Why Your Team Would Rather Share Cat Videos Than Company Content

There is often a huge disconnect between team members and company content. But why? For starters, much corporate content comes off as sterile, faceless, and frankly, a little bit like a robot wrote it. Sorry, robots.?

So how do we make content share-worthy? Bring in the humans.

• Humanize the content. And no, adding a stock photo of people high-fiving in a boardroom doesn’t count. We’re talking about stories from real employees, customer testimonials that don’t sound like they were written by the marketing team, and behind-the-scenes peeks that show there are actual humans behind the brand. Think about what makes you stop scrolling through your feed; it’s usually something that makes you laugh, think, or feel. Your content should aim to do the same.
• Make sure your content aligns with your company values. Your team is more likely to share content that resonates with them on a personal level. This doesn’t mean every piece of content has to be a manifesto on the meaning of life, but it should reflect values like innovation, community, sustainability, or whatever else your company and team cares about.
• Tell a story. If your team can see themselves in your content, they’re more likely to share it. It’s the digital version of “Hey, that’s me!”? Encourage your team to contribute their ideas and stories to generate more interesting content. Incorporate storytelling techniques to keep content interesting and sharable.?

Companies we’ve seen that do an excellent job of this are:

CS Recruiting includes team members in their posts, shares posts written by their team members, and writes posts that talk about company culture and services in a fun, exciting way.

Doran Companies has photos that are clearly of their team members — even in job listings. They showcase their awards, their team, and community involvement in a way that clearly shares their values and lets us see a little bit of the culture of their company.

I'd be proud to share any of these posts as an employee!

(Disclaimer: we do NOT manage either of these accounts. I figured I should mention that so you don’t think I’m just giving myself a high five!)

What could you do to humanize your content as a corporate brand? Has this inspired anything for you? If you’d like me to take a look at your content and make a few suggestions on how to make it more authentic and sharable, you know how to contact me! I’d love to brainstorm with you!