Why is an internal communications strategy so important?
With the adoption of remote and hybrid workplaces, the importance of an effective internal communications strategy cannot be overstated.
"Only 7% of U.S. workers strongly agree that communication is accurate, timely and open where they work," Gallup
More than ever before, enterprises now need to deliver messages to their far-flung employees – but also make sure these messages truly resonate with them. Employees have come to expect real-time information, engaging experiences, and crystal-clear workplace communication.
Technology will aid companies in doing this, however…
"69% of remote workers report increased burnout from digital communication tools," Forbes
Too much information at once can lead to mental fatigue, so it must be delivered in a more intelligent way that actively engages your employees.
This is where an internal communications strategy comes into play. It's the blueprint that ties everything together, seamlessly aligning with broader business objectives while incorporating those invaluable best practices. A strong internal comms strategy empowers an organization to navigate the dynamic digital communication landscape, ensuring its workforce stays engaged with content and remains a driving force behind the organization's overall success.
This guide will establish key focus areas and internal communications best practices for devising a futureproof messaging strategy.
What is internal communications?
Internal communications (IC) is the sharing of information between employees and company stakeholders. Some companies still perceive it as the function that pushes out messages, but it’s much more than that. Internal comms is more about creating two-way dialogues and building multi-directional strategies.
In recent years, internal communications strategies have evolved significantly. Before, companies used to emphasize top-down messaging and relied on mediums like corporate magazines. Modern internal comms strategies utilize multiple channels to both inform employees – and empower them to have their say.
Types of internal communications
From policy updates to culture-building initiatives, there are many different messages that internal comms teams must convey. Some of the most prevalent types of employee communications content include:
Crisis Communications
Whether it's a minor roadblock or a significant disruption, internal employee comms gets the word out during times of crisis. During these situations, company communications content might include the latest updates and resources for employees looking for additional guidance.
The COVID-19 pandemic is one recent example of crisis messaging taking center stage for many internal comms teams. New policies and safety measures were introduced from one day to another in response to the situation. Hence, timely internal messaging became vital to keep employees informed and connected as workforces dispersed.
Change Communications
In moments of transition and change, employees look to internal comms to stay updated on what's going on within their organization. For instance, some internal comms teams might incorporate messages from leadership so that employees can learn about significant organizational changes straight from the source.
Information Communications
Sometimes, employee comms serves as the corporate version of your local news channel or daily paper. In other words, your internal messages let your employees get an inside look at enterprise happenings. A good example would be announcing a new office space or behind the scenes of a recent project.
Savvy internal communicators often adopt a targeted approach to news messages. This ensures colleagues receive relevant updates to their role and region and keeps them engaged without being overloaded.
Campaign Communications
From corporate givebacks to healthy living schemes, internal communicators can bring corporate campaigns to life. A well-thought-out campaign can get the word out while encouraging colleagues to get involved. In some circumstances, internal communicators may partner with other divisions. For example, the HR department becomes an ally when preparing to launch campaigns, particularly those related to employee health and wellbeing.
Culture Communications
Internal communication professionals employ messaging to ensure that every team member understands their employer brand and what their organization stands for. This content might include blog posts on your enterprise's purpose and mission. Likewise, some messaging can spotlight employees who embody your brand's values.
Internal Conversations
Two-way comms is a hallmark of modern messaging strategies. Organizational content allows employees to raise their voices and contribute to corporate dialogues. It can happen through mediums such as social networking functionality and discussion forums.
7 steps to futureproof your internal communications strategy
1. Create a goal-based strategy
Without a structured scheme in place, internal communications teams will struggle to maximize their resources and cultivate a compelling engagement strategy.
The most impactful schemes adopt an action-based approach. This includes:
Evaluating your existing approach
Review what’s working and what isn’t, the most pressing challenges your team currently faces, who’s involved with your plan and potential collaborators who could enhance your future approach.
Pinpointing success metrics
Identify core metrics that can be analyzed to demonstrate the efficacy of your approach. Some measures to consider include social shares, numbers of views and clicks, retention rates, and input from pulse surveys and engagement polls.
Setting realistic goals
Create concrete goals with specific objectives that your team can work towards. Use S.M.A.R.T logic to create goals that live up to the following criteria:
- Specific: Define what you want to accomplish in a straight-forward manner that everyone can understand
- Measurable: Include targets and benchmarks to evaluate your progress
- Attainable: Focus on manageable objectives that are well within your team’s reach
- Relevant: Your internal communications goals should connect with business-wide aims and support your enterprise’s missions and values
- Time-based: Create a timeline for your objectives to keep everyone motivated and working towards success
Understanding your audience
Content should be created with specific readers in mind. Figure out what messages need to reach different colleagues and tailor your approach to maximize engagement amongst various groups.
Creating an approval process
Determine who will read, write, and finalize your messages. Consider what role various stakeholders will play in content creation and management.
Identifying your tools
Internal communications teams have a multitude of channels at their disposal, including blog content, email newsletters, social media, and video. Review each medium and pinpoint the role various tools will play in your messaging strategy.
Iterating for best-in-class results
Continually review your progress and highlight potential areas for improvement. Utilize analytics to identify existing challenges and measure the efficacy of new initiatives.
2. Prepare for change
Agile enterprises have a 70% chance of placing in the top quartile for organizational health. The hallmarks of an agile approach include rapid decision and learning cycles, a shared purpose, role mobility, information transparency, and a people-first mentality. All of these can be utilized to drive a internal communications strategy forward.
As workforces become more dispersed and media consumption habits evolve, constant iteration and ideation are crucial. Carving out time to brainstorm and upskill, and continuously monitoring feedback will ensure you’re quick to pivot when needed.
