What is the internal communication plan for next year?
It is a fact that the last year was unusual for the entire world population given the COVID-19 pandemic and despite requiring the market to be quick to keep up with changes, many companies are still understanding their adaptation process in the face of the current situation, which has been extending longer than we would like.
This moment has been a great challenge for all areas of the company and internal communication is no different, it also had to adapt and develop, amidst the events, a CI plan that could maintain performance.
Regardless of the size of the company, they all felt and suffered the impacts of the migration of several employees to a work model previously unexplored by many, the home office. And although each organization created its own strategy, one thing was unanimous: 100% digital communication channels. Ambev, for example, which has over 30 thousand employees and an exclusive team for CI, had to invest in a mix of channels fully adapted to online, leaving aside its programming of in-person events and printed communication.
But there is no point in having different CI platforms, for in-person or online use, if the planning is not structured.
And that's why B2 Mídia wants to help you in this mission of developing a complete internal communications plan. Below we have separated important steps for creating this plan, but remember, it is not like a cake recipe, because although some “ingredients” are present in all cases, each company must adapt according to its scenario. Let's go?
Budget: The budget is what defines the possibilities for working on communication in your company. How much does the CI area have available on a monthly/annual basis? Where has this budget been invested? It is very important to assess whether investments have achieved significant results and perhaps it is time to adjust the sails on the boat.
The credibility that the area has with management is a very important factor in achieving a budget or improving one that already exists. Here in this post We talked a little about strategies to achieve this.
The next tax cycle will soon begin for most companies, so start organizing yourself financially for next year!
Diagnosis: This is the stage where the reason for applying the action plan and they can be diverse, change in organizational culture or climate, quality of life at work, eliminate pedestrian radio, change the brand concept, work on the mission, vision and values, engage employees, etc. Here are two important parts to this diagnosis:
- Analysis: It is very important that all areas and hierarchical levels are heard through a quick search and preferably anonymous, where they can honestly give their opinion on some aspects of the company. As mentioned above, these questions must be thought about according to the company's scenario. It is through these answers that we will understand where to act.
- Ombudsman: After collecting this information, how about proposing a focus group of improvement? Here, you can invite some employees, from different areas, to share desires, expectations and ideas on how to make communication even better.
Realize that listening is a very important point, not only during the creation
of the plan, but ever, This attitude must be present in communication!
Okay, after thorough research, we have enough information to understand the “pains” of the company and the employee.
Action plan: At this stage, the CI area needs to study how to link all internal marketing activities and actions with the objectives detected in the previous process. Yes, creativity will be an essential skill here. Right from the start, you need to ask some questions:
Which channel should I use to reach these employees?
By knowing the audience, the company and everyone's work routine, it is possible to identify the best platform for the moment. One digital mural/Corporate TV, can be very useful in an organization where the work model is traditional, that is, mostly face-to-face, but a corporate application or intranet serves very well employees who do not work in person, such as salespeople or home office fans.
What should I communicate with employees?
The type of communication and actions chosen depend on the goal (which must be linked to the business objective), so we must think about which types of communications will be relevant enough to help us achieve our goal. The types of content can be motivational, humanized, strategic… See some examples below:
- Humanized: Feeling part of the company is important for any employee, so invest in a communication that recognizes and congratulates your employees, show them frequently and explain the importance of each one of them.
- Motivational: The role of leadership It is extremely important at all stages, as leadership is the channel closest to the employee and also directly influences the motivation of their teams. Whenever possible, involve leaders in communication and channels, invite them to pass on messages of encouragement, explain goals, and give positive feedback.
- Organizational: Sharing data about the company with employees, whether positive or negative, is a very efficient way to gain employee pride and build a relationship of trust. Omitting information can end up demotivating employees, as they do not feel transparency by the organization.
With these suggestions, it becomes easier to extract more content options, right? But it doesn't stop there, in addition to the points above, it is important to define the update frequency (to help you, We have put together a communication calendar, download it here) and of course, define some metrics to know if CI is on the right track.
If the chosen channel is a Corporate APP, for example, it is possible measure the progress of actions in detail. With your strategic planning ready, it becomes easier to define priorities and prepare communication demands in advance, thinking more carefully about each action and its objective.
Knowing that unforeseen events happen, with this internal communication plan there is even a little time for “lightning announcements” that usually appear out of nowhere, right? With all the strategic actions planned, it is time to plan the execution of them all, closely monitoring the results of this effort, which we guarantee will be very positive.
