We all know the importance of consistency in branding. Your voice should reflect in every aspect of your social media content—from your posts and responses, to linked articles. That’s how you show your audience who you are and what you value.
That’s not all, though. There’s a whole world of other content you can use to connect with your audience and communicate your personality. Introducing, behind-the-scenes content.
We invited social media consultant and founder of Lollipop Social, Nicole Osbourne, to tell us a bit about using behind-the-scenes (referred to as BTS in this post) content in social media marketing.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Topic: Boosting Your Brand with Behind-The-Scenes Content
Guest: Nicole Osbourne
Format: Eight questions directed to the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
It’s content that you don’t polish (too much, at least). Behind-the-scenes content is showing your followers what’s happening behind the brand they love like the culture, management, staff, and everyday workings of the business.
As Jake mentioned, it’s about showing the process, and not the product. It’s important to include behind-the-scenes content in your social posts because it gives you a chance to connect with your community on a personal level. It makes you relatable, approachable, and more human.
A1: Showing the process and not the product
Showing the hard work and fun that goes into making it. Showing the people who care.
It's a look into what life's like. The team and the people who make your product and brand who they are#TwitterSmarter
— Jake Symons (@jakeswrites) August 15, 2019
However, that doesn’t mean behind-the-scenes content is a spur-of-the-moment thing. Rather, as our guest said, it’s a powerful medium of marketing. Because your behind-the-scenes content is unique, it naturally brings out your speciality, attracting an ideal customer base. Plus, since you’re already publishing behind-the-scenes content, newer customers will feel more comfortable approaching you, either on social media or otherwise, about concerns and feedback. It’s an excellent way to build a lasting rapport with customers.
A1: Powerful marketing content that is unique to you, offers your audience an insight into your world and helps you build a lasting rapport with your ideal customers so that they can fall in love with you and your offering over time. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/itqW4z6flJ
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
In a brilliant example, Joana pointed out how much Instagram and Snapchat have impacted behind-the-scenes content. Thanks to Stories, people can now flip out their phone at any time and have a conversation with their audience—human-to-human.
a1 IMHO, ig stories brought an opportunity to explore the BTS content, because you can make small videos of your everyday life not worrying too much about the production issues. (of course, we have to thank snapchat for this) #twittersmarter
— Joana Rita Sousa ? ?? (@JoanaRSSousa) August 15, 2019
A2/1: We all know the marketing cliche ‘people buy from people’. But I believe it needs updating… People don’t buy from people, they buy from people they TRUST! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/yIlsrGVAtX
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
As a consumer, it’s always nice to know who you’re buying from. That’s why most of us prefer to shop from farmers markets and small businesses—because we get to connect with them, chat, and build relationships. That’s how we develop trust in a business. Sharing behind-the-scenes content is a way to showcase transparency and help your audience trust you.
A2/2: Sharing content from your day to day working or even personal life is a great way to show people who you really are and build trust in your audience.#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/BJeCqkd7hW
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Even if not right away, these relationships let your audience know you, and that you’re available to help out when they need you. The trust, as Nicole said, is an essential investment to establishing recall value.
As Matt also mentioned, unlike sales and other marketing material that need vigorous editing and refining, behind-the-scenes content is a raw way of telling people who you are and what you do. It’s easy social proof.
A2. Because, it’s real, it’s authentic. It’s not marketing/promotion, it’s essentially the element of social proof that you are who you say you are and you do what you say you do. It’s easier for people to relate to instead of polished sales material. #twittersmarter https://t.co/w4Dj1LCreN
— Matt Jackson – In the Business of being Social (@Socially_M) August 15, 2019
Need more reasons to share behind-the-scenes content? To
Of course, it’s the fear of being vulnerable in front of a generally-unforgiving online audience.
