What if we told you that you could attract top talent and more customers by showcasing your team on your website and through your other digital channels?  

Yes. Yes, you can.  

The ultimate success of your tech startup is reliant on the people in your corner. Your rockstars. What are you doing to celebrate them, to recognise them, to install a sense of pride that they’re on this journey with you? 

If you’re not putting your star players front and centre, you’re missing a huge opportunity.  

The extent to which you showcase your team can speak volumes. Faceless organisations lack trust. As a startup, you want people to connect with you, but it can be difficult to connect to a business if you can’t put a face to the brand.  

Showcasing your team is the answer – and the benefits go beyond simple staff recognition. This is how you do it.  

What do you mean by showcasing my team? 

Showcasing simply means giving visibility to your team members on your digital channels – your website, your social media, in videos.  

When you showcase your team, your employees feel recognised for their efforts and appreciated. Externally, prospective employees see how well your company treats its workforce and (by extension) it’s customers. There’s a cascade effect.  

Start simply. What does the team page on your website say about your tech startup? This page is essential for your recruitment strategy. Think about the language you’re using. Simple things such as saying “we” or “I” will automatically make your business appear more personable (and by default, a much more appealing prospect for potential talent). 

A well-curated team page is not only an effective way in which to showcase your company culture, it also demonstrates that your staff are valued.  

Humanise your brand 

People connect with people. It really is as simple as that. When you use images of your team, people are much more likely to respond on an emotional level (because let’s be honest, nothing screams insincere quite like an iStock image of a US ‘tech bro’ office on the website of a UK tech startup).  

Take Koru Kids, for example. Parents are united in their search for reliable, professional and personable childcare (trust us, we’ve been there).  

Koru Kids founder and CEO, Rachel Carrell, uses the about us section of her website to appeal directly to parents. Her photo is of a smiling, professional female founder, holding a baby with a small child swinging on an office chair.  

But note the casual trainers, the open plan office, the photos on the board. There’s even a buggy in the background. In many ways her corporate experience is immaterial because this is a mum who clearly understands the struggle. As a parent, you don’t even need to read the text to know that this woman, this business, gets it. Bravo, it’s a visual masterclass in humanising your brand.  

Demonstrate expertise – with a pinch of personality! 

Are you rightly proud of the combined expertise you’ve gathered within your startup? Don’t be afraid to showcase your employees and give them the space to talk openly about what motivates them, what excites them and what makes them an expert in their field. Show that your people are both professional and passionate about what they do.  

It doesn’t need to be all about work either. Add a favourite quote, a sentence about what (or who) inspires them, even their favourite ice cream flavour – anything you like. Showcasing your teams’ personalities tells prospective hires, and even future customers, a huge amount about your company culture. 

Highlight your core values and your company culture 

Ask yourself, what are the core values of your startup? How do you want your startup to be perceived externally? How you showcase your team will be reflective of this.  

Are you focused on hard work and improvement? Is sustainability at your core? Or do you want to cultivate a family atmosphere? The type of information you share and how you share it should reflect your values and demonstrate what really matters to you, both personally as a founder and as a business. Now clearly, the type of information you share will depend on the sector or market your startup is operating in, but ultimately you want to convey emotion, a sense of personality and a uniqueness to your business.  

On a wider basis, consider how showcasing your team contributes to communication of your company culture. Words on a page are one thing; but staff profiles that demonstrate how you walk that walk (rather than simply talk the talk) are considerably more powerful for a fledgling startup.  

Your company values, the attitude of your team, the way in which you work (for example, flexibly, remotely etc)… all of these factors constitute your business as a whole. Remember that showcasing your company culture isn’t just of interest to those already in your organisation. It’s also of interest to those interested in joining your organisation, as well as potential investors, suppliers and customers.  

Finding a way in which to share and showcase your company culture online is what will set you apart from your competitors.  

Get in touch 

Taking these simple steps to put your team at the forefront can pay dividends when it comes to attracting and hiring the top tech talent in the market. 

If you’d like to talk more about your hiring challenges, get in touch with our co-founder and CEO, Alan Furley at alan@isltalent.com or connect on LinkedIn.