We asked 1,623 consumers who they wanted to see reflected more in brands’ social content. Their top answer: frontline employees. Not executive leadership, corporate employees, other customers or even social teams. According to Sprout Q4 2023 Pulse Survey data, 48% of respondents want to see the people behind businesses, not just those who run the brand account.
What’s driving the interest in frontline employee content? The demand for more authentic marketing from brands. According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index™, consumers believe they don’t see brands sharing enough authentic, non-promotional content or transparency about business practices and values. Fill this gap by tapping into frontline employee engagement on social media.
When brands make frontline employees the stars of their posts and campaigns, it spurs greater audience engagement and strengthens your brand reputation. In this article, we share examples of brands that have mastered getting frontline workers involved in social content, and break down how to build your own strategy.
What does frontline employee engagement on social media look like?
Aside from being relatable, frontline employee content can look different depending on your brand, audience and, most importantly, employees. Here are different ways to approach employee engagement on social, and real brand examples to inspire your strategy.
Experiment with lo-fi production
For followers craving employee realness, lo-fi content is exactly what the doctor ordered. Like in this video from Mayo Clinic nursing. The video features nurses responding with contempt when someone off-camera describes the room as “quiet.” The “q-word” is bad luck in the nursing field—an omen that chaos is just around the corner.
@mayoclinicnursingDon't EVER say the Q word #nursehumor #swearing #ruinaday #quiet #hospital #nursesoftiktok #healthcare #funny #fyp #mayoclinic
♬ original sound ' Mayo Clinic Nursing ' Mayo Clinic Nursing
