Measuring Internal Communication: How to Benchmark Progress

On September 24th, Sociabble hosted an event at our Paris headquarters with clients and other industry leaders, to discuss the importance of content maturity in internal communication, and to provide tools for benchmarking a company’s progress toward a fully-formed content production strategy.

Presenters included Sociabble CEO and founder, Jean-Louis Benard, as well as Sociabble’s own Senior Content Strategist and publication guru, Alexandre Fieschi.

Here are a few of the main points discussed, including pointers for measuring internal communication in the workplace, and gauging the progress that’s still needed, to achieve a truly mature content plan.

When it comes to internal communication, a maturity model is needed.

When it comes to content in internal communication, maturity matters. That is to say, a company needs to have a complete, mature, and thought-out strategy for the production and publication of content.

Or as Alexandre Fieschi put it during his presentation, “Many organizations have amazing internal stories to share, but they don’t always take time to build a consistent strategy regarding the content, the audience, and the distribution.”

The creation and sharing of these stories in a way that touches employees and company leaders, is at the core of internal communication.

Also read:Internal Communications Best Practices: 5 Key Tips for Success

It’s what builds engagement, and keeps the entire team locked in and aware of what’s happening at their company, in their sector, and in their industry.

This process doesn’t happen overnight. In most cases, it’s an evolution. And knowing where you stand in that journey, and what work still needs to be done, is essential for measuring internal communication in the workplace.

At Sociabble, we’ve helped companies at every stage of the content journey.

After five years of working with companies all around the world, in every industry and every market, we know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to content and internal communication.

From Walt Disney to Coca-Cola, BNP Paribas to L’Occitane, we’ve worked with global companies to hone their communication strategy and take it to a place where content is a driving force in promoting engagement, both internally and externally. Because what it comes down to is this: an advanced platform for internal communication can work wonders.

But without the proper methodology, without a mature strategy for sourcing, creating, and publishing content, it will never achieve its full potential. A truly successful internal communication plan involves both: the right digital tools, coupled with a plan for sharing the crucial stories of the company.

Measuring internal communication in the workplace

Sociabble’s Senior Content Strategist Alexandre Fieschi discusses the steps companies need to take to reach a mature level of content production.

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The first step is determining where you are in the journey. Introducing a new maturity model.

At the Paris event, Sociabble presented its new tool for assessing content maturity, empowering companies to determine for themselves what they’ve accomplished in terms of content production, and the concrete steps they still need to take to reach a mature and effective content platform.

Based on a self-assessment survey, the purpose of the tool is to make companies aware of the strategic element that may be lacking in their current content process, for better measuring internal communication in the workplace.

Internal communication content has to align with the strategy of the organization. Its KPI’s—both the content performance and the engagement of the employees—have to be closely monitored.Alexandre Fieschi

Also read:Internal Communication Strategy: How to Launch an Effective Plan in 10 Easy Steps

Upon assessment, the next step is to provide solutions, centered around:

Personas

Categorizing employees by segments, according to interests, personality, and roles, to communicate more effectively by being more relevant.

This makes communications tailored to the employee, which in turn makes employees far more receptive.

Customer Journey

The identification of the points of interaction between the employees and the messages of the company, and their organization in sequence.

The employees are thus exposed to the right message, at the most opportune moment.

Voice

All communications need to share a common brand voice, one that employees feel comfortable with and instantly relate to.

It also brands the communications, making them stand out from competing information sources.

Distribution

The actual publication of the content needs to be thought out as well, as it matters when and where employees can be reached.

Things like mobile technology, alerts and updates, and even social media walls need to be considered.

Taxonomy

The tagging of important news to make it findable and retrievable can make all the difference in the world. Employees needs easy access to the information they seek, at any time.

Personalization

The experience of internal communication and content engagement needs to become a personal experience, with each employee connecting on a personal level.

The experience should feel customized to each employee, with their own interface and personalized channels for connecting with the news that they need the most.

Also read:Employee Newsletter Examples: The 5 Tips That Really Work

And more…

Want to learn more or host a workshop? We’re happy to help.

If you’re interested in using our self-assessment tool to determine your own company’s level of content maturity, just let us know. Or if you’d like an entire workshop or complete assessment, we’re happy to help.

At Sociabble, internal communication and content production is what we do, with both backed up by a cutting-edge platform and an in-depth methodology designed to help any company take its existing internal communication process to a whole new level.

Because more often than not, a mature content production strategy is the missing piece in most company’s internal communication plan. And when that missing piece is finally added, the effectiveness of communication suddenly takes off, creating an army of employees that are informed, engaged, and influential within their professional sphere.

Also read:What is Employee Communication vs. Internal Communication: The Ultimate Guide

To host a workshop, conduct a self-assessment, or simply to learn more about how Sociabble can help your company with all its internal communication needs, just click here. We’ll be in touch shortly.

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