Can a brand post pictures of employees at work on their website and social media channels? The answer is yes. And there are some advantages too. Here's how to implement genuine employee photos in an ethical way and abide by all necessary guidelines...
What You Need To Know About Posting Employee Photos On Your Company Web Pages
When you are posting on your business social media pages, you might consider using images from around the office. It’s quite common now to show behind the scenes pictures of employees at work. They might be tackling projects or just hanging around the office. But is this a good idea?
You might not understand why businesses would do this. After all, you could just use a sample employee photo or a stock image. However, people appreciate brands that are authentic and show the reality.
On social media, your goal should be to:
- Drive traffic to your website
- Share news of special offers and discounts
- Show customer appreciation
- Promote products and services
Should you post employee photos on social media? Yes, your office too. Here’s how it could benefit your business.
The Benefits
Posting Employee Photos Strengthens Your Brand
Helping your brand stand out on social media is tough because there is a lot of competition. However, posting photos featuring your teams at the office can help.
Your brand isn’t just about your product, it’s about the business as a whole and everything it represents. Your employees are a big part of that, so letting your customers get a birds eye view of the business humanizes your brand.
It Earns Trust
It’s easy for a company to come across as a faceless entity. Just a business name that sells products. Customers find it harder to connect and relate with that.
However, once you start putting faces to the name and give some insight into the inner workings of your business, customers feel like they know you, so it strengthens customer relationships and establishes trust. This is a very important first step towards making a sale. People buy from those they know, like and trust.
It Demonstrates Ethical Business Practices
People are more concerned than ever about the ethics of the businesses they deal with. Consumers want to deal with companies that treat their employees well and have a positive company culture.
So, show people that your business embodies those values by posting photos of your team on social media.
Tips For Taking The Perfect Employee Photos
Make The Office Look Presentable
This is rule number one because you don’t want to send the wrong message about your business. Make sure the workspace is clean and tidy and all of the office furniture is well kept. Take the opportunity to introduce branding to the decor, and add modern office features to show that you are a forward thinking company.
Get Permission
Not everybody wants to be on social media, so you can’t just walk around the office taking photos and freely post them. You need to ask all employees beforehand if they are okay being featured in pictures that will appear to the public on a media channel. It may be easier to achieve if you go with single employee images like the ones you would find on employee IDs.
For some companies, they have all new hires sign a form that grants the permission while they are employed. You might consider having your human resources department do that if they are not already.
Be Careful What You Capture
You need to be careful about all aspects of any photograph because you could open your company up to corporate espionage. Really. Before you share any image, double and triple check that you haven’t accidentally left confidential information, product designs or financial figures in the background.
