Why Your Team is Your Best Sales Weapon
If you’re running a business in Brisbane—whether you’re a builder in Coorparoo or a law firm in the CBD—you know that word-of-mouth is king. When a mate tells you a certain plumber did a great job, you trust them more than a random flyer in the letterbox.
Getting your staff to talk about your business on social media is basically word-of-mouth at scale. It’s called an "employee advocacy program" in marketing circles, but let’s just call it what it is: getting your team to help you find more customers.
I’ve seen this work wonders for local businesses. When your staff share a photo of a finished project or a behind-the-scenes video, it feels real. People buy from people, not from faceless logos. However, most business owners get this completely wrong. They either force it and annoy their staff, or they do it so poorly that it looks like spam.
Here are the biggest mistakes I see Brisbane business owners making and how you can avoid them to actually see more phone calls and bookings.
Mistake 1: Making it Mandatory (and Boring)
The fastest way to kill this idea is to tell your staff, "You must post this generic company update on your personal Facebook page every Tuesday at 9 AM."
Nobody wants to be a corporate robot. If your staff feel forced, their posts will look forced. Their friends and family will see right through it and keep scrolling. Even worse, you’ll end up with a resentful team.
The Fix: Make it optional and make it about them, not just the company. If you have a sparky who is proud of a complex switchboard he just wired up, encourage him to snap a photo. If your receptionist loves the new coffee machine in the office, let her post about it. When your team shares things they are actually proud of, they help you get noticed without ads because the content is authentic.
Mistake 2: Only Sharing "Salesy" Junk
If your staff only ever post "10% off this weekend!" or "Call us for a quote," they will eventually stop posting, and their friends will stop following them. People go to social media to be entertained or informed, not to be yelled at by a digital salesman.
I recently spoke with a real estate agency in Ascot that was struggling with this. They kept asking their agents to share boring "Just Listed" links. Nobody clicked. We changed the strategy: we asked the agents to share a quick video of their favourite local cafe near the new listing. The engagement went through the roof, and the phone started ringing with actual buyers.
The Fix: Focus on the "How" and the "Who." - Show a "day in the life" of a project. - Share a tip that helps a customer (e.g., "How to stop your taps from leaking in winter"). - Celebrate a team win or a work anniversary.
This builds trust. When people trust your team, they are much more likely to close more sales because the hard work of proving you're a legitimate, decent business is already done.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the "What's In It For Me?"
Your staff are busy. They are out on sites, meeting clients, or managing your office. Expecting them to spend their own time building your brand for nothing is a big ask.
I’ve seen owners get frustrated that their team "isn't supporting the vision." Look, I get it—it’s your business and you’re passionate about it. But for your employees, it’s a job. If you want them to go the extra mile, you need to show them how it benefits them.
The Fix: Link their social media activity to their own professional success. - For sales staff: Explain that a stronger online presence means more warm leads and easier commissions. - For tradespeople: Show them how it builds their reputation as an expert in the industry. - For everyone: Offer small incentives. A $50 Bunnings or Dan Murphy’s voucher for the most engaged post of the month goes a long way. It’s a tiny investment compared to what you’d spend on radio ads or billboards.
Mistake 4: Not Giving Them the Tools
You can’t just tell your team to "get on social media" and expect results. Most people are worried they’ll say the wrong thing or look silly. If you don't give them a clear path, they’ll do nothing.
The Fix: Provide a "Social Media Toolkit." This doesn't need to be a 50-page manual. A simple one-pager will do: - Photos: Tell them what makes a good photo (good lighting, no messy backgrounds). - Captions: Give them 3-4 templates they can tweak. - Platforms: If your customers are younger homeowners, maybe suggest they use TikTok for enquiries. If you’re B2B, stick to LinkedIn.
Mistake 5: Boring Corporate Branding
If every photo your staff shares has a giant, ugly watermark of your logo on it, it looks like an ad. People hate ads.
I worked with a landscaping crew in Morningside who were doing incredible work. They’d take a photo of a beautiful new deck, but the boss would insist they put a massive logo right in the middle of the image. It ruined the photo.
The Fix: Let the work speak for itself. A photo of your team in their branded hi-vis shirts or a shot of your branded ute in the driveway is enough branding. It’s subtle, it’s professional, and it doesn't scream "I’m trying to sell you something."
How Much Will This Cost?
The best part about getting your team involved is that it costs almost nothing in cash. You aren't paying Mark Zuckerberg for ad space.
Your costs will be: 1. Time: Maybe 30 minutes a week for a quick team huddle to talk about what’s happening in the business. 2. Incentives: $50–$100 a month for rewards. 3. Content: You might spend a few hundred dollars on a decent smartphone for the team if their current ones have cracked lenses.
How Long Until You See Results?
This isn't a "flip a switch" solution. You won't get 50 calls the day after your lead carpenter posts a photo.
Usually, it takes about 3 to 6 months of consistent posting to see the momentum build. You’ll start noticing it when people call up and say, "I saw that photo of the kitchen you did in Camp Hill, it looked great," or "I follow your admin manager on LinkedIn and saw you guys just won an award."
It’s about staying "top of mind." When that person eventually needs your service, you are the first person they think of because they’ve been seeing your team’s faces in their feed for months.
What Should You Do First?
Don't try to launch a massive campaign tomorrow. Start small.
1. Identify your "Champions": Find the 1 or 2 people on your team who are already active on social media. Ask them if they’d be open to sharing some work stuff. 2. Take photos yourself: Lead by example. Start taking photos of the team in action and share them on the business page first. 3. Keep it simple: Ask the team to just "like" and "comment" on the business page posts for the first two weeks. That alone helps Google and Facebook see that your content is worth showing to more people.
Most of what you read online about "employee advocacy" is over-complicated rubbish written for big corporations. For a Brisbane small business, it’s just about being human and showing that you do good work.
If you’re tired of wasting money on marketing that doesn't move the needle, focusing on your team is the smartest move you can make this year.
Ready to get your business noticed without the headache?
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses get more phone calls and customers without the technical jargon. If you want a straight-talking partner to help grow your business, let’s chat.