Why you should share behind the scenes content on social media
(5 - 6 minute read)
People buy from people.
“If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” — Zig Ziglar
The people and processes behind your product/service are valuable assets that many businesses are not using to their advantage. While there are probably lots of businesses out there offering similar services to yours, you are what makes your business unique.
Providing high quality products or services isn’t an easy task—and it shouldn’t be, otherwise everyone would be doing it. But, if it’s worth doing, shouldn’t there be more to the story than simply the end result?
In recent years—predominantly thanks to the growth of social media—businesses have become a lot more transparent with their audiences. Consumers can frequently witness the inner workings of their favourite brands, which encourages a sense of community. Documenting the behind the scenes happenings shows customers that your business is not static, it’s a journey and opening up invites them to come on that journey with you.
If you’re still feeling slightly wary about opening up to your audience, here’s why you should be using behind the scenes content:
Build trust
In a world of misinformation, fake news and fraud it’s refreshing to come across an organisation that’s completely open and honest. Trust doesn’t come easily for businesses but transparency online is a very good place to start.
If you’re selling a product, you’re either competing on price or quality. If you’re competing on price there’s generally not a huge amount that can be said about your process as it typically won’t add value or change your customer’s mind. However, if you’re competing on quality, your process is an important part of your brand.
If you’re selling a wooden table that’s similar to that of a competitor—it looks and feels almost the same—how do you explain to your customers that yours is the better choice?
You show them your process.
You show them that you source your wood sustainably, that the craftsmen who build your products are local and therefore your business brings jobs back to the local community, you tell them why you made certain decisions in order to make this the best table they will ever buy, you show them all of the little things that make your table YOUR table.
You show them that they can trust you to make the right decisions on their behalf.
Those that appreciate the values behind your craftsmanship will make the right choice and they are the customers you want for your business. They are the customers that will come back time and time again, the customers that will tell their friends and the customers that will share your brand on social media.
If you’re a serviced based company, you are selling your process. So, why hide what you’re selling?
When customers ask, ‘how does it work?’ or ‘how has this worked in the past for other clients?’ you should be able to confidently tell them the answers. Your confident, transparent answers help to build trust as your potential client gains a deeper understanding of what they’re purchasing.
Justification of cost
Take the restaurant industry as an example. We’ve heard people say, ‘I can get a pizza for less than £10 at the supermarket’ when sat in front of a menu that says a pizza is £18. Yes, you could buy a pizza at the supermarket for less, but who’s going to cook it for you? Who’s going to clear up afterwards? Who’s going to offer you drinks during your meal and ask if there’s anything else you need?
All of the fundamental parts of a business should be talked about in order to justify your cost in a way that is relatable to your audience. It’s important that your guests appreciate what you do, you shouldn’t be trying to reduce costs you should be showing them why paying more is a good thing.
Whether you’re a restaurant, a business consultant or a commercial cleaning company, your process is what your customers are paying you for. It’s the fact that the pizzas are handmade by your chefs, fresh every day, it’s the in depth research you do for each of your clients so you can really understand their industry and it’s the way you treat your cleaning staff that in turn makes them a joy to be around.
Why should someone pay more for what you do?
Forgiveness
We all get frustrated when businesses slip up, especially when it’s large, faceless companies that we feel don’t care about us at all. We’re living in a world of next day delivery, digital ordering in restaurants and cashless payments, and although these things generally help to improve the current system, there is always room for occasional technological or human error.
Being honest about the way you work—talking about the error prevention systems you’re putting in place and the way you deal with problems when they do happen —shows your audience that you’re human and you’re doing everything you can to avoid disappointing them.
A level of forgiveness also allows you to trial new things with a level of understanding if they don’t work. Your audience are more likely to understand that something didn’t work if they already know your reason for giving it a go.
Exclusivity
We all enjoy hearing about how our favourite films were made, the special effects that were used, how the actors got the roles and where certain scenes were filmed. Understanding the director’s passion and unique approach adds an extra element to the film that makes watching it an even better experience. Knowing these little ‘unknown’ facts makes us feel an extra sense of inclusion.
In marketing, this is known as exclusivity.
How to share behind the scenes content:
Think about your audience and what they care about most — If you’re a clothing company, your customers want to know what they’re buying is going to last, if you’re an accountant they want to know you’re going to save them money, and if you’re a restaurant they want to know they’re eating good quality food.
What do your customers want to be reassured of when interacting with your business? — Work out where your potential customers spend their time when they’re not interacting with your business. Simply marketing to them once they’re looking for a service could mean they come across a competitor first. Building trust before they’re ready to buy means they’re likely to come to you first when they are ready.
What makes your process different — Showcasing your process and the inner workings of your business increases trust but it doesn’t necessarily set you apart if competitors are doing the same. What is it about your process that’s unique and how can you communicate that?
Don’t make it up: This may seem obvious but there are a lot of companies out there that talk about their culture, their process, their team and their products in a way that lures customers into trusting them only to have their trust broken further down the line. If you have problems within your organisation try to get those resolved before you start opening up to your audience. If you are aware of these problems, your journey to solve them is a great story to tell so be honest and take your audience on that journey with you.
Highlight your people — As we said at the beginning, people buy from people. If there are people in your business that are happy to be in photographs, write blogs, make videos, make the most of it! Your people are your business, be proud of them.
What to share:
Candid photography — Photographs don’t have to be cheesy selfies, hire a photographer to capture you and your team going about your day to day work. This is much more realistic and your audience will appreciate that.
Video — If you make something unique, make a video about WHY it’s unique and WHY you’re the right choice. This can be incredible informative and emotive when done well. This is a great example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=93&v=ZUG9qYTJMsI
Employee ambassador programs — If you’ve built a great company culture it’s likely your employees happily tell their friends about how much they love their work, why not ask them to share with your audience to?
Sneak peaks — If you’ve got a new product coming out or you’ve been working on an exciting project, share a sneak preview with your audience to get them excited for the big release.
Out of office — Does your team take part in fundraising activities? Do you go to industry events? Do you go on team adventures? All of these things helps to add a human element to your brand.
In a world of automation and technology, the brands that can be most human will ultimately win.
Are you ready to show the world who you really are? If you’re ready to show your human side but not sure how to go about it, let us know how we can help you tell your story.
