Smart and Humanizing Blogging About “Alumni”
In my last post I took inspiration from Nuvo editor Laura McPhee, who devoted an entire section of the paper to highlighting NUVO alumni, people who had worked at Nuvo, then departed for “better things”.
From my vantage point as a professional blog content writer, I thought McPhee’s idea was fabulously innovative. Sure, many company websites have a section called “Our Team”, with bios of their key employees, but I’d never seen feature articles about the “exes”, people who’d, after all, left the company because they wanted a more promising work environment.
To me, blogs are often the humanizing members of the online communications family, making a company or practice relatable, by introducing the readers to the people behind the brand. And, of course, nothing can be more ”humanizing“ than stories about real humans, even if they are no longer involved in making your products or providing your professional services. Those alumni are part of your company’s history, and, to the extent you’ve kept in touch with your “alumni”, what a great thing it would be to let your readers know that your company or practice is a great place even to have been!
But what do you write about those “exes”? Nuvo came up with some great interview question, and you can use those as models for blog content:
- What do you remember most about your time here?
- How did your time at ______shape your career?
- Got kids, life partners, or work projects you wanna brag about?
- Is there a particular story you remember from the time you worked here?
- How did working here influence the work you’re doing today?
Staying in touch with ex-employees can be a win-win situation, Kelly Services advises. “Clearly
When an employee leaves your company, maintaining and strengthening your relationship can add value for both parties.”
From a blog content writing point of view, staying in touch makes for smart and company-humanizing blog posts!
Follow us online!