Since the beginning of time, when people gathered in caves or drew images on walls, humans have loved stories. A good story engages the audience and makes your brand more memorable. Employee stories can add a personal touch to your company and put a face to the work you do.
What Should Be Included in an Employee Spotlight?
The Small BusinessAdministration reports there are around 61.2 million small business employees in the United States, or around 46.8% of workers. No matter what type of businessyou own, you probably have at least a few stellar workers you can spotlight.
How does highlighting their stories improve your brand? Here are our favorite advantages to honing in on your employees.
1. Make Your Brand Human
As your brand grows, your customers might come to feel they are just another number to you. For your part, you want them to know you value their business and appreciate that you wouldn’t be where you are without them.
One way you can better connect with your clients is by showing them the faces behind the work. At some point, one of your workers will have an interest or talent that resonates with some of your audience.
John Deere utilizes videos to highlight personal stories about their employees. For example, they have one about military veterans who transitioned to civilian lifeand working at John Deere.
2. Show Work Ethic
Highlighting a hard-working employee can show customers how you go above and beyond to meet their needs. Share a story about how a client faced a serious issue and one of your workers stepped up and fixed the problem for them.
You could also spotlight people who’ve worked for you for many years or overcome serious challenges but you stood by them. Showing your company’s culture might even attract top employees to your work for your business.
3. Show Similar Values
Highlighting employee stories also can be an opportunity to show similar values. Younger people, in particular, often support businesses that align with their social values.
Does your company offer paid time off to volunteer? Highlight the story of an employee who used that time to clean up a local park, start an eco-friendly service or some other important contribution to society.
Danaher shares the story of Brett Robertson, why he came to the company and why he cares so much about water quality. His story is poignant, including the loss of a child. His passion for his work reflects positively on the company.
The company posts the story on their jobs blog, which encourages others with similar interests to apply for open positions.
4. Celebrate Employees
Adding stories to a blog can be a way to reward excellent employees. More people work from home now than prior to the pandemic, so finding digital ways to recognize performance is more important than ever. In the last few years, remote opportunities increased around 4%and continue to grow.
5. Inspire Others
Great storytelling inspires others to greatness. If one of your goals as a brand is simply to make the world a better place, you can encourage other people to do great things by sharing stories about what your staff has already accomplished.
Nike shares the story of Molly H.and how she has a heart disease and still stays active. Her ability to overcome her health issues and still stay active and fit is inspiring to everyone. The story also ties into Nike’s belief that there’s an athlete in everyone.
Get to Know Your Workers
A hidden benefit to highlighting your staff on your blog is that you’ll get to know them better. When you understand what their passions are, you can assign projects they’ll put their all into. You can also reach out when they’re struggling and offer support. The better you know the humans who work for you, the more positive your company culture will be.