Firstly, let’s get the obvious out of the way – what’s an internal comms campaign? To put it simply, an internal campaign sees the promotion of messaging designed to reach a desired result within the workplace. A series of messages are produced and distributed via marketing techniques in order to educate employees on new practices or policies, change workplace attitudes or even share important news to the desired audience.
Internal comms is a sure-fire way of connecting your workforce and keeping them engaged. However, not everyone knows how to use it correctly. If your message misses the mark or appears tone-deaf, your workforce is likely to become more divided than ever.
Here are five ways that you can use a comms campaign to increase employee engagement:
1) Choose the right medium for your message
Choosing the right medium for your internal campaign is vital in how well it lands with your audience. Why not turn those lengthy update emails into exciting monthly magazines, or hour-long talks that leave the team asleep at their desks into quick five-minute, on-demand videos? The right medium turns (sometimes boring) words into a message that resounds with the desired audience.
2) Stay connected
Producing a platform for your employees to communicate ideas, develop skills and be actively listened to is vital in any workplace, both in terms of engagement, and in morale. Even if it is just via Microsoft Teams, starting that conversation is all that it takes to secure a more engaged, connected workforce.
3) Keep it personal
Hosting campaigns internally can actually be quite exciting. In comparison to external audiences, you have more freedom and information to ensure the final product really hits home – because you know exactly who your audience is. Take advantage of those hilarious inside jokes, bring up heart-warming topics that are personal to employees and those workplace stories that would have gone down a treat on your workplace app if it had existed back then. Don’t get corporate with it, have fun! You’re talking to friends, team members (and in some cases, your second family!). Play on that brand culture, embed it into this campaign, get your message across in a way that leaves employees excited, engaged and anything BUT bored.
4) Show some initiative
Here at DRPG, we’ve just launched our own initiative called CUT the BS where our team focus on reducing business stress, ensuring that we keep things simple and show understanding and respect for each other. Taking some time to communicate the core values of your brand and how these are embedded into the daily culture of the workplace is perhaps the most powerful internal campaign you could ever put forward.
5) Ask for feedback!
So, your last campaign didn’t quite land how you wanted it to… That doesn’t mean you should give up on getting creative with your campaigns! Ask colleagues where the campaign went wrong, was it too cringey, too bland, or maybe even too bold? Finding the right tone for your internal comms and learning to stick with it will ensure future campaigns are a success and that they’ll get a good response.
Keeping employees in the loop and fully engaged is important at the best of times, however, with COVID-19 changing how and where we work, a strong connection throughout the business is vital. Make sure your campaigns hold the ethos of your company, clearly state the messaging you’re putting out there and, most importantly, make it entertaining. In the meantime, check out these blogs on the core factors of employee engagement and what good employee engagement looks like.
Want help creating an internal comms campaign to impress your employees and get them engaged? Contact us at anythingspossible@drpgroup.com or call us today on 0844 682 5989. For more solutions to help you get your employee engagement levels up, check out our blog 6 methods to help you better engage your employees.