How Selfies Can Help Your Business

Published on December 9, 2015

Oscar night, 2014. Ellen DeGeneres snaps a selfie with a band of movie stars. Moments later, that posted picture broke the internet and became the most retweeted picture with over 33 million shares across the Web.

Selfies no longer belong in the realm of Snapchatting teenagers. They’re gaining popularity among adults and businesses too. Selfies are a way to open the kimono, and give your audience a behind the scenes look at your business.

Selfie-taking skyrocketed in 2010 after Apple introduced a front-facing camera on its iPhone. And if you think selfies are just a phase, think again. The Oxford English Dictionary named “Selfie” the 2013 word of the year.

Businesses need to take advantage of this selfie phenomenon because we know images promote audience interaction. Here are a few ways you can wield the power of selfies for your own business.

Showcase Your Personality

By their very nature, selfies are personal. It is much easier to connect with a person than a logo of a company. By encouraging employee selfies, you can show that there are real people behind the company brand. This helps create a strong emotional connection between you and your prospective customers. Don’t be afraid to share selfies of yourself or your employees on the job or out and about in the world. Always remember, customers buy from people they know, like, and trust. Selfies cement these factors.

Call to Action

With a call to action, businesses can encourage customers to take their own selfies. For example, a small bookstore can encourage customers to take selfies, say, holding their favorite books they had purchased at the store. How do you encourage this? You could offer discounts or free swag to customers who take selfies at a neighborhood event that your company supports or participates in and post them to social media. Incentives can be very effective.

Answer Questions

You can have a little fun by using selfies to answer questions your business frequently hears. For instance, if you run a coffee shop you and are always asked what the specials are for the day—take a selfie sipping a coffee with a sign displaying your specials of the day. Maybe ham it up a bit. By taking a funny, personal approach, your message won't just get passively received by your target audience–it may actually be welcomed.

There you have it! And now we want to see YOUR selfies! Tweet us at @GeekChicago with a selfie of what it’s like behind the scenes at your workplace.