Internal communications are just as important as your external marketing. 
This is a big statement that I stand by, and so should you.
The impact of internal communication is often something that’s overlooked.
Perhaps big bosses don’t see it as worthy of investment because it’s obvious what their company stands for, and every employee knows that…don’t they?
Do they?
If you haven’t told them, how will they know?
OK, you may have handed over your employee handbook when they started with you five years ago, but a lot has changed.
You see, poor communication of your company’s values can lead to:
- Poor customer service
- Unhappy, unmotivated employees
- A high staff turnover rate
You don’t want any of those, so what can you do about it?
Getting your internal communications to speak to your employees
To start with, you don’t want to be patronising; you want everyone to understand what’s expected of them.
An informative intranet or enterprise social solution will help transmit information and make your employees feel more connected and empowered.
After all, how often have you worked in organisations where departments didn’t communicate with each other, so no one knew what was happening?
Let me illustrate this. Recently, I had a run-in with BT. They were (but are no longer) my broadband provider. After being given four conflicting stories about why my broadband wasn’t working, I finally discovered that BT had switched us off four days before our new provider was due to take over.
At that point, I was told that they were very sorry and that they would put me through to their technical department, who would be able to switch our line back on.
Surprise, surprise, when speaking to the techies, they informed me they couldn’t do that, and we’d have to cope without connection.
See – poor internal communication leading to diabolical service and a very, very unhappy customer.
Ask someone who can write clearly
If writing in an engaging tone that follows brand guidelines is a bit daunting, get someone in who can help you.
Internal comms are more like marketing content than you realise.
They both serve the same purpose: they engage, they inspire, and they prompt action to be taken. It’s just that whereas marketing drives your revenue, internal comms drive employee satisfaction.
Are you beginning to see why they are so important?
If you’re not confident about creating your internal comms yourself, why not as your copywriter to help you out? After all, they must engage with your people, and if they are written by a professional, you know you’re going to get the results you want.
Sally Ormond – Briar Copywriting