Madalyn Sklar

Establishing Your Business Culture on Twitter

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Image for main promo. Topic is Establishing your business culture on Twitter - #TwitterSmarter chat with Ro Kalonaros - February 11, 2021

Unless you’re a business owner, you’re likely happily working for a company. What makes your workplace so great, though? That’s a bit of a loaded question—you might like the people, the responsibilities you’re given, the flexible working arrangement, the overtime bonuses, holiday incentives, or even the crunchy peanut butter they have in the pantry. All of that comes down to culture. That’s what makes people stick with a particular business.

In this week’s chat, we wanted to talk about business culture and if you should showcase it to the outside world through social media. We invited the head of content and culture at Omnicom, Ro Kalonaros, to talk about establishing your business culture on Twitter specifically. Here’s a summary of our chat.

Guest: Ro Kalonaros
Topic: Establishing your business culture on Twitter
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.

Q1: What do you mean by business culture?

Business culture refers to the way people perceive your organization’s values and how you approach everyday business matters. This includes your employees’ attitude towards the leadership, interactions, behaviors, and the way the management and higher-level staff conduct themselves within the organization.

In other words, as our friend from Lemons to Limes pointed out, your business culture is a representation of how you humanize your brand.

In a more broad sense, Anna explained that your business culture is the guiding principle that defines how you project yourself to your customers while highlighting the value that your employees bring to your business.

Q2: Why should you establish your business culture on Twitter?

Establishing your business culture makes your brand more approachable to your audience and potential employees. As you project your culture to the external world, your audience will want to interact with you on a more personal level. It builds trust and helps to reassure them that they’re doing business with the right brand.

As Dana pointed out, Twitter is also a perfect platform to establish your culture. It allows you to engage in one-on-one conversations and develop relationships that can continue on to other platforms. Plus, because Twitter is public and anyone can access your profile and content, it has a wider reach than closed platforms.

Q3: What are some ways to showcase your business culture on Twitter?

One of the easiest and most credible ways to showcase your culture is employee-generated content. This includes social media posts, referrals, and word-of-mouth. If your employees are so proud to work with you that they’ll voluntarily tell their friends and family, then it’s an indication of how strong your business culture is.

Another good way to showcase your business culture is to establish it within the organization in the first place, as Kelli suggested. It means you have a solid definition of your culture, perhaps as a written document, that you and the top-level management can always refer back to. This way, you can translate these values into your everyday conversations, online and off.

Gabriela shared some more great ways to show your culture including, telling stories from everyday business operations, employee appreciation, videos and photos of your workplace and staff, and customer stories.

Q4: Does being transparent on Twitter impact your business culture?

Being transparent always has a positive impact on your business, whether it’s on Twitter or elsewhere. When your audience knows that you’re upfront about everything, they’ll develop a strong sense of empathy towards you. That way, when something does go wrong, they’ll support you and will remain by your side throughout your hard time.

As Alyx from the Charlie Appel Agency pointed out, being transparent on one platform will also encourage you to be transparent across other platforms. This is essential to maintain consistency and it helps your audience across platforms to trust and relate to you in the same way.

Shane brought out another important point about transparency. When you’re not transparent about how your business operates, it may raise doubts about what you might be hiding. That’s not a good look for your business—don’t leave your audience speculating that you’re being dishonest with them.

Most importantly, as Christine so nicely said it: transparency is the difference between showing your culture and showing your brand. Being transparent should be a deep-rooted practice and a clear part of your business’s culture.

Q5: Why should your employees help spread your business culture?

No one knows your business better than your employees. That’s what makes them ideal ambassadors for your business culture. When it comes from them, your audience will know it’s genuine and heartfelt.

As Madalyn added, employees also have exclusive access to what happens behind the scenes of your business. Showcasing behind-the-scenes activities can be a powerful way to win your audience over.

Rhea reminded us how employees are often the face of the business outside of the business context. For example, when you think of your in-laws, you’d often associate them with the company they work for—they are your sole link to that brand, regardless of what role they play in that business. That’s why it’s important that your employees have positive things to say about you as a brand. That way, they can carry your story wherever they go.

Q6: How do you celebrate accomplishments by keeping in line with your culture?

A great way to celebrate your business accomplishments is by honestly crediting the employees who did the heavy lifting. When you promote them and celebrate the value they bring to your business, your accomplishments won’t seem like bragging. Instead, it’ll be in line with your culture of putting your staff first.

Another way to look at this is to follow Jake’s perspective. When you define your business culture, make sure you prioritize employee welfare and promotions. Consciously root it in your culture to celebrate your employees and their achievements.

Q7: Share some tips for encouraging employee engagement on Twitter.

Education is key. Be open with your employees and tell them how they can support you on social media. Equip them with the necessary tools—such as business-approved software—to help them engage better on Twitter and other social channels.

As Rachel explained, include example scenarios when you educate your employees. Tell them what sort of behavior is expected from them as employees of your business. It may sound trivial, but establishing clear do’s and don’ts will help employees decide how to engage and when.

Q8: Can your business culture on Twitter impact your sales/revenue?

As our guest told us, a Gallup study has found that culture can increase both employee engagement and overall revenue.

Of course, as Alyona mentioned, good culture motivates employees and increases their productivity. Happy employees can always bring in more revenue. Don’t ever underestimate the power of establishing an employee-friendly work culture.

Well, folks. That’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading and for more insights from our chat with Ro, have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together. Every Thursday, we have a great guest on our #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET. We’d love to have you join us as well!

About me, Narmadhaa:

I write all the 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.

Say hello: Personal blog | LinkedIn | Twitter

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