Intranet for Communication

Internal communication is more important than ever.

With digital platforms increasingly taking the place of in-person interaction, intranet engagement is crucial to organisational culture as well as employee satisfaction and productivity. Intranet owners must create an interesting, welcoming space to converse, learn and engage..

“It’s never been more important for employers to meet employees where they are with personalised information so they feel informed, supported and connected.”

Nicole Alvino,
Co-founder, SocialChorus

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Have a clear understanding of your users.

  • What does the average user look like?
  • Which topics have they historically engaged with?
  • How do they prefer to consume content – headline summaries, long form articles, visual processes, chat threads, live data feeds?
  • How will they be accessing it – PC, tablet, mobile?

This information can come from employee data, usage reporting, interviews or surveys, Consider developing user personas to guide content planning. Persona criteria might include role, department or location and at least some of your content should be targeted according to persona.

COMPELLING INTRANET CONTENT

Priority content should grab the attention of the user. Elements to consider include:

We spend most of our lives at work. Employee experience is critical for happiness and overall wellbeing.
According to a Gartner survey, only 13% of employees are fully satisfied with their experience at work.

1. Headings

What’s more likely to secure your attention: a short and snappy headline, or a long title with superfluous information? Craft interesting, concise and attention-grabbing headlines for better user engagement.

  • Use an active voice
  • Be professional but not formal – aim for a conversational tone
  • Ask questions (where relevant)
  • Avoid “management speak” and cliches
  • Use contractions where appropriate – it’s, we’ll, you’d

A great place to start is by reading the headline out loud. If it sounds unnatural and unappealing when spoken, the reading experience is unlikely to be much better.

2. Images

Imagery is incredibly powerful. It captures a user’s attention and directs their focus. It’s generally obvious when an author has put thought into featured images and who has picked the first stock offering. Maximise the impact of intranet images by:

Quality resolution, no pixelation

Correct sizing and proportion

Complying with brand guidelines

Finding great images that will drive user engagement is easier than you think. Here are some useful free stock image sites to find visually rich and interesting images: unsplash, pixabay, pexels

3. Actionable content

Does your intranet content encourage interaction and response? This is at the core of intranet engagement. Try these tips to stimulate action.

As well as sharing positive company results, try asking people to:

  • Share their biggest success from the quarter
  • Tag a colleague and acknowledge their contribution
  • Post a picture of their team celebrating

There are many ways to weave an interesting call to action into your content. Compelling content invites employees to get involved.

4. Highlight the call to action

How content is presented will impact the level of response achieved. When you post an enticing headline and image from a news article, include a call-to-action button inviting employees to ‘comment now’ or ‘share your feedback’. This gives employees the opportunity to get involved, and they’ll be more likely to provide a response.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Have a clear understanding of your users.

  • What does the average user look like?
  • Which topics have they historically engaged with?
  • How do they prefer to consume content – headline summaries, long form articles, visual processes, chat threads, live data feeds?
  • How will they be accessing it – PC, tablet, mobile?

This information can come from employee data, usage reporting, interviews or surveys, Consider developing user personas to guide content planning. Persona criteria might include role, department or location and at least some of your content should be targeted according to persona.

Test and Learn

Intranet reporting is vital to understanding the level of engagement and assess the results of any improvements. Key metrics include:

  • Active Intranet Users and Usage Time
  • Reach – ie intranet users / total employees, including frontline staff
  • Clicks, Comments and Shares
  • Volume of User-Generated Content
  • Who are your top users?
  • Most and least viewed items

If something isn’t working, make any necessary changes and then continue to monitor.

Need Help with Engaging Intranet Communication?

If you’re still struggling to get results, WebVine can help.

It may be time to upgrade to a more powerful intranet solution like Injio which offers strong personalisation and flexibility to drive adoption and engagement.

Request a demo today.