3 Internal Communications Trends to Plan for in 2018

Written by Jason Anthoine, Audacity.

I recently had the opportunity to attend an Advanced Learning Institute conference in Nashville. There were about fifty internal comms folks in attendance, excited to share and learn best practices for both measuring and improving their work. Here are the top internal communications trends that came up during the conference, the challenges many of us are facing as internal communications practitioners, and some of the solutions that seem to be working best.

1) How Do We Tie Our Internal Communications Strategy To The Business Strategy?

Regardless of industry, your organization is probably already tracking some high value dashboard KPIs. Your goal is to tie your communications strategy to the business strategy. Think through the main KPIs that drive the success of the business. Whether that’s driving sales, improving customer service and quality, or improving safety, your communication efforts must be tied to those.

2) How Do We Measure The Outcomes, Not Just The Outputs?

We’re drowning in data. Our job as communication leaders is to take that data and turn it into knowledge. We need be interpreting these numbers in order to apply the right communications solutions that drive business success. Are your communication outputs tied to driving successful business outcomes?

“The whole point of measurement isn’t to just prove, it’s to improve.” – Sean Williams, True Digital Communication

3) How Do We Reach Our Wired Or NonWired Employees?

Mobile apps and mobile employee communications were hot topics at #ALI_IC. There are a ton of platforms to help you reach your employees wherever they are on a device that they already prefer. One of the highlights of a conference was a discussion around artificial intelligence and how platforms like Cerkle can help us distribute highly customized and personalized communication by giving employees the power to subscribe and choose their preferences.

It’s fascinating to think of employees as individuals rather than a big group from a comms perspective. This is what your marketing department has been doing for years with customer information. Why can’t we apply those same type of ideas with how we’re communicating with our employees? I believe we should be applying those same types of ideas with how we’re communicating with our employees and that internal communicators should be embracing marketing.

I hope you enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at the top internal communications trends and takeaways from ALI’s conference. I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation about what we strive for as internal communication pros to make the work we do matter even more.

Share your comments below, or download this free resource to learn exactly how to align your communications strategy with your business strategy.

[Original Post: 3 Internal Communications Trends to Plan for in 2018]

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Interested in learning more? Attend Communicating & Engaging with a Deskless Workforce, December 4-6 in Miami.

 

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