Every smart small business knows that their employees are the major reason for their success. Getting the word out about your company through your SEO and social media marketing strategies has been extremely effective but you, the small business owner, have a secret weapon that you may have yet to tap into. That weapon? Your employees social media networks.
Who better knows your company and its products or services? Who can be the best champions of your company? Your employees, of course. Already, major companies like Cisco, and many others, have been experimenting with using their employees social media networks as a major part of their overall marketing efforts. And, it has been working. It has become a secret weapon that, along with your regular SEO marketing mix, gives a company that added brand awareness that is hard to compete with.
The key to the success of this strategy is trust. When someone ventures out to tell their network that their company is the best, there is that established trust already in place. Being told about their company from them, rather than a spokesperson, or the CEO, lends an air of credibility that is unmatched. There have been challenges with this approach, however. There have been several cases of extremely disgruntled employees who have gone off on social media and created a public relations disaster or two. You need to know your people and you need to know how they might react to being a part of the company’s SEO marketing effort.
In addition, integrating your employees, and their experiences, into your social media marketing can have a positive affect on your following, your traffic, and your conversions. Don’t be afraid to feature them in your video content as well as your social media marketing content. It brings potential customers closer to you and your company. It builds both brand awareness and trust. If they like you, they will trust you. If they trust you, you will have achieved the marketing victory that you work so hard every day to accomplish.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
