How to Shout Your Company Culture From the Rooftops

In a 2015 study, 92 percent of North American CEOs said they believed improving their company's culture would improve the value of their company. Culture, far from being a diversion, was a bottom-line-friendly facet of business to these executives.

But let's back up a step. What exactly is company culture, and why are so many people pursuing great company cultures with such frenzy these days?

Basically, a company culture is a company's personality. The culture is an aggregate, comprising 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.

So what's the big deal? Your company culture sets your business apart from every other company out there. It makes your business unique so that it can appeal to the right talent and the right consumers.

If you want to get the benefits, company culture has to be done right. You can't just leave it to develop on its own. Follow these four steps to build and broadcast a great culture:

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. I doesn't necessarily mean you should use every available social media platform, but having a strong presence on 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 your employees' favorite lunches. The smallest details tell more about your company than you might think.

Consider using video to tell your social media story, too. 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. Plus, marketers who use video grow revenue 49 percent faster than those who don't. Don't worry about making stylized and edited full-length videos. Quick, candid clips work perfectly.

2. Start – and Keep! – a Blog

With a blog, you can really give people an in-depth look at 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 percent more leads than those who don't. Blogging doesn't just help you promote your culture; it also gives you a way to talk about your industry and product without being too salesy.

3. Give Back

If your company partners with a charity or arranges regular volunteer opportunities for team members, that says a lot about your culture. It shows your business prioritizes 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.

In a 2015 study, 87 percent of executives said 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.

4. Use Your Employees

Who knows your company culture better than your employees? If you're hiring right, your employees should be 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 your organization more unique every day. Nothing demonstrates a strong culture more clearly 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 so. In addition to promoting your culture, showing off your employees will prove to your staff that you value them. At companies with great cultures, turnover is only 14 percent. By contrast, turnover at companies with poor cultures is up to 48 percent.

While you shouldn't pressure employees to leave reviews of your company on sites like Glassdoor, you can ask them to do so in subtle ways. Put a "Review the company!" link at the bottom of your emails, shout out good reviews you get on the company intranet, or talk to managers about how they can bring up reviews with their teams.

The Key Takeaway

Maintaining an energetic and evolving company culture takes effort. You have to work at it every day, ensuring the culture is a part of every process and practice in your business. However, the labor is well worth it: Better cultures mean more engaged employees, higher revenues, and more talented candidates banging down your doors.

A version of this article originally appeared on Marenated.

Maren Hogan is founder and CEO of Red Branch Media. You can read more of her work on Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and her blog, Marenated