Improving Internal Communications: The Simple Steps You Can Take

No, it’s not just intranets, and yes, there’s a lot more to it than just emails. Effective internal communication goes beyond simply sending messages across a company. It shapes company culture, aligns employees with organizational goals, and fosters a sense of community among team members.Good internal communication empowers employees at every level, boosts productivity, and supports collaboration, all of which lead to a more resilient organization.

With the right communication tools and strategies, you can not only enhance your existing internal communication structure but also create an environment that will boost employee engagement and advocacy.

In this article, we’ll explore specific steps and actionable tips that can help take your comms strategy to the next level, and ultimately, help with improving internal communications at your company. Because trust us: the benefits are well worth it!

5 Concrete Actions for Improving Internal Communication

To get real results, we have to be smart. Improving internal communication isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing things better. To achieve truly impactful internal communication, organizations need to leverage strategies that are comprehensive, targeted, and responsive to the needs of employees.

From employing multiple internal communication channels to ensuring top-down alignment and bottom-up contributions, here are key ways to enhance your internal communication approach.

1. Develop a Multi-Channel Approach to Improve Internal Communication Strategy

Your company isn’t one-dimensional, and neither should be your internal communications plan! With a diverse workforce spread across different locations, roles, and levels of access to corporate devices, it’s crucial to adopt a multi-channel internal communication strategy. Relying on a single channel, such as email, leaves out those who don’t use it regularly, like frontline workers.

By utilizing multiple communication channels, you can ensure that all employees receive messages in the format that best suits them, whether they’re in the office, in the field, or working remotely. Multi-channel internal communication best practices don’t just help you to reach more people; they enable employees to engage with information in the way that’s most convenient for them.

Actionable Tips:

• Use various effective communication channels like digital signage, mobile apps, and newsletters to reach employees in different work environments and in different ways to improve internal communication skills and message comprehension.

• Tailor messaging to specific employee groups based on roles and locations for better relevancy and impact, resulting in good internal communication knowledge retention.

2. Prioritize Top-Down Internal Communications

The leaders at a company do more than just make decisions; they set the tone and captain the ship, so to speak, and they facilitate communication overall. Top-down internal communication is essential for disseminating crucial information from leadership team to employees. It helps align the workforce with the company’s strategic objectives and reinforces a unified vision across all levels of the organization.

When employees hear directly from company leaders, it fosters transparency and builds trust. Effective top-down internal communications create a strong foundation for other employee communication efforts, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and understands the broader goals and priorities.

Actionable Tips:

• Use “must-read” notifications to highlight critical updates and ensure employees see them as part of your communication best practices.

• Schedule regular leadership messages, such as CEO updates, using video content or live broadcasts to make internal communications more engaging and personable.

3. Empower Bottom-Up Internal Communications

All employees want to feel that their opinions matter and that their voice is heard. Bottom-up communication is a powerful way to tap into employee insights, ideas, and feedback. Allowing employees to voice their opinions and contribute content helps create a culture of inclusivity and employee engagement.

Bottom-up communication transforms internal communication from a one-way street into a dynamic exchange, where everyone feels empowered to share their voice. This approach fosters a sense of ownership, as employees are encouraged to participate actively in the company’s open communication ecosystem.

Actionable Tips:

• Encourage employees to create and share content, such as articles, photos, and videos, on the company’s internal platform.

• Facilitate regular surveys and polls to gather feedback and gauge sentiment on important topics, as a daily part of your internal communication best practices.

4. Implement Targeted and Personalized Internal Communications

The Digital Age is a time of informational clutter. And in a large organization, not every message will be relevant to every employee. Personalized internal communications ensure that employees receive information that matters most to them, reducing information overload and increasing the chances that messages are read and understood.

Targeting content based on roles, locations, and interests helps employees feel that the information they receive is meaningful and tailored to their needs. Personalized internal communications boost engagement by making employees feel recognized and understood.

Actionable Tips:

• Segment your audience based on employee data to deliver personalized messages.

• Tailor content to specific employee groups, like departments or locations, to increase relevance and employee engagement.

5. Leverage Visual and Multimedia Content

When it comes to today’s internet, almost everything is visual. And today’s employees are accustomed to consuming content that is visually engaging and interactive. Integrating visual and multimedia elements into your internal communications can increase message retention and make communications more appealing.

Photos, videos, infographics, and interactive content like quizzes or polls can break up dense text and provide a refreshing way to engage employees with information. Multimedia content makes complex information more accessible and helps employees better understand and retain key messages.

Actionable Tips:

• Use videos for key updates, employee recognitions, and training sessions.

• Create infographics for data-heavy information to simplify complex insights.

• Incorporate interactive elements like polls or quizzes to encourage participation and create engaged employees.

Enhancing Employee Engagement through 3 Simple Communication Actions

Good messages get good results! Which is why engagement goes hand-in-hand with effective communication.

When employees are truly engaged, they are more likely to participate, contribute, and advocate for the company. Engaged employees are happier with their jobs, more productive, and more likely to communicate effectively.

Companies with high employee engagement retain 87% of their employees, whereas those with low engagement retain only 50%. Source: Worldmetrics.org

The following strategies leverage internal communication as a tool for boosting engagement, empowering employees to take an active role in their workplace culture.

1. Gamify and Reward Engagement

People like to play. It’s a fact. And gamification introduces elements of fun and competition, motivating employees to engage with content. By rewarding participation through points, badges, and leaderboards, companies can boost engagement and improve their internal communication plan to be more interactive.

