Fostering a strong and vibrant company culture to enhance the employee experience is more important than ever. As well as establishing a positive reputation and image for your business, you can attract and retain top talent.
Company culture is shaped by many different elements which can include company mission statement, employee expectations, and company leadership structure. It is built over time, and a positive company culture can hugely impact employee satisfaction, productivity, and the overall success of your company.
In the digital era, showcasing company culture is a must. But what exactly is company culture and why is it so important to prioritize it? You will find out the answers to these questions in this post as well as discover six methods for effectively showcasing company culture in the digital era.
Understanding company culture
You can think of company culture as the personality of an organization. It is defined by the shared values, attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics of the workplace.
You can get a feel for the culture of an organization by considering elements such as:
- the experience of the employees
- how employees interact with each other and members of the leadership team
- the working environment
- how the business makes decisions
- how the organization presents itself to the public
A strong and positive company culture is beneficial for employees. People are more likely to enjoy their work and perform at their best when their goals and values align with that of their workplace. However, there are also many benefits of a strong company culture for the organization as a whole, and showcasing company culture should definitely be part of your long-term PR strategy.
Why it’s important to prioritize company culture
In this digital era, technology is so prevalent and your company identity plays out online. Fostering a positive company culture, therefore, is more important than ever. Among the benefits of prioritizing company culture are:
Better company image
With the ever-evolving online world, your company image will be out there for all to see. Of course, it is important that your company culture is viewed as a positive one. Utilizing reputation management tools can be vital in maintaining this image, ensuring that the digital representation of your company’s culture aligns with your organizational values.
A negative company image can have devastating effects, so showcasing your positive culture helps to build a picture of what your organization stands for.
Employee satisfaction
When employees feel aligned with a positive company culture, they are more engaged and productive. If staff members feel valued and appreciated and feel good about coming to work, they are more likely to work harder and more effectively.
This can have a positive impact on company profits too. In fact, according to a PWC global survey, companies with a strong company culture were 48% more likely to see an increase in revenue compared with those with weaker cultures. A strong company culture is great for your business model.
Recruiting
In today’s highly competitive job market, the most talented employees have many options. When it comes to choosing a company to work for, they will be looking for a company with a strong company culture.
When measuring RPO metrics, consider how your company culture could be directly influencing them. Since company culture is related to image and reputation, it may be regarded by some prospective employees as more important than salary and benefits.
Retention
A thriving company culture not only attracts top talent but usually retains that talent on a long term basis. In an organization with a strong company culture, employee morale is boosted and employees are more likely to commit to staying with the company.
6 methods for showcasing company culture in the digital era
With all that being said, it makes sense that company culture is becoming more of a priority for businesses across all industries. In fact, 90 percent of executives say that the importance of company culture is on the rise.
When it comes to their online presence however, many companies still focus their efforts on promoting their products or services. But posting content online to showcase company culture has many benefits, and should absolutely be part of content planning for any organization.
In sectors like real estate marketing, effectively showcasing company culture can significantly enhance brand differentiation and customer trust, as potential clients are often looking for reliable and personable service in such a substantial investment.
Showcasing your company culture in the digital era is essential, so let’s dive in and discover 6 methods for doing it effectively.
1. Celebrate employee achievements
Employees want to feel appreciated and valued at work, and what better way to show your appreciation than by sharing their achievements online? Perhaps a member of staff has been promoted to a new position. Or has a customer left a particularly glowing review about the service they received from one of your employees?
Sharing these achievements on your social media pages or website in the form of engaging video content with translation in multiple languages employing video translator tools shows that you value the hard work of your employees thereby portraying your company culture to a wider demographic.
Not only will this instill a sense of pride in that particular employee, but it serves as motivation for other members of the team. The recognition becomes a motivating factor and compels your staff to strive for excellence and get that same recognition.
Show the world that you don’t just want to use social media to grow your business, but also to celebrate the achievements of your employees and show how much you value them.
2. Create an employee spotlight series
Similarly, you could create a content pillar dedicated to spotlighting your employees. You could ask employees to share what they love about working at your company, or to share “a day in the life” of an employee at your organization.
In doing so, you create social proof that your business provides a positive working environment and that your employees are happy in the workplace. Showcasing this is hugely beneficial when it comes to recruitment and may even lead to a high volume of applications for roles at your organization.
You might need to use more advanced technology to take advantage of the best applicant tracking system benefits and ensure you are able to handle this influx of interest.
To harness the full advantages of this and manage the increased interest effectively, consider integrating sophisticated tools like digital signature software for streamlined document processing.
You could even consider a series focused on employee hobbies, talents, or interests. Include senior executives too! Shifting the focus away from your organization shows that you value your staff as people, not just employees. These personal insights into the lives of your people can foster a sense of connection among employees but also with your customers.
3. Leverage employee-generated content
You’ve probably heard of user-generated content, where social media posts are created by your audience. But have you considered using employee-generated content?
Giving employees the reins on your content creation might sound terrifying, but it’s a powerful tool when it comes to showcasing company culture. Create a company-wide hashtag or encourage employees to tag your brand in their work-related photos and engage with your social media pages regularly.
For example, suggest that they tag a photo on Instagram of a productive team meeting where they discussed the advantages and disadvantages of VoIP before investing in a new system.
Encouraging employees to give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes allows the wider world to better understand your company culture.
Another innovative way to showcase this is through the use of AI photo booths at company events or in the office space. These booths can use artificial intelligence to create fun, themed photos that reflect company values or current campaigns.
4. Share your core values
Eighty-two percent of consumers want to spend their money with brands whose values align with their own. A company’s culture is rooted in its core values, so sharing yours consistently helps you to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
In this digital era, more conversations are being had about important issues such as sustainability, diversity, and equity. Where does your company stand on these issues? How can you showcase your core values and how they impact your company culture? Ensure that you regularly discuss these topics across your digital platforms.
5. Carefully consider your mission statement
Similarly, you should carefully consider your mission statement and how it reflects your core values and your company culture. Ensure your mission is not simply related to making money or growing a profitable business.
What else are you trying to achieve? What good are you putting out into the world? As company leaders, you need to share your mission with your audience and showcase your efforts. This might be sponsoring local sports teams or volunteering regularly with a local organization.
Whatever your mission, let it be known. Regularly share online about how your company is living and breathing its core values and its mission statement. This lets your audience see that you mean what you say and fosters a sense of trust.
6. Share customer reviews
When it comes to showcasing company culture in the digital era, customer reviews have a big part to play. In fact, 85 percent of consumers have reported that they would avoid a business based on negative reviews. And while negative reviews can clearly have a huge impact, the same can be said for positive ones.
Showcasing positive client reviews and testimonials about great customer service is a fantastic way to boost and protect your reputation. Wherever possible, highlighting and giving credit to specific employees or teams that have led to the glowing review, is a fantastic way to showcase your company culture.
In doing so, you not only reap the benefits of sharing a positive review, but also highlight how much you value the work that is going on in your organization. After all, a company that appreciates its team members is not just appealing to prospective employees, but to customers and clients too.
Final thoughts
In an ever-evolving and expanding digital era, it is becoming more difficult to stand out. For businesses, creating a positive online presence and showcasing company culture is key.
A strong company culture not only enhances your online presence but also improves employee satisfaction. Your company becomes more attractive to prospective employees and you’re more likely to retain top talent too.
Showcasing your company culture in the digital era is about thinking creatively about your content strategy. Shift some of the focus away from marketing and promotion, and onto your core values and the real people behind your organization. In doing so, you will foster a sense of belonging in your employees, make them feel valued, and share with the world why you are such a good company to be part of.
