Leadership Visibility: Use Your Company Blog

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increase your visibility through newsletters and blogs

Leadership Capability: Use Your Company Blog

Transitioning from an office setting to a remote world can be a drastic change. However, there is a bright side! Mark King, the CEO of Taco Bell, said for him, getting out of the office has made him more creative. It has also given him a new perspective. 

The reason this is known is because Mark wrote about this and published his thoughts on the platform MediumHis thoughts were made public and could be read by anyone. As a result, he created visibility for himself and he did it through the channel of written communications. 

Newsletters and blogs can increase your visibility strategy too.  When you write a newsletter or blog post you can increase your thought leadership and keep your team up to date on what is happening within the company.

Below are 3 strategies to help you increase your visibility through newsletters and blogs, what kind of content you can include in them, and tips for disseminating it for maximum impact.

1. Communication

Written communications is a great way to communicate to your team while continuously staying visible. People will see your name and read your thoughts.  You will remain top of mind, despite being in a different part of the country or world. Staying top of mind while working remotely is important for career success. 

If you choose to use newsletters or blogs to boost your visibility, there are a few things to think about to make sure it’s effective.

  • Regular Schedule – Plan to have a regular schedule of publishing. Decide to publish weekly, monthly, or quarterly – just make sure you are consistent.  This will set the expectation for your team, or whoever is reading, that they’ll be able to find updates from you on a regular basis.
  • Have A Purpose – Consistent communication is great, but it will mean much more if there is a purpose behind it. Make sure there is a reason behind your communications.  In other words, don’t publish just to say you published.  Make a plan for every communication.  Include valuable information your employees and team members will appreciate. 
  • Include Others – Loop in other leaders for them to share their thoughts as well. Think of it as a guest post. Your section can be regular, but offering other perspectives and department insights can expand the organization’s presence. 

Your team will appreciate receiving consistent communication from you.  This will help your team feel included and involved in what is going on within the company.

increase your visibility with newsletters and blogs

 

2. Promote The Company And Employees

With a plan to publish a consistent newsletter, let’s discuss what type of content to include in them.  

  • Highlight Teams/People – Use the company newsletter to highlight specific teams or people.  For example, every month the Walt Disney Company publishes a magazine for its employees.  In this magazine, they highlight one employee who is showcasing one of the values of the Walt Disney Company.  This is a great way to support your employees and showcase them to the rest of the company. 
  • Promote Company Initiatives – If your company has decided to implement an initiative that will impact every person, publish the details so can get the entire company excited about this brand-new initiative.  
  • Celebrations – Depending on the size of your company, you can use your newsletter as a chance to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and/or work anniversaries. Get creative and have fun with it. Use images, colors, and fun themes.  For example, if it’s a holiday edition, add some fun holiday-related colors and updates.
  • Job Postings – If you have a larger company, you can include recent job openings.  Employees looking to move within the company will appreciate seeing what opportunities are available to them. 
  • Behind The Scenes – A fun way to promote cross-departmental excitement is to showcase what each team does in a “behind the scenes” format.  At The Walt Disney Company, the animation building is strictly off-limits to anyone who doesn’t work there. However, when there is a “behind the scenes” write-up in the company newsletter, it allows people from other departments to see what goes on in that building. 

Everyone likes to be recognized for their work.  When you promote your employees and company via a newsletter you give them a place to be celebrated.

 

3. Internal vs. External Blogs

There are two different types of blogs. Internal blogs are those for employees only.  They are often more casual. External blogs are open to the public.  Anyone can read these blogs and share them on social media.

Let’s discuss the difference between the two and why each can impact your visibility.

  • Internal Blog – An internal blog is one that only employees can access.  Generally, these blogs are viewed on the company’s intranet.  You can give access for employees to post and comment.  An internal blog allows you to communicate with your employees in a more casual way.  Internal blogs give you the ability to communicate with your employees.  There are several reasons why an internal blog may be something for you to consider.
    • Employee engagement – Employees are encouraged to post and comment on articles.  If your employees are actively interacting with you and other colleagues, it promotes a positive company culture. 
    • Promotes Knowledge Sharing – Employees can share information they’ve learned.  This can improve productivity because employees don’t have to search for certain information.  For example, if a change is happening within the company, all of the details can be outlined on the internal company blog.
    • Company Values – Your company blog is a great way to consistently communicate your company values.  Reminding your employees as a whole what the vision of the company is will help them see the bigger picture as they do their jobs. increase your visibility with newsletters and blogs
  • External Blogs – Publishing your perspectives on blogs that are accessible to anyone can help you reach a wider audience for your company.  External blogs are a great way to increase your visibility and the company’s. This is because public blogs are easily shared on social media. There are several reasons why you would choose a public blog.
    • Public Visibility – Having your thoughts published on an external blog will increase your visibility.  This is because anyone can read these articles.  These articles are also easily shared on social media, which can be picked up by larger media outlets.
    • Showcase Something New – If your company recently started a new division or released a new product, you can showcase this on an external blog. You can give insider information on industry-specific blogs. 
    • Keep Your Company Top Of Mind – When you write for an external blog, you are keeping your company top of mind.  Potential new clients will see your thoughts, as well as new employees.  Keeping yourself, and your company top of mind is key to visibility. 

Internal and external blogs can help increase your visibility and thought leadership.  When shared, your ideas and your company can reach a much broader audience.

Newsletters or blogs are a great way for leaders to increase their visibility and even thought leadership, despite being remote.  Keep a regular schedule.  Write about things you think your team may want to know about. And keep it fun so readers will always be excited to open it.

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Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

  1. Discover your communications style so you know where to start. Over 4,000 people have found theirs here.
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