How to Create an Internal Communications Channel Strategy

Creating an internal communications channel strategy is far from easy. With more internal communication technology than ever before, we have to do our research and understand our business and employees inside and out. That’s why I’m going to talk about steps you can take to create the right balance of channels to achieve your business goals.

Overview of Modern Internal Communications Channels

Internal communications channels have come a long way! And thank goodness. Internal comms pros are no longer stuck relying solely on email, SharePoint, and printed signage.

We now have multiple types of broadcast channels, collaboration tools, self-service platforms, and virtual meeting technology that lets us connect with our employees however we want.

If you need a refresher on current channels, check out our other blog on internal comms channels.

But with all this choice of internal communication software, it actually makes it harder for us to determine what the right internal communications channel strategy is. Keep reading for tips on how to make more informed decisions and create a healthy channel mix.

Why You Need the Right Channel Mix

Our audiences are more diverse and distributed than ever before, which means we need more channels to maximize our reach and cater to different communication preferences. But that’s not the only reason we need to diversify our channels of communication. 

The truth is, different audiences simply won’t have the same kind of channel access. Channel preferences aside, many organizations that rely on frontline workers likely can’t reach those employees with email and their traditional intranet. You need mobile-first tools like texting, employee apps, or even a mobile intranet to even reach your deskless employees.

And your remote and hybrid teams are going to rely more heavily on virtual meeting technology and collaboration tools perhaps than those who are in-office.

The bottom line: if we don’t pay attention to the gaps in our channels and the preferences of our teams, we may not be able to reach everyone, let alone reach them in a way that engages and activates them.

How to Select the Right Channels For Your Strategy

So, let’s talk about how we actually go about selecting the internal communications channels we’ll need to effectively communicate to our distributed teams. Consider the following:

• Start with your objectives. What are the goals of your business and what are your goals as an internal communications team? Ultimately, what you need to achieve is going to drive your selection of internal communications channels.
• Get to know your audience. No single channel strategy is going to work for every organization, and that’s because our employees all need different things. The nature of their work, their preferences, and what kind of communication you send are all going to impact your internal communications channel strategy.
• Consider accessibility. The next thing to consider is whether or not your channels are accessible. We mean this in a variety of ways. Do those channels follow accessibility guidelines to accommodate your entire workforce? But are they also literally able to be accessed when and where your employees need them?
• Stay current with technology. New tools and platforms may provide you with more innovative ways to engage your employees. Make sure you’re agile in adopting emerging channels and not just relying on old-school tech.

At the end of the day, the right channels are the ones that help you achieve your goals. But to do that, they have to work for your audience. If you select channels based on these criteria, you’re well on your way to creating a successful internal communications channel strategy.

Conducting an Internal Communications Channel Audit

Just knowing the criteria we need to base our channel selection on doesn’t necessarily make it easier to put together the right channel mix. And that’s because most of us are working with limited resources and already have established channels.

And that’s why a channel assessment is so important. Auditing our communication channels is essential to learning where we have gaps, what new channels we might need to introduce, and determining what channels no longer serve us.

Conducting a channel assessment isn’t hard (thank goodness). Our free audit guide template makes it easy to map out all your existing channels, message maps, and audiences. And it is set up to help you assess your channel needs based on your current content strategy as well as what you want to be able to do in the near future.

Download your free copy below!

Where theEMPLOYEEapp Fits in Your Internal Communications Channel Strategy

I understand that many of us aren’t working with a big budget. We might be holding onto the comms channels we do have for dear life because they’re already approved and being used.

But that’s one of the reasons why I love theEMPLOYEEapp. One single platform gets you:

• An employee communications app.
• A mobile-optimized intranet.
• SMS texting.
• A microlearning add-on to help you share engaging, video content.

And all of these channels can be integrated with your other systems and technologies with our platform integrations.

As a company created by internal comms pros for internal comms pros, we are set at a price that works for your growing organization. So, you won’t have to choose between an app or an intranet. Because you shouldn’t have to.

Want to see it in action? Request a demo today.