The role that people play within an organization cannot be overstated. After all, a company's best assets are the personnel that make the business function and run successfully.
However, creating the ultimate online presence for these invaluable assets can be almost as important as the people themselves. It is vitally important to feature these so-called profiles anywhere and everywhere possible on the Web. Optimal places to feature company leaders and other company personnel include the corporate website, through social media channels and within press releases, guest blogs and interviews.
The Company Website
The most important place to feature your company's best assets is in a designated area of the corporate website. This area should showcase company leaders and support personnel by providing pictures and bios that include information about accomplishments that these people have achieved. For example, Apple features executive profiles of the company's top leaders, which includes information such as current titles, time with company, previous experience, achievements and education.
Furthermore, these profiles should link to professional content such as blogs, Facebook Pages and Twitter handles. When done correctly, a search for these leaders' names will result in the appearance of the company's website and bio section, showing up within the first few results on the search engine results pages.
Social Media
It is also beneficial to mention your company's best assets within social media channels. Let your audience know about and "meet" valuable employees through avenues such as Facebook and Twitter by posting about an employee's latest accomplishments or uploading a recent company photo.
Familiarizing your audience with company employees keeps social media social, and fun. For example, Groupon has published a video on YouTube of its staff singing a Christmas carol, not only is this video viewable on Groupon's YouTube channel, but it is also featured on the company's website under a section titled, "Our People." By being creative with social networks and featuring employees, social media stays interactive, interesting and informative.
Press
The press is another valuable avenue for mentioning company employees and leaders. Not only do links to press releases, interviews and blogs reach a wide audience, but sometimes they are also fortunate enough to go viral.
A company leader that is interviewed will be accredited for his or her knowledge and skills, which not only shines a good light on the interviewee, but also on the company itself. For example, a company leader that is quoted within press releases or through interviews and guest blogging, obtains authority on a subject while also promoting the company and its services.
The Formal Process
Having a formal process for building the ultimate Web profiles for company workers such as marketers, thought leaders and customer-support teams will serve any enterprise well. If a company's most valuable assets are its employees, why not feature those assets at every opportunity?