Escaping the vicious internal comms cycle requires unification and transparency on long-term company strategy. Patience, persistence, and data-driven insights are your allies in this endeavor, as internal communications in the remote work environment is ever-evolving. 

Specifically, in order to get traction on an internal comms pitch, strategists should adopt a lens of actionable brand growth and awareness reaffirmed by both qualitative and quantitative insights. This wide-ranging process can be broken down into four fundamental steps:

Initiate a Dialogue

The first step for internal comms leaders is to open the door for discussion of intranet renovations with executives.

This is because a comprehensive internal comms strategy cannot be realized when teams are left to simply make do with outdated tools and technology. In order to win over executives wary of investing in an internal comms transformation, it’s best to think big in terms of company direction and strategy. Top management teams are ripe with ambitious individuals familiar with “big picture” pitches who are apt to honor collective company passion and drive. 

By spearheading your internal comms strategy from the outlook of long-term company advancement, C-suite leaders will be more apt to see internal comms as an inherent part of their business objectives, not a superfluous expenditure. 

Solidify KPIs

Companies with a more engaged workforce report 23% higher profits, allowing for not only the outpacing of competitors but a reduction in employee turnover costs. Thus, in both a literal and figurative sense, internal comms means business! Across the board, executive leadership readily requires employee connection and collaboration through various chains of command, otherwise their company goals short circuit.  

By actively seeking collaboration with an executive team to determine what specific KPIs matter most to their business plan and company vision, your “big picture” pitch can then be translated into structured, actionable steps. From internal branding and work culture to information sharing and knowledge retention, giving visibility to the executive team’s top indicators establishes internal comms operations as a company-wide priority and a hallmark of innovation. 

Track Everything!

Now that we’ve established how to broach an internal comms revamp, we can discuss how to routinely demonstrate the ROI of your strategized comms plan. This may inevitably involve some trial and error, making it vitally important to maintain an open dialogue with employees about their intranet experience. 

By asking the right questions and consistently measuring outcomes, teams can better implement strategic, data-backed shifts in the digital workspace. Along these lines, here are four key engagement analytics to monitor and report back to executive leadership to keep your internal comms revolution from stalling:

  • User Engagement Metrics: Track who’s receiving and reading what and how often. Are certain messages getting more (or less) engagement than others? How can targeted messaging help make company communication more reliable?
  • Feedback Channels: Surveys, suggestion boxes, and feedback forms allow for continuous insight from employees about the effectiveness of internal communication.
  • Adoption Rates: If new tools are introduced, how quickly are they being adopted? What’s the learning curve? Are employees resistant or receptive to these changes or upgrades? 
  • Time Spent on Intranet Platforms: Given today’s digital noise dilemma, it’s important to try and avoid an overcrowded platform. Monitoring the time employees spend on intranet tools can help identify which are seen as valuable and which might be redundant. 

 

Champion Brand Transparency

An alarming 72% of employees admit they don’t fully understand their company’s strategy. This staggering statistic highlights a gap in transparent communication and leadership engagement. At the end of the day, building brand transparency isn’t just about sharing the ‘what’ of a company’s mission, but also the ‘why’ and ‘how’. This level of engagement requires more qualitative feedback instead of just quantitative data. Adding a personalized touch to company messaging from management can take the shape of internal Q&As, town halls, AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions, and themed digital celebrations or social events. 

It is through these more candid conversational outlets that greater trust and transparency takes root between senior management and staff – a connection that 64% of employees agree is very important to job satisfaction. Further, this pivotal extension of internal comms can help slash employee turnover and ghosting by honoring employee input and helping executives understand if and how their message is resonating across virtual teams. 

In sum, to truly showcase the value of internal communications, it’s essential to approach the executive team with a blend of strategic foresight, tangible KPIs, and consistent comprehensive analytics. 

With a strong internal comms strategy that prioritizes clarity, engagement, transparency, and company growth, executives will not only understand the importance of internal communications to their remote team but champion its continuous evolution.