Katy French October 9, 2020 Most brands use social media to showcase their products and services, which makes sense. But social media can do so much more to bring your brand to life. These platforms are all about people connecting to people, so why not use them to show people who you are? Through culture marketing, you can spotlight your people, celebrations, jokes, and behind-the-scenes fun—and attract the people who will become your true lifelong fans.
How to Do Culture Marketing on Social
From LinkedIn and Twitter to Instagram and Facebook, we see brands posting culture marketing everywhere. But the truth is not everyone does a great job.
A blurry photo snapped at a company lunch? Boring. A rainbow logo for Pride month? Basic. Remember: Good culture marketing is about connection.
How can you stand out? Get creative. Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite IRL examples of culture marketing on social media, along with tips to help you do it yourself.
Whether you’re looking to educate, entertain, or inspire your followers, we hope you find some helpful ideas here.
1) Use culture marketing to show off your lighter side.
Nobody wants to support a faceless, nameless, boring brand. They want to engage with lively brands full of people with personality. Thus, creating humorous content can be a powerful way to attract the right people (as long as it’s appropriate).
Don’t be afraid to show off your lighter side, whether it’s funny things overheard in the office, pranks, or jokes.
Example: The team at Petsmart takes this to the extreme with a ridiculous video of a potential new coworker.
2) Share company announcements.
Let’s be real: In the world of content, company announcements are usually at the bottom of the totem pole. They’re often boring, dry, and irrelevant to anyone but the people inside your company, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Social media is a great channel to broadcast what’s happening inside your company—with a creative twist.
Example: When Expedia announced their new CEO and CFO, they didn’t do it with a lengthy press release. Instead, they treated their new team members as draft picks, highlighting their career highlights and records. This was a clever way to make the news interesting and exciting.
3) Invite people to join in on your fun.
Culture marketing is especially powerful when it makes people feel like they’re part of your team. Look for opportunities to include your followers in your activities, whether that’s asking them to caption a photo, do a challenge, or vote on a new product idea.
Example: Since our team works remotely, we have a weekly company-wide meeting to learn, connect, hang, and have a little fun. One week we recruited designer Jenny Famularcano to create a coloring sheet for us, inspired by one of our core values. When we shared the results of our group-coloring exercise on social, we also offered the coloring sheet as a free download. This encouraged people to join in on the fun—and gave our followers an excuse to take a creative break.
5) Ask or answer questions.
Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are all great places to interact with people—often because of their built-in tools. Whether you use a Twitter poll to start a conversation or hop on Facebook Live to field questions about your brand, encouraging dialogue is a great way to demonstrate that you’re open and eager to interact with people.
Example: SAP recruiters held a YouTube Live Q&A to chat about all things SAP: what it’s like to work there, dos and don’ts of reaching out to recruiters, etc. This was a great way to speak directly to prospective employees and give them super valuable information that is often kept behind closed doors.
6) Highlight your perks and benefits.
The perks you provide say a lot about your culture, so they are often a great source of content. Of course, there’s a skeezy way to do this, and there’s a natural way. Your job isn’t to brag; it’s to celebrate the unique ways you care for your people and bond with them.
Example: To help their employees live a more active lifestyle, Sky Communications has its own on-site gym—complete with its own Instagram, where trainers offer quick workout tips and exercises. This is a smart way to demonstrate a company benefit while welcoming their followers to join in.
7) Show your work.
Yes, much of culture marketing is about people. But it’s also about work that drives you, excites you, and inspires you. Share your passions and excitement by showing people what goes into your work. Whether it’s a glimpse into R&D, an employee spotlight, or a tour of your new warehouse, these things can help you connect your work and culture.
Example: NASA JPL uses behind-the-scenes Instagram featurettes to show people the fascinating stuff they do—and the interesting people who do it.
How to Promote Your Culture Marketing
Every brand approaches culture marketing in its own way. There isn’t one specific way to do it, and things may be influenced by your company size or resources. But there are a few things you can do to make it social culture marketing easier for your team—and more enjoyable for the people you’re trying to reach.
- Create a culture-specific account. Some brands prefer to create separate accounts for their business and for their culture marketing. Using “life at” is a popular way to customize your account. You’ll see examples of this across platforms, such as @LifeatGoogle, @LifeatHulu, and @LifeatDell. This can help you build a specific presence (especially if you want to grow your employer brand) and help you create community among prospective employees, current employees, etc.
- Use a hashtag. If you don’t create a separate account, a culture-specific hashtag is a great way to promote your brand, encourage employees to create content, and keep track of it all. For example, T-Mobile uses the #TeamMagenta hashtag on social platforms.
- Focus on value. Sure, behind-the-scenes photos are fun, but try to add more context or color to your posts whenever possible to make it interesting. For example, if you’re posting a pic of the keynote speaker at a conference, include the most interesting tidbit from their speech as well.
- Give people a next step. In addition to social, you can encourage followers to visit your site, apply for a job, or keep tabs with you elsewhere. The more you nurture the relationship, the stronger your connection will be.
Example: Gallup encourages people to sign up for a monthly newsletter that offers a behind-the-scenes look at their workplace culture.
Interested in what it’s like to work at Gallup? https://t.co/eJZpbMRzJP #lifeatgallup pic.twitter.com/B7yY8G43ss
— Life at Gallup (@LifeatGallup) September 4, 2020
Most importantly, when you approach your culture marketing, make sure it is aligned to your overall content strategy.
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