For a growing number of Perth entrepreneurs, selling a product online also means selling themselves.
Business owners are increasingly stepping in front of the camera to share the highs, lows and behind-the-scenes realities of running their businesses – a social media strategy known as founder-led content.
But while putting a face to a business can attract customers, it can also create pressure for owners to turn themselves into influencers.
The shift
ECU communications lecturer Dr Catherine Archer said social media offered businesses a powerful way to tell stories and connect with customers, but the growing emphasis on personal branding could also create pressure to share more of themselves online.
She describes this as “influencer creep” – the expectation that being an influencer increasingly extends into other parts of people’s professional and personal lives.
“Whether you’re an artist trying to sell art or a business owner trying to sell shampoo, most people feel that they need to be on social media and sharing their story to get traction,” she said.
For Peachie founder Imogen Blow, showing the reality behind her business makes its social media content feel more authentic.
“I think it’s a way to be a lot more authentic than just showing the finished product. I love seeing people post stories of their business online.
You get to see how much work they put into it; it really inspires me.”
For eighteen-year-old coffee shop owner Lily Johnston, being authentic online has given her recognition offline.
“I have had people just come up to me just to say ‘hi’, even if they’re not even buying something or people that will come to see it just because they’ve seen my videos,” she said.
Does it actually work?
“It depends on how well the engagement is done and how authentic the business owner is,” Dr Archer said.
According to the most recent Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) Future Trends report, hybrid storytelling is on the rise and will likely shape the media and marketing landscape of Australia.
This type of narration involves influencers, business owners, and brands incorporating authentic real-life experiences to develop an emotional connection with their consumers.
Local ceramic coating business owner, Ben Heppenstall, says that showing authenticity online adds a sense of “humanity” to their content.
“Showing your personality and face online shows that you’re just like a regular person. It adds a layer of depth.”
Imogen agrees that putting a face makes the content more connectable to humans.
“I like the idea of sharing the ugly side of the business, not just the good stuff.
People want a bit of spice, so they are definitely into behind-the-scenes content.”
But does doing this type of content actually help with customer engagement? Well…according to Ben, yes, it does!
Although the ads still require some level of incorporation to the products or services they are selling, they’ve seen the “highest return on ads spend” with piece-to-camera content.
Initially, Ben did not think that long form content would have good online engagement.
“Usually, you want to keep them on their toes with a good hook and a short snappy video.”
But they found that some of their best performing ads are ones where they talk behind the scenes of their services, far from your typical sales pitch.
Fear vs reality
Whenever people post their thoughts or are authentic online, it is common to fear the potential of being “cancelled.”
Lily admits that “when anyone posts on social media, you have concerns about backlash.”
However, she finds that there is more support available than backlash and said, “More people are willing to support you than the people that are going to say rude things.”
Initially, Ben worried that showing personality might come off as too “colloquial.”
But that fear did not hold up. Other than the rare few comments, there has not been anything too concerning for the local business owner.
“We actually haven’t had many people hate on us at all, really.”
Less than a handful of dismissive comments against the high possibility of staying visible, is in his words, “such a no-brainer trade-off.”
Imogen had similar initial barriers but points out that most people have other things to worry about instead of critiquing content.
“They might see your content for 10 seconds and be like, oh that’s funny, and then they’ve got their own stuff in their own life they’re busy stressing about.”
Her advice to those held back by that initial fear is to simply “rip off the Band-Aid.”
Instead of worrying about the judgement that can potentially come out of her content, she chooses to focus on the idea of “helping strangers” to know more about the realities of growing a business.
Chloe Nolasco
Chloe Nolasco is a final-year Journalism and Broadcast Media student at ECU who approaches storytelling from behind the camera as much as the keyboard. With experience in video editing, audio editing, and content production, she brings a multimedia lens to every story she covers. Based in Perth, she's focused on producing work that speaks directly to local audiences.
