Turning employees into storytellers
How a volunteer Creator Community and an impact-first measurement framework grew Hitachi Energy's North American LinkedIn presence.
My role
Digital Communications Manager, North America.
Company
Hitachi Energy.
Timeline
August 2023 to July 2025.
Output
368 LinkedIn content assets in year two.
1.4M
LinkedIn impressions in year two, up 246%
7%
Average engagement rate, up 32%
10%
Average engagement on creator-led content
The problem
Corporate social at an energy company can easily read like a press release. We needed content that felt human, at scale, without adding headcount.
We also needed a better way to measure success than follower counts and likes.
My approach
1. Measure impact, not vanity
A KPI framework that separated real impact from vanity metrics.
2. Launch a Creator Community
Volunteer employees across teams creating short-form video for the company page.
3. Coach, don't control
I guided creators from idea to finished piece, including the first intern-led factory tour video.
4. Teach it forward
16 social and creative comms trainings, including a LinkedIn session with 500+ attendees.
What I learned
The most relatable stories come from the people living them.
Trusting employees to tell their own stories built their skills and visibility, and produced content that outperformed what a central team could make alone.