Whatever your strategy, ensuring it isn’t fixed and building in room for flexibility will be essential to future success. Digitization can arm internal communications teams with the real-time insights and the ability to adapt solutions quickly to meet changing needs.
3. View data as power
Data is every internal communications team’s secret weapon.
In the digital-first era, internal communications teams have more metrics at their fingertips than ever before. Therefore, the new priority is adopting a deliberate approach to data that will justify investments and prove the impact of your initiatives. Select a combination of analytics and qualitative employee feedback methods that will speak to specific, business-wide aims. Use these findings to demonstrate the impact of your approach and create a compelling narrative that showcases key takeaways.
4. Seek outside inspiration
With the pace of change advancing so rapidly, looking beyond the walls of your organization for inspiration is an essential part of keeping on top of the latest engagement trends.
The internal communications community is thriving with opportunities to connect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and discuss innovative strategies.
By joining and contributing to professional communities, internal communications can come together to solve the industry’s most pressing challenges. Consider attending industry conferences, participating in virtual webinars, sitting in on professional panels, signing up for email newsletters, and entering your projects into relevant awards.
5. Have a crisis plan
As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating a crisis can be a defining moment for internal communications departments. Leaders must manage many moving parts simultaneously, react on short notice, and craft messages that are tactful and authentic.
In virtually every crisis scenario, time is of the essence. Internal communications teams that are looking to prepare for the future should craft a well-honed emergency response plan long before disaster strikes. This scheme can include electing a crisis response team with designated responsibilities, mapping out the best communications channels to reach various audiences efficiently, and ensuring that an employee alert system is in place.
Although every crisis will require a tailored approach, a pre-designed plan ensures that internal communications teams are never caught off guard. A strong foundation for crisis management is a key part of every future-proof internal communications strategy, as it paves the way for engagement and continuity in the face of any scenario.
6. Keep an eye on consumer-trends
Simply sending out emails isn’t going to cut it.
The best digital messaging approaches will be targeted, personalized, and communicated through multiple channels to align with employee preferences.
Modern strategies also increasingly embrace social networking and two-way interactions, as opposed to the top-down messaging techniques that once reigned supreme.
Here are a few trends to watch out for:
Multimedia
The numbers don’t lie: audiences retain 95% of a message from video as opposed to just 10% from text. As a result, video is poised to play an increasingly pivotal role in futureproof internal communications strategies. By utilizing a combination of images, video, audio, and text, internal communications teams can craft compelling, multimedia strategies that engage as many users as possible.
Personalization
Employees have developed a taste for personalization. On the consumer side, news feeds, targeted advertising, and related product recommendations have become the norm. Savvy workplaces are taking note and adapting their internal communications tactics accordingly by tailoring their messages to different sub-audiences and giving users control over how they interact with content.
Value-driven
Staid corporate communications are a thing of the past. With a renewed understanding of the importance of engagement and purpose in motivating employees at work, human-centric internal communications initiatives are now thriving. Messaging strategies that weave in softer touches and emphasize value driven work will resonate with readers and unite employees around core goals.
7. Unify communications with an intranet
As workforces decentralize, leaders can no longer count on in-person events and water cooler conversations to bridge communications gaps. Instead, digital channels are poised to play an increasingly crucial role in connecting colleagues and enhancing employee experience.
Many believe that the future looks bright for enterprises that are quick to take advantage of these tools. 93% of workers believe that an increased use of digital technology will lead to improvements in the workplace, including higher efficiency and more collaborative processes.
In recent years, intranets have emerged as the crown jewel amongst workplace technology. As digital workplace consultant and commentator Sam Marshall notes, “Most employees will have their day-to-day tools, like computer-aided design if you’re an engineer for example, but for anything else – claiming expenses, booking travel, booking meeting rooms – where do you go? Today’s intranet is your starting point.”
However, modern intranets are much more than a gateway; they’re also the backbone for omnichannel communications strategies. Much like personalized news feeds and value-driven approaches, employees have developed a taste for cohesive messaging tactics in which multiple channels are integrated for a seamless, best-in-class experience. Unification is the future of internal communications, and an intranet ensures that it’s well within reach.
An omnichannel approach is a win for all; internal communications teams can manage content in one place for heightened productivity, while end-users are empowered to choose how and when they view updates. With web access from mobile and tablet devices officially eclipsing desktops worldwide, the need for flexibility is at an all-time high. By utilizing an intranet to support omnichannel strategies, internal communications teams maximize their messages’ impact, particularly amongst notoriously hard-to-reach colleagues such as frontline staff and remote workers.
With a modern, cloud-based platform, messaging tactics become both integrated and intuitive. Simple user interfaces remove reliance on IT, empowering internal communications teams to work autonomously and efficiently. For a superior experience for content creators and end- users alike, prioritize rich engagement features and a strong integration framework that will underpin an omnichannel approach.
The only intranet triple Leader
How an intranet can boost your internal comms strategy
Some of the benefits a modern intranet can bring to you internal communication strategy include:
- Streamlined and intuitive content creation with a feature- rich CMS that includes ownership assignment, approval workflows, and automated publishing
- A consumer-grade experience through content targeting and personalization options
- In-depth analysis to identify trends and challenges, informing future strategy
- Elimination of language as a barrier with one-click translation capabilities
- Frontline and remote employee engagement, with mobile app functionality and push notifications
Begin your internal communications transformation
Are you hoping to get a jumpstart on enhancing your internal communications strategy? Get in touch with our digital workplace experts and see how you can take your approach to the next level.
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