Written by Ali Grant, founder, Be Social
We’re moving away from faceless organizations. Customers want to know who is behind the company, their story, and their values. Social media is the perfect opportunity to control the narrative and produce content to reach prospective clients. However, maintaining a social media presence takes time… time a founder might not have. Trust me, I get it. It’s the last thing I want to think about when I am trying to keep an entire company together, hit revenue targets, and continue evolving. As a CEO looking to grow your company’s reach, revenue, and footprint, a social media presence might just be the solution for customer acquisition. It’s a way to share your story, your point of view, and your company’s profile without relying on media outlets or other mediums you don’t control.
Jaclyn Johnson, Founder, Create & Cultivate
Here are a few tips and tricks to step into your role as a content creator to help build your company and personal brand:
1. Selfies aren’t required. If posting photos on Instagram isn’t your thing, platforms like LinkedIn provide publishing opportunities based solely on text giving you the ability to control the storyline around your company. You can easily share your thought leadership through relevant articles, quotes, and questions. LinkedIn’s new creator features allow you to grow an audience and highlight content on your profile.
2. Your content doesn’t have to be all business. As founders, we spend our work days in mostly unglamorous ways… behind a screen or on calls. But luckily, you don’t have to just post about business topics. In fact, sharing more personal aspects of your life can allow customers to connect on a more human level. Share your hobbies, a day in the life, your ideas and insights… maybe even a pet photo here and there.
3. Share your expertise. You’re in your shoes for a reason… you’ve got to be really good at your trade. Share your valuable experience. While the goal may be to build an audience of customers, there’s also value in building a following of those who respect and admire what you have built. Share content that builds your credibility in your industry.
4. Use video! Reels and TikTok are a great way to grow an audience quickly. If you’re starting from zero followers, you can garner thousands of followers with a few viral videos.
5. Take advantage of your bio. Write a quick blurb about yourself, tag your company and give your potential followers a glimpse into what type of content you produce. It’s the elevator pitch to what your content will be about, make it pop!
6. You don’t have to be a pro! Video editing apps are available right on your iPhone. You certainly do not need to know how to use Final Cut to create a few TikToks or Reels… try apps like InShot, Canva or Splice to edit videos in minutes.
