staff how social media works and how they can help. We’ve seen firsthand the impact this makes, and the teams are always prepped with great and thoughtful questions.
Amplification emails
Company-branded messages reach 561% further when shared by employees instead of through branded channels. But if your staff isn’t seeing your business’ social media posts, they can’t engage. The best trick for this is to make it easy! There are plenty of employee advocacy tools out there, but the easiest way to get your staff to see your social posts is to send them directly. This doesn’t mean you have to send 3 emails a day if you’re posting multiple times — pick the best post of the week and send it out every Thursday. It’s a great highlight to land in your employees’ inboxes, and you’ll see an immediate impact on employee engagement.
Include staff in your posts
Sure, your staff cares about your company and the product or service you offer, but do you know what your staff cares about more? Your STAFF. Incorporate them into your content plan, from staff spotlights to team photos to a video of the office dog. Showcasing the faces behind your brand is just as important as the brand itself, and your team will interact more with the content that resonates with them.
Head to the Metter Media Instagram feed to see how we do this. You’ll see our staff engaging, and maybe get some good #inspo for your business!
Have a question about social media? Ask us here. [LINK TO A FORM? EMAIL ADDRESS?]
Metter Media LLC is a Boston-based social media management company that implements community-based, localized social engagement strategies for small businesses and corporations alike. Need help with your social media? Email Lauren today.