A3/1: We struggle with selling ourselves. Hiding away as a business owner is no longer an option! Our audience wants to get to know us – so we REALLY need to overcome this fear. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/d9Q5qMv9Ld
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
That’s not all, however. Nicole was right—some of us are genuinely bad at selling ourselves. Aside from the fear of the spotlight, some people struggle with finding the right way to promote themselves, or saying the relatable things.
Some think their work will speak for them and they don’t have to trumpet themselves. Though that’s true to some extent, you won’t get anywhere without a gentle self-promotional nudge. That’s why behind-the-scenes content is so effective—it’s an easy way to talk about yourself without being boring.
A3/3 Our need to be perfect stops us from posting anything that showcases our behind-the-scenes. But remember, people are not looking for hollywood style production values. We relate more to people who've faced real struggles in their journey & have overcome them#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/aiSHAFYDx0
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Another reason people hesitate is because they don’t think their behind-the-scenes content is good enough to go live. But your audience isn’t looking for perfection—they’re looking for sincerity. Show the bad hair days, meetings-taking-over-meals days, coffee spills, and everything that shows you’re just another human with struggles.
Our friends at WP Business Reviews shared some excellent reasons as well. A lot of businesses are reluctant to share BTS content because of security reasons. True enough. You need to be aware of legal considerations before you post BTS content. For example, make sure you have explicit permission from everyone featured in your image or video and see that you’re not posting sensitive or confidential numbers.
Reasons behind-the-scenes content might not be shared:
*They don't know better
*Fear of "exposing" too much
*Lack of strategy
*Not being sure what to share
*The intern is running the account
*Using Twitter in a reactionary way instead of proactive/marketing#TwitterSmarter https://t.co/TLq1ohQsek— WP Business Reviews (@WPBizReviews) August 15, 2019
Quite often you also see brands employing interns or inexperienced marketers to handle their social media accounts. This happens when the brand isn’t aware of or concerned about the community that their social media can generate for them. They’re not using social as a channel to market and connect with customers, but instead, are using it just because everyone else is.
Some other reasons people don’t share BTS content:
Lastly, Gaby from Bentley University pointed out excellently: some businesses don’t share BTS because they don’t have a consistent message. Absolutely. When your voice and values don’t align with the content you share over time, you won’t be able to share any BTS content—because you don’t live as you preach.
A3.
1 of the biggest
reasons people might not
share behind-the-scenes content???There's a lack of consistency
in how they present their:??Purpose
??Message
??Story
??Voice
??Valuesand how they act day-to-day.
They fail to LIVE their brand. #TwitterSmarter— Bentley University (@bentleyu) August 15, 2019
Before you share anything, ask yourself one simple question: would you want your mother to see it? If not, then your customers wouldn’t want to see it either.
It’s important to be relatable and fun, but it’s equally important not to embarrass yourself by oversharing. As I said earlier, you can share coffee spills, but you wouldn’t want to share a video of you freaking out at how much work’s pending—that does far from assuring your audience that they’re in good hands.
A4/video ? #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/II0igPsotg
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Nicole’s advice is to balance the types of content you share. You can’t go wrong with sharing your expertise, because you’re comfortable discussing what you best know. Also include audience-generated content and BTS content that enhances the value of other material you share.
A4/2 Balance your content strategy:
?Sharing your own expertise
?Content from your network (your audience, existing customers and prospects, influencers) to help you engage
?B-T-S content that adds value, shows who you are and what you care about.#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/r40gXDSWMY— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Remember, the purpose of BTS content is to show a glimpse of your process. It’s not a step-by-step guide to your everyday life. That’s just boring. A good way to go about sharing BTS content is to define a goal for each piece. Like Mike suggested, know what you want your audience to take away from your content.
A4 Depends. Like any other content, your BTC content should be tied to a specific goal. The goal & what you know about your audience should help you determine how much is enough (and test, test, test!). #twittersmarter
— Mike Barzacchini (@MikeBarzacchini) August 15, 2019
The most important thing to avoid is showing anything that’ll give you and your brand a bad reputation. Messy desks, unhealthy workspaces, mean colleague interactions are all possible triggers that’ll make your audience lose confidence in you.
