Think back to the past year at your work. Maybe your company took on some exciting projects, had impressive breakthroughs, employed bright new minds, or even threw fabulous work functions. Wouldn’t it be great to capture these memories to serve as a reminder of the year, look back on successes, and overall boost employee morale? Even more than that, wouldn’t it be great to have a dynamic piece of marketing material that you could pass out to potential clients, interested parties, partners, and stakeholders?
This is where creating a company-wide yearbook comes in handy! Many people think of a yearbook solely as something produced by a school to highlight students, staff, sports, and so on. But a yearbook does not have to be that one-dimensional. It can serve as a beneficial business tool. It can provide an opportunity to publicly acknowledge a dedicated staff, show off remarkable projects, and demonstrate how your company can help others. This could potentially help bring in new business and develop networking opportunities.
Company yearbooks can be as simple or as complex as you desire. This could differ if you are a small, privately-owned business versus a large corporation. It could depend on what your business develops, the size of your marketing department, and overall interest.
Creating a company yearbook can be a fun way to thank a devoted staff, show off projects, and help bring in new business.
So what should you include in your company yearbook? This answer will most definitely differ from business to business, but the basics can be the same.
Say you work somewhere like an interactive media company. Maybe your company creates museum exhibits, dynamic games, and other user experiences. With a business like this, the knowledge of what you do can be very limited within the general public, and even to your targeted client base. Creating a yearbook could be your chance to give concise, important information on different facets of your company and the technology behind what you do. You could talk about the creative process, technology challenges, design elements, and other significant components of your final product.
Along with highlighting different parts of your business, you could incorporate your overall mission statement. This is a key element for capturing the essence of your business, demonstrating goals, and presenting company philosophies. This shows what your business is all about to not only your clients and partners, but also to your employees and the community in general. This may also be a good place to include a personal message from your company’s owner or CEO.
Furthermore, a yearbook can be a peak behind the company curtain. By creating biographies and notable skill pages for each employee, it demonstrates the people behind the work. Showing off the devoted team members and what they do helps a company become transparent, and encourages clients to connect on a personal level. In turn, this fosters better, smoother workflow. Hand out a questionnaire to the staff, and have them explain their favorite events, projects, or any aspect of the job from the past year. This gives a personal touch to the yearbook, and once again helps clients “meet” the people behind the work.
Don’t forget to include some fun elements. Your yearbook doesn’t need to come off as dry and stagnant – that will give the wrong impression of your company. There are lots of little nuances businesses have that many do not know about. For example, maybe your company takes on a yearly or quarterly charity event. Highlight these events with pictures, quotes, and important information. Explain the significance of this charity, and what it means to the staff.
Remember, no yearbook is complete without photos. Make sure that someone is snapping pictures as projects are being created, during the typical workday, at conferences, networking events, company parties, charity events, and more. And there is no shame in taking some memorable candids at the yearly holiday party! This demonstrates a cohesive staff that not only works together, but can play together, as well.
Lastly, don’t forget to give a copy of the yearbook to every employee. It means a lot when people can see their hard work come to fruition.
