Communicating about Total Rewards isn’t just about information — it’s about inspiration. Here are five ways to inspire.
Your Total Rewards program has it all: competitive medical, dental and vision benefits. Multiple savings account options. Tobacco cessation programs. Mental health programs. Financial education programs. Whew.
So why isn’t anyone using them?
The problem isn’t what you offer — it’s how you communicate it. Employees don’t always connect the dots between what they need and what benefits are available to them.
Here’s how to make your Total Rewards program impossible to ignore:
1. For real results, tell real stories
Data is great, but stories are what stick — especially when it comes to benefits that are personal.
Given a choice, your employees would rather hear about how Richard from Marketing used your tuition reimbursement program to finish his degree, not how “thousands of participants have achieved their higher education goals.”
When you highlight real people and real results, you create an opportunity for others to imagine themselves in the same situation — which brings them one step closer to signing up themselves.
2. Make it personal
Personalization is everywhere. It’s why your phone serves you an ad for fuzzy slippers after you Google “cold toes.” It’s an effective way to get the right message in front of the right person at the right time.
Your Total Rewards messaging could use some personalization, too. At WordsFresh, we often take a marketer’s approach and create personas (AKA imaginary characters) for different employee segments: The New Hire, The Young Professional, The Working Parent. Each of these personas represents an employee who would benefit from specific perks.
Once you’ve matched your personas with programs that meet their needs, you can write messages that resonate with each group. Using broad demographic data like age range or tenure can help you get these messages to the right employees.
3. Rewrite that vendor flyer
Your Total Rewards partners are kind enough to give you ready-made flyers, postcards, social posts and more. That doesn’t mean you have to use them verbatim.
It’s always worth rewriting any materials you receive with your audience and goals in mind. Make it sound like you’re speaking directly to your employees, not reading a sales pitch.
4. Create a communications plan (and stick to it)
Most employees don’t actively think about certain benefits until they need them.
That’s why a consistent comms plan is so important — it keeps your Total Rewards top of mind, all the time. And it will keep you from sending random emails about your discounted gym memberships during Take an Extra Step a Day month.
What does a strong communications plan look like? That depends on your audience and channels. But there are a few things all great comms plans have in common:
- Reinforce key messages throughout the year
- Follow a predictable schedule
- Make use of multiple channels
- Align with your company events and goals
- Fit into the rhythm of your other companywide communications
5. Empower your leaders
Your employees look to their direct leaders for knowledge, resources and guidance — even about things that aren’t specifically in that leader’s purview (like Total Rewards). When you equip your leaders with the information they need to educate and inspire others, you’ll see a direct impact on your engagement stats.
One of our favorite approaches is to create a Manager Toolkit. Its contents can vary, but some powerful staples include talking points, FAQs and simple presentation decks.
Communicating about Total Rewards isn’t just about information — it’s about inspiration.
When you focus on real stories, personalizing your approach, and empowering your leaders, you can transform your benefits program from overlooked to essential. Start small, stay consistent and keep your employees at the center of your strategy.
Communicating about Total Rewards isn’t just about information — it’s about inspiration. Here are five ways to inspire.
Your Total Rewards program has it all: competitive medical, dental and vision benefits. Multiple savings account options. Tobacco cessation programs. Mental health programs. Financial education programs. Whew.
So why isn’t anyone using them?
The problem isn’t what you offer — it’s how you communicate it. Employees don’t always connect the dots between what they need and what benefits are available to them.
Here’s how to make your Total Rewards program impossible to ignore:
1. For real results, tell real stories
Data is great, but stories are what stick — especially when it comes to benefits that are personal.
Given a choice, your employees would rather hear about how Richard from Marketing used your tuition reimbursement program to finish his degree, not how “thousands of participants have achieved their higher education goals.”
When you highlight real people and real results, you create an opportunity for others to imagine themselves in the same situation — which brings them one step closer to signing up themselves.
2. Make it personal
Personalization is everywhere. It’s why your phone serves you an ad for fuzzy slippers after you Google “cold toes.” It’s an effective way to get the right message in front of the right person at the right time.
Your Total Rewards messaging could use some personalization, too. At WordsFresh, we often take a marketer’s approach and create personas (AKA imaginary characters) for different employee segments: The New Hire, The Young Professional, The Working Parent. Each of these personas represents an employee who would benefit from specific perks.
Once you’ve matched your personas with programs that meet their needs, you can write messages that resonate with each group. Using broad demographic data like age range or tenure can help you get these messages to the right employees.
3. Rewrite that vendor flyer
Your Total Rewards partners are kind enough to give you ready-made flyers, postcards, social posts and more. That doesn’t mean you have to use them verbatim.
It’s always worth rewriting any materials you receive with your audience and goals in mind. Make it sound like you’re speaking directly to your employees, not reading a sales pitch.
4. Create a communications plan (and stick to it)
Most employees don’t actively think about certain benefits until they need them.
That’s why a consistent comms plan is so important — it keeps your Total Rewards top of mind, all the time. And it will keep you from sending random emails about your discounted gym memberships during Take an Extra Step a Day month.
What does a strong communications plan look like? That depends on your audience and channels. But there are a few things all great comms plans have in common:
- Reinforce key messages throughout the year
- Follow a predictable schedule
- Make use of multiple channels
- Align with your company events and goals
- Fit into the rhythm of your other companywide communications
5. Empower your leaders
Your employees look to their direct leaders for knowledge, resources and guidance — even about things that aren’t specifically in that leader’s purview (like Total Rewards). When you equip your leaders with the information they need to educate and inspire others, you’ll see a direct impact on your engagement stats.
One of our favorite approaches is to create a Manager Toolkit. Its contents can vary, but some powerful staples include talking points, FAQs and simple presentation decks.
Communicating about Total Rewards isn’t just about information — it’s about inspiration.
When you focus on real stories, personalizing your approach, and empowering your leaders, you can transform your benefits program from overlooked to essential. Start small, stay consistent and keep your employees at the center of your strategy.
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