As a profession, internal communications is still considered to be in its infant stages. The sector is developing rapidly as demand increases, but compared to the likes of HR, finance, and marketing, it very much remains ‘the new kid on the block’.
For professionals operating in the sector, this results in a distinct lack of seasoned pros who have gone before to learn from. There are just a handful of early pioneers now boasting 20+ years’ experience: as a collective, we’re largely still finding our feet and establishing best practice. Couple that with the rapid pace of technological development and an ever-changing political, economic and social climate, and internal comms pros have a continuous challenge to stay ahead of the curve.
Finding credible resources for guidance and insights is hugely beneficial. However, it can still present a challenge in these (relatively) early days. If you’re looking for insider knowledge, tips and ideas to advance your own internal communications strategy, look no further. We’ve rounded up a selection of great webinars that will take you through from planning and campaign ideas to measurement and more.
Looking for internal comms inspiration?
- Creating and implementing a successful internal communications strategy
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: the first step for any IC pro is to have a plan and structure.
Employee experience agency Vignette coupled with communications solution provider Poppulo to create this simple framework for developing an internal communications strategy. Covering everything from building audience profiles to aligning with leadership and business goals, this webinar is a great starting point for any internal communicator.
2. The business value of good internal communication
Need to get senior level decision makers onboard? Angling for budget, but need to prove your worth and business value?
Fear not. Based on the IC Kollectif global report, The Next Level, this webinar from the IABC uses interviews and data-based research to back its arguments for the value and return of good internal communication. Go in armed with all the validation and evidence you need to take your comms to the next level.
Looking for internal comms inspiration?
3. Internal comms ideas your employees will love
As a communicator, you’re competing against an estimated 4,000-10,000 marketing touchpoints facing the average person every day.
Going up against the big guns in a battle for attention from your staff is no small feat. This webinar looks at creative, outside-the-box ideas for creating truly eye-catching comms that staff won’t just read, but love. Covering everything from gamification to piggyback marketing and storytelling, there’s an idea for every campaign.
4. Unleash your internal influencers
Influencer power is on the rise in B2C marketing and communications; particularly in an age of Twitter and Instagram. That’s a trend that can translate into your organization.
Identifying staff influencers who can rally interest or support from their peers can be a great strategy not only for generating more user-generated content and engagement, but also for tapping into grass-roots ideas and innovations. Senior Employee Engagement Specialist Laura Jameson from Instinctif Partners delivers this webinar in conjunction with Staffbase.
5. Bridging the gap between internal and external communication
Today’s social media-driven culture has transformed how, where, and when we communicate. In short, there’s no such thing as ‘internal’ anymore.
Establishing organizational trust and transparency have never been more important. To get it right, there must be a two-way flow of information between what we’re saying to employees, and what we’re saying to our customers. This webinar from Social Chorus explores how – and why – external communication can influence your internal content strategy to build trust and engagement among employees.
6. Building your brand from the inside out: turn employee experience into customer success
In today’s globalized and even saturated market, the consumer has the power of choice. In fact, we’re increasingly seeing a shift away competition based on product, price, promotion: instead, our employees have become our greatest differentiator, in terms of the service they provide.
Creating a strong internal brand that empowers, informs and connects your staff will ensure they’re delivering the best possible service to your customers. Instinctif Partners joined Interact to explore how brands have created behavioral change to drive growth, innovation, and service.
Looking for internal comms inspiration?
7. Help your employees communicate in the language they know best
Gen Z is looming on the workplace horizon, and already there’s speculation and questions around how to engage the newest generation to enter our ranks. With video acknowledged as the default go-to medium for this group, how will this impact on internal communication? What tools does your business need, how can you engage them?
This webinar from the Enterprise Communication Network sets out to find the answers.
8. Are you prepared for a crisis?
The role and importance of internal comms is never more crucial than when crisis hits. What’s more, every organization is vulnerable: whether to a natural disaster, a system outage, an economic crash. Developing a crisis communication plan should be a critical part of your IC strategy.
Be prepared for any eventuality with this step-by-step guide to creating an effective crisis communications plan.
9. Boost your internal comms through the power of visual content
In a world dominated by Instagram and YouTube, visual content and storytelling has tremendous value when it comes to getting a message across to an audience. Despite this, we tend to adopt more traditional methods when communicating with employees.
This webinar explores the science behind visual content, the impact it can have on engagement, and presents ideas and inspiration to motivate your own campaigns. Bring your IC strategy to live.
10. Measure and evaluate internal communication for maximum effectiveness
How do you know you’re getting it right?
Setting clear goals, measuring success and evaluating performance against business objectives are crucial for any IC professional. With evidence, you can prove value, secure budget and buy-in, and evolve campaigns for maximum success. This webinar from the Institute for Public Relations covers the how and why of measuring your internal communications efforts.
Internal communications, despite its growth in recent years, remains allusive to many: largely due to the fact that it is, of course, internal. Unlike external marketing or communication, it can be more challenging to learn from others who have gone before.
However, as many of the topics above show, the boundaries between internal and external are beginning to blur. Looking to best practices and trends utilized externally can help shape our internal strategy. As the recognized value of internal communications continues to grow, more examples will come to the forefront and shape the future of both profession and industry.
We’re constantly looking for partners and speakers to collaborate on webinars or events for our widespread audience of internal communicators, HR professionals, and senior leaders. If you might be interested in working with us or there’s a topic you’d love to see us cover, why not get in touch ?
