Expert Interview with Todd Giannattasio on Showcasing Your Company Culture

By Cheryl Morgan

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Today's job seekers are looking for more than a journey up the corporate ladder. In addition to all the regular concerns (salary, benefits, location, etc.), they want to make sure they fit in with a company's culture, too.

One of the best ways companies can reach out to like-minded people is by sharing what you value and who you are online.

"If you truly have a brand, then your voice and personality should be clear in your communications," says Todd Giannattasio, chief hustler at Tresnic Media. "You should be showing that off in your content when blogging on your company's website and what and how you are posting to social media."

And there are plenty of opportunities to do this, he adds.

If your team is full of sports fans, then make references and analogies to sports in your content. Pop culture? Then use pop culture references in your content. Does your team have a mission? Make sure it's transparent in your online presence.

"Then as you build your audience, you will be attracting the people who are already part of that culture and part of your mission, just not part of your team yet," Todd adds.

Todd recently spent a few minutes telling us about Tresnic Media and what he thinks does and doesn't work in digital marketing today. Here's what he had to say:
 

Can you tell us the story behind Tresnic Media? What services do you offer? Who should be using them?

Tresnic Media is a web design and content marketing agency that helps businesses establish and grow their online presence so they can attract and convert more customers.

Companies that see value in leveraging digital channels (website, blog, social media, email) but don't have the manpower in-house can hire us as an extended part of their team to provide strategy and execution.
 

What sets you apart from other digital marketing companies out there?

The main focus for us is relationships with our clients. We are happy people, we like working with happy people, and we like keeping everyone happy through transparency, communication and, of course, achieving our goals.

Our team's combination of communication, marketing and technical skills as well as the ability to both develop and execute strategies makes it much more streamlined and puts everyone in a better position to succeed. We're able to cut out lag time and have greater control over our efforts, which directly ties to our ability to help our clients succeed.
 

What do you think businesses get too caught up in when it comes to building an online presence?

I've seen a lot of companies recently get caught up with nitpicking and perfectionism around micro content and social media. I am 100 percent about quality and maintaining your brand principles, but you also need to understand the value of a tweet or Instagram post. It's a much faster pace and higher volume activity than traditional marketing; it's not the same as producing a print ad for the New York Times or a TV Spot for the Super Bowl.

Spending too much time in an approval process or limiting types of content based on arbitrary, self-imposed restrictions can really hold back the potential growth of your brand, especially if you're just starting out.
 

What don't they spend enough time on?

They don't spend enough time building real relationships with strategic online partners or their audience. Treating social media as a broadcast channel instead of an engagement and relationship-building channel. Actually, not that they're treating it that way, but I think they're overlooking the real value that social media and content marketing can add.

Social media has limitless value potential and it's impossible to use it for everything it can be used for. Starting off with "why are we using this" instead of "what can we use it to do" is a big help. Setting clear goals keeps your tactics more guided.

The best way to approach it is to think of how success is achieved in networking and communicating offline and overall, then leveraging social channels to execute that more efficiently at a larger scale or just in a new place (if you weren't active on social media already).

Social media marketing can be fast or take time, but expectations should be managed based on your goals and what your budget is.
 

What have you found is the secret sauce for converting customers online?

Being educational through your content, transparent with your communication and adding unconditional value for your target audience.
 

On the flipside, what seems to drive them away?

Being too self-promotional or jumping in and pushing sales like a telemarketer from the 90s.
 

How should brands factor in recruiting while building an online presence?

Whenever we start a relationship, we always talk about who the brand is and who they want to do business with. Then using those positions to speak to our audience of customers, but the same goes for recruiting.

If you allow your brand's personality to show through (transparency), then you will attract the clients that you will enjoy working with, but you'll also be attracting the talent that you want on your team.

You might end up getting fewer applicants, but you're weeding out people who aren't a good fit earlier in the process so you're really saving yourself valuable time and can make your hiring process shorter.

Your online presence can also make recruiting much cheaper. We have clients saving tens of thousands of dollars on hiring a recruiter because people are finding them and applying.
 

What brands do you think do an especially great job of leveraging their online presence for recruiting? What can we learn from them?

I think the best companies are ones that have a dedicated content marketing program that is constantly attracting talent and so they actually don't have to "recruit."

If you are building your brand online and communicating your message successfully, then you will be attracting people who want to work with you as clients and work for your company as employees.
 

What are some of the most interesting or exciting trends you're following in web design for businesses?

I think trends can be dangerous in web design. Yes, you need a highly professional website that represents your brand and helps your customers find what they are looking for as fast as possible and educates them in a way that makes them want to be a customer (or part of your company).

But the medium is secondary. Focusing on trends or design too much can very quickly take away from your message (being clear) and that puts you in a place where you are less likely to reach your full success potential.

Focus on your message first, what you want to communicate and how it should be communicated, then let a professional design a digital experience that delivers that, regardless of current trends.
 

What are some of your favourite tools or tips for increasing your brand's reach in today's crowded digital landscape?

Building relationships is huge. Knowing your customers and where they are hanging out online and who their influencers are is the first step. Then you should start contributing in those same places and adding unconditional value.

Start talking with some other influencers in your space and build relationships with them. If you can contribute to their website and vice versa, that's a good way to get in front of more of your target audience and build your position as a thought leader.

There are some tools that can help you find and build relationships, like BuzzStream or GroupHigh. But it's also something you can do on a smaller budget scale by just being genuine. Treat social media like a regular networking event, you'll get out what you put in.

Connect with Tresnic Media on Twitter and LinkedIn.

If you're a recruitment related business who is interested in finding out how social activity can help you achieve your aims then please request a consultation with the Social-Hire team.

 

Your Social Outsource Team

At Social Hire, we don't just do social media.

Our digital marketing managers are the wizards that can give you the insight you need to develop your business. Have you had enough of making complex personnel choices that don't work well for your digital presence?

Our group of specialists are an organisation that helps our clients boost their online marketing by offering social media management services on a monthly basis.

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