As you’ve hopefully figured out, there are plenty of ways to promote your employee wellness program. It’s important to try different things to really see what works best at your company. One very effective method is to use success stories or testimonials as wellness promotion.
Why?
Success stories can be very effective for a few different reasons. First of all, your employees can relate with the story. Not only do humans naturally think and process in stories, but using this type of testimonial gives your employees a name and face with which to identify. All around, the person will associate more meaning with a success story than with any list of benefits.
Second, testimonials provide support. In health and wellness journeys, some people deal with sensitive situations—situations they wouldn’t normally speak to others about. By providing the story of someone who has been in their shoes, you’ll be developing a support system for your employees in which they can remain anonymous.
Finally, success stories are a great opportunity to provide examples for your employees to follow. Perhaps they’re stuck in a rut and don’t know how to move forward. They can pull specific instances from the testimonial to use as ideas in their own health journeys.
How?
There are really three main steps to implementing a campaign using success stories or testimonials. They include finding a face, creating the content and sharing it with your employees.
Finding a Face
Finding the right person might be the most difficult stage of the entire campaign. It’s important to find a person who is:
- Willing to share his or her story
- A trustworthy representative of your company and employee wellness program
- An example of health on multiple levels – not just weight loss or disease management
It’s also important to implement the appropriate safeguards and sign-offs to protect that person’s privacy. Health data can be very sensitive, so be sure not to share things without his or her permission.
Creating the Content
Once you’ve found the perfect person, the content of the success story should flow naturally. It might be helpful for you and the individual if you provide a set of guiding questions. This can help be sure that your story remains relevant to your wellness program, and that the person knows what kind of information to share.
Once you’ve had the person answer all of your questions, compile that into a concise, but interesting story. Be sure to include the steps they took to change, as well as any background information that might help your employees identify with them.
Spread the Word
You might think your job is over once you’ve compiled the story. But, it’s not! Don’t forget to intentionally and strategically spread the success stories and testimonials throughout your office. You can time them up with wellness activities, or consistently communicate about them—whichever makes the most sense in your workplace.
The moral of the story is this…if you’ve got wellness champions, flaunt them. Be sure your employees know that people just like them are finding success in your wellness program. Promoting your program with success stories is an excellent option, and can be a simple process.
What types of testimonials have you used in your program?