Connecting gamified engagement to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, like reforestation, adds a meaningful layer, giving employees the satisfaction of knowing their participation contributes to a larger cause.

Actionable Tips:

• Use leaderboards and badges to create a friendly sense of competition.

• Link engagement to CSR initiatives to add purpose to employee interactions.

2. Create Opportunities for Peer-to-Peer Recognition

All employees appreciate a little recognition for all that hard work. And peer-to-peer recognition is a powerful driver of employee morale and engagement. By enabling employees to acknowledge each other’s contributions, organizations can foster a culture of appreciation and mutual respect.

When employees feel valued by their peers, they are more motivated to contribute, collaborate, and stay engaged with the company’s mission. Peer recognition also reinforces the company’s values, as employees celebrate behaviors that align with organizational goals.

Actionable Tips:

• Set up dedicated channels for employees to recognize each other’s achievements.

• Encourage positive interactions that highlight shared accomplishments and reinforce company values.

3. Drive Employee Advocacy Programs

Who are your best spokespeople? The ones who know your company best: your own employees. Employee advocacy transforms employees into brand ambassadors, boosting the company’s reputation and extending its reach through social media.

Encouraging employees to share curated content builds trust, both internally and externally, and amplifies the company’s voice. Advocacy programs empower employees to represent the brand, fostering a sense of pride and connection with the company’s mission and values.

Actionable Tips:

• Enable employees to share pre-approved, engaging content on social media.

• Recognize top advocates with exclusive rewards or acknowledgments to inspire continued participation.

How Sociabble Ensures an Effective Internal Communication Strategy

There’s more to it than just good ideas, though. You have to have the right tools at the ready. A successful communication strategy requires more than great content; it depends on the right platform to support accessibility, efficiency, security, and scalability.

Sociabble’s platform is designed to address the diverse needs of large, global enterprises by combining user-friendly design, powerful AI, stringent security, and multi-channel integration.

Intuitive User Experience Across Devices

Sociabble delivers a consumer-grade interface that’s designed for today’s workforce, with accessibility across mobile and desktop devices. This flexibility is particularly valuable for deskless and frontline workers who may not have regular access to a computer. Sociabble’s mobile-first design makes it easy for employees to stay connected and informed, whether they’re at a desk, on the floor, or in the field.

Mobile-First for Deskless Workers

For retail and field employees who don’t have regular access to computers, Sociabble’s mobile app allows them to receive updates and engage with content on the go. With simple onboarding options, such as QR codes, Sociabble ensures easy access even for remote workers without corporate email addresses.

Advanced AI Integration for Efficiency

Sociabble leverages AI to streamline internal communication tasks, making content creation, moderation, and translation more efficient. AI enables organizations to deliver relevant content through natural language search, automated content recommendations, and instant translation, ensuring that employees receive information tailored to their needs and preferences.

Automated Content Moderation

Sociabble’s AI-driven content scoring and moderation tools automate compliance processes, maintaining content quality without additional manual oversight. This allows companies to ensure that shared material aligns with corporate guidelines and is appropriate for a global audience.

Uncompromising Data Security and Compliance

Sociabble’s platform prioritizes data security and privacy, meeting GDPR and global compliance standards through ISO 27001 certification. Sociabble’s commitment to privacy ensures that all client data remains segregated and inaccessible to third parties, which is critical for companies with sensitive information who want to improve internal communication.

Data Security Through a Segregated Data Model

Unlike some platforms, Sociabble operates with a segregated data model, which keeps each client’s data isolated. This structure provides added peace of mind, especially for organizations in regulated industries that require strong data privacy measures.

Multi-Channel Integration for Enhanced Reach

Sociabble’s platform integrates seamlessly across multiple channels, enabling companies to centralize communication through mobile apps, Teams, SharePoint, web, and more. With customizable newsletters and targeted notifications, Sociabble helps companies ensure that critical information reaches employees at the right time.

Customizable and Targeted Notifications and Newsletters

Sociabble’s tailored communication options make it easy for communicators to engage specific workforce segments. Targeted notifications and newsletters allow companies to personalize content delivery and maximize message visibility to improve internal communication.

Exceptional Customer Success and Support for Optimal Adoption

Sociabble stands out for its dedicated Customer Success team, which provides continuous support from implementation to ongoing optimization. This personalized support helps organizations maximize engagement, improve internal communications adoption rates, and fully leverage Sociabble’s features.

Rapid Deployment and Scalability for Global Enterprises

Sociabble’s cloud-based platform can be deployed rapidly, enabling companies to achieve large-scale rollouts within months. Sociabble’s scalability makes it a valuable asset for growing companies or those with international operations, providing a communication solution that evolves with the organization’s needs.

Conclusion: Improving Internal Communications is Made Simple with Sociabble

There’s no doubt about it: internal communication is a strategic asset that drives engagement, productivity, and alignment across the organization. Sociabble’s comprehensive platform addresses the unique needs of today’s workplace with multi-channel integration, AI-powered efficiency, and stringent data security. By ensuring that communication is accessible, engaging, and secure, Sociabble supports companies in building a unified and empowered workforce.

We’ve already partnered with industry leaders like Coca-Cola CCEP, AXA, and Primark to improve internal communication methods, and we’d be delighted to discuss ways we can help your company, too.

Discover how Sociabble can improve internal communications strategy at your company. Contact us below to sign up for a free, personalized demo!