Who's shouting about your success?

I had an interesting conversation with a local micro business last week. They commented that they were trying to navigate the fine line on social media posts of shouting about the great work (my words not theirs!) they’ve done for customers and looking too boastful. How often should they post about successful delivery for customers?

This is something I think many micro businesses struggle with, more so than large companies, because for them business is personal and in the UK, particularly I think here in Cumbria, we’re told not to “get above ourselves”. One of the things I love to do is shout about great service or products, especially when it’s BECBC members, but this conversation made me realised I was missing opportunities to do just that.

So this blog is a reflection on some of the work we’ve undertaken with micro businesses recently & what they’ve delivered for us here at BECBC in order to set that right. These interactions are also personal, just as their business is for them so I’ve picked out individuals and what they’ve brought to the table.

• 32West have been delivering our PR for 8 months now. Samantha handles our account & I love that she thinks about the business beyond the PR to understand how the opportunities can best be maximised.
• Natterjack Marketing are the ones behind our social media & I’ll bet you’ve spotted Sian’s amazing videos on our feeds. Behind the scenes Rosie is the calm, detailed person making sure everything runs smoothly and we’re being proactive rather than reactive (they’ve also just taken on Thomas who’s also a whizz at video so I can only imagine how much he & Sian are going to inspire each other!)
• Business Toolbox Cumbria-the lovely Kate (well-known by fellow BECBC members) is wonderful at turning vague ideas into my head into something that not only makes sense but also looks beautiful with her graphic design. She turned notes on paper into the eye-catching strategy I share at each meeting & also developed the organisational structure I’ve previously blogged about.
• Harrison Network have supported us on our strategy journey, both the development last year and the review this year. Having professional facilitators in the room during work like this keeps things focussed and they are able to bring ideas you wouldn’t think of. When Heather suggested we use Lego for the team to show how they think stakeholders see us I withered inside but Tom’s Lego model has stayed with me as the enduring image of that day. The lovely Mark has been with us in both years and always pushes us, particularly me as we think very differently, until we are absolutely certain of our thinking and position.
• A-Digital has been producing our website for a long time now, Andrew & his team must sometimes wish I’d just stand still on the website for a while as the last couple of years has been change and development all the way. Andrew’s expert advice and care for BECBC as a long-standing member himself are incredibly valuable.
• Lee has very quietly provided some coaching for myself and Ellen which gave us that much needed time away from the day to day business to make sure we were operating as our best selves. I’m still asking myself if I’m responding as “Dianne” or “Dianne-CEO of BECBC” which I know he’ll be happy about.

We all know that personal recommendation is invaluable for businesses and wherever possible I shout about the great things BECBC members and local businesses are doing but sometimes things can go under the radar. That’s why at each of our Energy Networx events we now end with a #MemberSuccessShoutOut where we encourage members to share a recent success in a room where not only will fellow members celebrate with them but will also go and tell others about the great things that are happening. From last month we’re now offering to video those (yes it’s the lovely Sian behind the mobile!) who want to shout even louder via our BECBC Social Media pages.

Here at BECBC we provide an environment for members to do business but we also provide an environment where they can shout about their success once then have it amplified by the members sitting around them as well as the BECBC team.

Have you got a great success story you want to shout about? We’d love to hear about it at our next meeting or drop a comment in below.

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash