Whitepaper

1. How Successful Internal
Communicators do it...
...Their 7-step checklist.
A quick guide for effective
employee communications.

2. The value of effective Internal Communications is being increasingly recognized by large
organizations all round the world with industry-wide research showing that effective internal
communications can have a definite benefit to an organization’s bottom line. The onus
is therefore on Internal Communications professionals to be accountable through greater
employee engagement.
This 7-step check list has been created from the best practice advice compiled from working
with over 400 blue-chip companies across 97 countries.
So, whether it is sending a once off communication to select employees, or implementing a
detailed company-wide communications programme, this 7-step guide is designed to give you
structure on how you can communicate most effectively.
Introduction
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

3. The first step in creating effective internal communications is to understand
your organization’s overall communications strategy.
This gives you the necessary focus to develop campaigns and tactics that are that are in sync
with the long term-goals. Each campaign is transformed from a one-off, tactical event, into
something that directly contributes to the organization’s overall strategic direction.
By mapping the results of your communications back to the initial objectives you can understand
whether a campaign was successful or not. These are some common objectives you might like
to set, but of course you may have others specific to your organization:
• How many employees engaged with the communication? (e.g. opened and clicked)
• How many commented on or shared content?
• How many indicated they understood the communication?
• What departments/sectors are most or least engaged?
• How many responded to a survey?
• How many registered for an event?
The feedback you get from this data creates a real-time picture of your communication’s success.
Set objectives for your communications
Step #1
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

4. Thereareamyriadofchannelsandtechniquesavailableforcommunicators
to use and they are multiplying all the time – such as social, blogs, email,
video and desk drops. Communicators need to understand the potential
power of all channels available.
No matter what set of tools you choose, the message should be told with consistency in both
branding and content across each channel.
Research has shown that 61% of employees
need to hear information 3-5 times to
absorb and believe it.
In most cases, it’s strongly advisable
not to try to use one channel for all your
communications. This is likely to limit your
effectiveness. Consider taking a multi-
channelapproachtoyourcommunications,
ensuring that employees are exposed
to your message across multiple touch
points. Each channel can reinforce and
complement the message of the other.
Understand the power of each
communication tool available to you
Step #2
60
Melcrum Benchmarking Data for Communicators - Report on channel effectiveness.
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33.7%
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49.5%
6.4%
43.2%
5.5%
4.6%
22.3%
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Percentage(%)PrintNew
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Electronic
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ail
Intranet
Video
Blogs
Other
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ebcasts
InternalSocialNetw
orking
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er)
Leadership
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unication
Team
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anage
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HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

5. Understanding your audience will help you to understand how to
communicate more effectively. How can you segment your employees so
your communications are more targeted and relevant?
• What are their likes/dislikes/preferences?
• What are their interests?
• What is their sentiment towards the organization at this time?
• How do they consume information (including which platform e.g. mobile)?
• Where are they located globally?
• What level are they within the organization?
It is important to keep employee data up-to-date and ensure you always have access to the
most up-to-date information. You can then select the most appropriate channel and tailor your
message for different groups, based on a clear understanding of your audience.
Understand your audience
Step #3
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

6. The emergence of digital channels has changed the way we consume
information. Research shows that people decide in just 5-8 seconds
whether or not to read through a communication.
Therefore messages require sufficient impact to get noticed, and need to be structured around
the appropriate design and length for the audience attention span.
It’s important to set the tone of voice to match your subject matter. You may need a different
approach if you are sending a message from the top of the organization, or if you are looking
for employee feedback on a particular issue.
Understand what you want to accomplish
from each communication. What’s your call to
action? What do you want employees to do in
response to your communication?
Never work in isolation. Ensure that you
share and sense-check messaging with your
colleagues before you send out, until you have
it just right.
Take time to craft your communications
Step #4
Did you know?
Images can be hugely impactful, especially
for global audiences. Video can lift
engagement even further – with Forrester
reporting increased engagement of 2-3
times. Therefore be aware of what formats
can drive greater engagement.
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

7. Preparing the message is only half the job. Now you need to ensure your
message is going to be engaged with by employees. To do this you need
to test and optimize what you send out to maximize its effect.
• Test formats – is this the right communication channel for this message?
• Test who it’s from - who an email comes from can make a huge difference to the open
rate. Should it come from the CEO, the IC team, the line manger or country manager?
• Test titles/headers/subject lines – take the reader on a clear path with your headline
and subheads.
Always think about your audience. Each time an employee feels like they are wasting time
reading an irrelevant message, they are less likely to engage with the next one. A badly targeted
communication suggests to them that you don’t really know who they are (or even worse that
you don’t care).
Where possible, let the employee control the communications they receive through their
feedback. Understanding employees’ preferences and acting on their feedback is the key to
increasing engagement and maintaining the integrity of your communications.
Test and optimize to
increase engagement
Step #5
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

