Maren Hogan — August 16, 2017 — August 16, 2017
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In a study of more than 1,400 North American CEOs, 92% believed that improving their company’s culture would improve the value of the company. But let’s back up a step—what exactly is company culture, and why are people losing their heads trying to get it?
Basically, company culture is the personality of a company. It can include a variety of elements, like work environment, mission, ethics, goals, types of employees and more. As you can imagine, every company’s culture is a little bit different.
And what’s the big deal? It sets your business apart from every other recruiting firm, marketing agency, or whatever other business out there. It makes your business unique, so it can appeal to the right talent and the right consumers.
If you’re going to do it, make sure you do it right. Check out the following steps to be loud and proud about your company culture:
Step 1: Use Social Media!
I can’t stress this one enough. If your company isn’t on any kind of social media right now, you’re missing out big time. According to HubSpot, content consumption on Facebook has increased by 57% in the past two years. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should use all social media platforms, but having an online presence through one or two of them is crucial.
As long as you’re posting content and pictures that have to do with your company, you’re working in the right direction. Having a social media account for your business is humanizing—it gives people a window into your company’s heart and soul. Post about that company retreat you had or post about your employees’ favorite lunches; The smallest details tell more about your company than you might think.
Bonus points: Use video!
If a picture says 1000 words, a video says millions. Videos are the easiest way for clients, customers, and potential talent to see what it’s like to work with your business. In fact, marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. Don’t worry about making them long, drawn-out, stylized and edited videos—quick, candid clips work perfectly.
Step 2: Start (and keep!) a blog
In your blog, you aren’t limited to 140 characters or a few pictures; With a blog, you can give people a really in-depth look into your company. While social media is great for talking about the surface aspects of your business—your office, your employees, your events—a blog is perfect for delving into best practices, tips, ideas, and strategies.
Blogging is especially important for those in the B2B sphere. According to HubSpot, B2B marketers who use blogs get 67% more leads than those who don’t. Blogging doesn’t just help you shout about your culture, it also gives you a way to talk about your industry and product without being too sales-y.
Step 3: Give back
Getting involved with a charity or doing volunteer work as a company says a ton about your culture. It shows that your business cares about giving back to the community that made it successful; The types of charities you choose to donate to or volunteer for say something about the company as well.
A 2015 study revealed 87% of executives believe their employees expect them to support causes and issues that matter to those employees. Finding out what your employees care about and supporting their causes as a unified team is one of the best ways to engage employees and cultivate a strong culture.
Step 4: Use Your Employees
Who knows your company culture better than your employees? (Besides you, of course.) If you’re hiring right, your employees are perfect examples of your company culture. They spend a whole lot of time soaking up the core values and traits that make your company special, and they work to make it more unique every day. Nothing shouts company culture louder than a happy and engaged employee.
Showcase your employees on your social media accounts, on your blog, on your website: basically, anywhere you can find an excuse to do it. One of the most important things this achieves is showing your employees how much they are valued. In fact, at companies with a great culture, turnover is only 14%; By contrast, turnover at companies with a poor culture is up to 48%.
While you shouldn’t pressure employees into leaving reviews, you can ask them in subtle ways. Put a review the company link at the bottom of your email, give a shout out to a good review you get on the company intranet or share with hiring managers how they can help by talking to their teams.
The Key Takeaway:
Maintaining a loud, energetic and evolving company culture takes work. You have to work at it every day and make sure that company culture is a part of every process and practice in your business. However, success results in more engaged employees, higher revenue, and a place where candidates are begging to work.
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