Why behind-the-scenes content is important for your business: here are 6 examples of what this looks like

Using content to take people behind the scenes of your business is always a good idea because it helps build engagement and trust with your customers, clients and stakeholders.

Why? Because we like dealing with real people, not faceless businesses and organizations. We do business with people, not logos. Featuring your people in content will help humanise your brand and thus help make it more relatable to the public.

Sydney-based recruitment company Firebrand Talent is a great example. Their Facebook Page heavily features their people ‘in situ’ (see below).

But you don’t just have to show photos of your people doing fun things to take advantage of the power of behind-the-scenes content.

Following are five diverse examples of ‘behind-the-scenes’ content:

Buffer
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Black Hops Brewing
Vinh Giang
Ticker TV

Social media tech company Buffer each year looks back at the year they’ve just had.

Buffer’s multi-layered ‘Year in Numbers’ posts provide outsiders with a genuine look at the ins-and-outs of the company from both a commercial and operational sense, with a big focus on its people and associated activities.

Ditto Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. This growing US company has in the past produced a comprehensive ‘Year in Review’, which gives the reader or video viewer a solid grasp of what makes the business tick.

Black Hops Brewing is not your typical brewer. Based in Queensland, the company’s website proclaims “Black Hops Brewing is the story of 3 mates on the Gold Coast making craft beer and sharing everything they learn along the way.”

The Operation Brewery Podcast, the first podcast series by a 
brewery in Australia dug into the ins and outs of building Black Hops.

On the brewery’s ‘Our Story’ page on its website, the founders write:

“From day 1, we’ve shared our story via our blog, podcast, book and social media platforms like Facebook page, Facebook Ambassador Group and Instagram account. We can’t wait to see what the future brings. Thanks for coming along the journey with us.”

Black Hops Brewing even provides the public with an annual summary of their social media and content efforts!.

International motivational keynote speaker Vinh Giang, uses magic as a metaphor on stage He maintains a a terrific online presence.

With videos and Facebook Live streams across his various social channels, Vin brings the audience along on his professional journey while also providing glimpses of his life away from the stage. More recently, Vin recorded numerous live streams while testing out Zoom webinars.

Behind-the-scenes content in action: Ticker TV

Once upon as time, when you were about to launch something – a new product, for example – you would hold in all information, and then, on the day of the launch, do the big “unveil” to great applause. Yaaaay!

Of course, now smart companies ‘open the kimono’ a lot sooner and bring us – the audience – along for the journey using social media.

A recent example that caught my eye was Ahron Young and Ticker TV (disclosure – I host a weekly show on Ticker called BRAND BUILDERS).

Ahron was moving his nascent digital news studio from its original location in the Melbourne CBD to a purpose-built building in inner-city Richmond.

I loved how he shared photos of the progress on social media, showing us the original shell of the warehouse, followed by a series of pictures of the studio set-up as it started tom come together. The fact Ahron was on the tools himself gave the story even more meaning!

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? The ‘Big Unveil’ … “Hey everybody, whaddya think of our new studio? Surprise!” (yawn!)

The fact Ahron unveiled the studio bit by bit via social media posts – effectively bringing us along for the ride as he built it – ensured we were more invested in the story because we could see the transformation as it actually happened.

Not only did this give him more content to publish on his social channels, but it was also more engaging – we like to be taken behind the public face of an organisation, rather than just always see the polished veneer so many brands like to present to the world ????????????