How many times have you heard someone use the phrase “don’t quit your day job” or “leave this one to the professionals”? These phrases are often used as a lighthearted reaction when people attempt to make a drastic career change into something like athletics or entertainment. While that advice certainly can have its merits, what if the venture onto the stage or the screen actually involves representing your day job?
When we chose to make our first official commercial at Miles IT, we decided that yes, we do want to leave it to the professionals: the professionals who help our customers accomplish more through technology every day. Rather than getting someone to play the role of one of our software developers, project managers, or IT consultants, why not let the individuals who do those jobs every day represent themselves?
Letting your employees to be the stars of your commercial will have great benefits for your company. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Branding and Referrals
One of the major benefits of using actual employees in your commercial is the impact it will have on developing your brand. For the majority of your employees, this will likely be their first foray into the small screen, so imagine how many friends, family members and even long-lost acquaintances will be excited to see them in a commercial and reach out to them. Whether your commercial is on television, YouTube or anywhere else, odds are many people you know will see it.
Miles IT Client CIO Joe Reithmeier, who played the starring role of the customer in need of business technology services, says that after the release of the commercial, there was a great deal of awareness about it in his personal circle. And any mentions of Reithmeier in the commercial also come along with mentions of the Miles IT company brand. “Old contacts were reappearing, and many of my friends and family members were happy to share the commercial,” he says. “This leads to more word-of-mouth referrals for the company.”
Miles IT Client CMO Kimberly Burghart, who represented the Marketing division in the commercial, says that she also had similar experiences from family, friends and old contacts reaching out her letting her know that they saw her on television or in a YouTube ad. She says that when people contact her, they ask about what she is doing, which presents an opportunity for her to speak about Miles IT and its services.
The Human Element
Another benefit of using actual employees is the personal connection it can create with the target audience. The primary purpose of developing a company commercial is to introduce a larger audience to your company and your brand. What better way to do that than to introduce them to the actual people they could be working with if they choose to utilize your services?
Burghart says that reaching your target audience on a personal level is especially important for a company in an industry like information technology. “If people can recognize that we are real employees, that creates a more personal connection,” she says. “Adding the human element to a technology company is important. We’re a very technical company, but we’re not robots. We’re real people helping customers with their business needs.”
Potential Customer Connections
If a potential customer reaches out to your company and wants to learn more about you because of your commercial, meeting the people from the commercial gives them an instant personal connection to your organization. “When potential customers that saw our commercial visit us, they are able to meet the people who helped bring them in the door,” Burghart says. “It helps for them to make connections across the entire company. We are one company, and even if you are only using one of our services, you can get to know all of us and find out how we can help you in other areas.”Company Pride and Involvement
Using employees in a company commercial will also play an important factor in generating company-wide buzz. The employees who star in the commercial will be proud of their efforts and more likely to share it on their personal social media accounts like YouTube and Facebook. “Participating in the commercial was fun and exciting,” Burghart says. “We were all really proud to be there and to be representing our company.”
When your employees see their co-workers in the commercial instead of random actors, it will also make them more connected and invested in it. It is important to make sure your entire company is made aware of the commercial you are creating. “Any company that shoots a commercial should get all of their employees involved and excited about the project,” Burghart says. “For us, this is our first commercial, so we want everyone excited about it and proud of it.”
While your employees may not be actors by trade, as long as you are creating a quality production, having them be the stars will go a long way to helping spread the word about you and your brand.
Take a look at our commercial and let us know how our employees did:
