Content marketing agencies produce internal content for hundreds of companies and organisations, from British Airways and the Metropolitan Police, to Volkswagen and IKEA. In all cases, there are a number of unique techniques and methods involved in engaging the audiences, ensuring they read and enjoy their publication and digital content. Follow our five-step plan for an informed and motivated workforce.
1. Avoid talking like a manager
Apart from printing it on the back of a P45, the very worst thing you can do with your content is to fall into the trap of management speak. For an employee, catching up with the latest company news and opinion shouldn’t feel like work – it should relax, enthuse, motivate and entertain so that they feel like a valued member of a friendly and approachable organisation. Saying ‘let’s be proactive moving forward’ in the first sentence will only result in overflowing bins.
2. Be honest
Done well, the internal communication is the ideal platform to put across different perspectives on the organisation, its people and key business decisions – but only if you’re honest. Even the faintest whiff of spin or PR will turn your readers against you and damage your reputation forever. Your company may be issuing external press releases playing down recent troubles or financial difficulty, but the internal communication must remain honest if you are to retain your employees’ loyalty.
3. Invite feedback
In large companies, there isn’t a great deal of opportunity for voices to be heard across the organisation – especially if the voice is fairly low down the food chain or in a satellite office abroad. Internal digital or print communications offer everyone in your company a way to put their opinions across, so make sure you include a Forum element to your internal website or letters page to your publication. Having an official response to all published comments will also help promote your listening skills.
4. Make it theirs
It’s a fundamental law of content marketing that people like to read about people – if it’s people in a common situation then all the better. So ensure your content is populated with plenty of people stories, not just from the world of work but beyond. Make heroes of your staff and see the levels of morale shoot up. And don’t forget the occasional reward in the shape of exclusive competitions, discounts and offers.
5. Invest in quality
Handing out a two-page photocopied sheet written by the in-house PR won’t give anyone in the firm a feeling of warmth and appreciation. By commissioning high-quality content across a number of platforms, you are putting across the message that your staff are worth investing in, and that you are extremely grateful for their hard work and loyalty – month after month, year after year.
Sam Upton