Take Nicole’s advice: She tries to include her branding in her BTS content. For instance, as the founder of Lollypop Social, she wears bright clothes and uses a lot of candy and lollipop imagery in her content. It’s a way for people to resonate with her brand. Oh, and just because BTS content is light hearted, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t edit it. For the best results, always make sure you have a strategy behind your behind-the-scenes content.
A5/2: Consider how you can make your posts on brand, for example I often wear bright colours or add lollipops to my photos #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/8jZPrcThxL
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Also watch out for:
And as Dan suggested, you could set up rules for how your BTS content should turn out. This lets you create content quickly without letting your surroundings affect its quality.
A5 Having dedicated recording spaces and guidelines can be absolutely massive to ensure you eliminate unwanted audio, interruptions or mix ups. #Twittersmarter pic.twitter.com/B23t8QXLjF
— Dan Willis #DOYOLive ?? (@MLLNNLmotivator) August 15, 2019
You’re not your competition. Be proud of how you’re different from others and use that to your advantage. Having your own style and personality sets you apart, as Nicole said, because people prefer originality.
Q6/1 When you’re planning your behind-the-scene content, don’t focus on how you’re similar to others (by copying exactly what they do), but find your own style which sets you apart and is on brand for you. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/oS83FyLwxx
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Also, include BTS activities in your content strategy. Have a set of pre-made posts ready to go in-between your usual ones. This gives you time to work out more of your other material. Variety is the key to good social media engagement.
Q6/3 Create a bank of ideas. Mix planned content with more spontaneous/in the moment posts. I like a mixture and my most successful posts are spur of the moment. #TwitterSmarter
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Tamara said it well: your BTS content is supportive material. It should never overshadow your original purpose and regular content.
A6: Ask yourself if it provides value to your audience and your business. BTS content should still be a driving factor towards your business efforts. It's also important to ensure it doesn't overshadow your regular content. #TwitterSmarter
— Tamara (@itstamaragt) August 15, 2019
Some other things to remember, as told by our community:
That’s subjective.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. But even during that process, make sure you’re consistent in your content. Nicole suggested that you make 10% of your everyday posts BTS content.
A7/2 How often do you usually post each day? Start by allocating 10% of your posts to behind-the-scenes. Be guided by your stats – create more of the posts that are well received. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/WwHbMBZOe9
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
However, depending on your industry, your audience, and the engagement you receive from your community for BTS content, you should alter your frequency. That’s why it’s essential that you track your social media progress.
Elena offered a good suggestion: Because Instagram Stories is more receptive to BTS content, consider doing more there and less on other social platforms.
A7. You can post frequently if it aligns with your overall strategy. You can also use it more often for ephemeral tactics like Instagram Stories. #twittersmarter
— Elena Salazar | Digital Marketer (@elenacsalazar) August 15, 2019
Whichever you choose, make sure you’re listening to your audience and their needs. After all, quality trumps quantity.
A7/1 Aim for consistency and quality rather than quantity. #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/7HXmnxlN0f
— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Think about why you’re in business, and then share content that explains your why to your audience. Nicole suggested posting images of your workplace, meetings with clients (get their permission first!), and musings on how you’ve overcome challenges during the course of your business.
A8/1 Give an insight into your WHY with photos, videos, GIFs
?Show images of your working space
?Share photos from meeting your clients
?Reflect on struggles and how you’ve overcome them as part of your journey. #TwitterSmarter— Nicole Osborne ? #SweetLikeSocial (@Lollipop_Social) August 15, 2019
Our community members gave us a bunch of other ideas as well:
Check out these examples of great behind-the-scenes content, shared by our guest:
That’s all I have for this week’s summary. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations and thank you. I hope it was useful to recollect the chat, and feel free to tweet your thoughts and responses using the #TwitterSmarter hashtag. Also, join us on Thursday at 1pm ET for our next chat.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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