8. Measurement is the key to success and it’s what transforms internal
communications from shooting in the dark to an effective management
tool. Measurement is essential not just at the end of a campaign, but
every step of the way:
• Define what success will look like.
• Measure impact of the reactions and opportunities to enhance performance.
• Benchmark your success against other campaigns and industry norms.
Look not just at engagement levels, but also where it goes wrong – where are you losing your
audience? Keep changing, re-editing & optimizing. If you have a channel you can’t measure,
try driving interaction from another channel which you can measure. Be aware of trends over
time – a month, a quarter, a year. This will give you a broader understanding of communication
effectiveness.
Always look for insights
and measurement
Step #6
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

9. The ultimate reward for effective, results-orientated internal
communications is improved productivity and a place at the top table
where the key decisions are being made.
The more you actively seek out to communicate your successes to senior stakeholders and
offer them the business insights as a result, the more likely you are to increase you and
your department’s visibility as vital contributors to organizational success. To achieve this
you need to:
• Always present results that are linked to organizational goals and objectives to the
senior management.
• Understand what metrics management are interested in hearing about.
• Demonstrate the effect of the communication to the organization or business.
• Be clear and concise and present ideas and solutions for future action.
Share your results
Step #7
Newsweaver’s Internal Connect Reporting
Dashboard with real time view on
engagement.
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

10. The value of taking a systematic approach to Internal Communications
through our 7-step guide is significant to any organization. A rigorous
approach to objectives, channels, methods, content and above all a
commitmenttomeasurementateverystep,willtransformtheeffectiveness
of your messaging.
By turning Internal Communications into a strategic tool, it enables communications managers
to play a greater and more effective role in the overall vision and direction of any organization.
Newsweaver, Powering Internal Communications
Newsweaver Internal Connect is an easy-to-use internal email communications platform that
allows internal communicators create and deliver employee newsletters, flyers, rich media
content, surveys and event registration directly into employees’ inboxes. With strong focus on
user experience, communicators are able to easily;
• Inject interactivity into their email communications with video, podcasts, pulse surveys
and internal events.
• Introduce social features through commenting, liking, rating and sharing.
• Integrate with intranet platforms such as SharePoint to drive their use and effectiveness.
• Access real-time insight and measurement that demonstrates the value of internal
communications to the organization.
Summary
If you want to take your internal communications to the next level,
contact Newsweaver today for a no-obligation online demo.
Go to www.newsweaver.com/internal-communications or call +353 212427277
HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL COMMUNICATORS DO IT... THEIR 7-STEP CHECKLIST.

11. Newsweaver Internal Connect
DramaticallyimprovetheresultsofyouremployeeemailcommunicationswithNewsweaverInternal
Connect.
Boost the engagement of employees by sending emails that are high-impact using the full
interactivity of the web – and which provide you with actionable insights and metrics to transform
your internal communications.
Newsweaver is the global leader in Internal Communications Management with proven
technology, comprehensive services, and expert guidance that is helping more than 400 blue-chip
and FTSE 100 companies.
Cutting Edge Communications
Cut through inbox clutter and grab your audience’s attention
with memorable messages that are on-brand and viewable
onanydevice.Newsweaverallowsyoutokeeptheirattention
with stylish embedded images and videos.
Champion Two-Way Communication
Newsweaver Internal Connect is packed with social features
that allow you start conversations across your organization.
Give employees the ability to comment, rate and like content,
and participate in surveys and polls; while gathering valuable
intelligence with every communication sent.
Gain Audience Measurement & Insights
Monitor email performance so you can shape your content
strategy with powerful insights into content popularity and
engagement. Boost your credibility with powerful intelligence
that proves ROI and drives real organizational change.
Manage Events More Effectively
Take the hassle out of event management with our smarter
event management tool that brands invitations, manages
registrations and targets communications by response, and
then measures your success; all from one, intuitive system.
Newsweaver is recognized with ISO 27001 Accreditation for protecting your employee data.
See how Newsweaver can benefit your organization
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different communication challenges. Call
us now if you’d like to discuss yours with
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