The problem with most of the corporate intranets we come across these days is they contain “nice-to-have” information in a standalone channel – the perfect recipe for low usage and one of the main reasons intranet engagement continues to be an uphill battle for communications teams. “Nice-to-have” is not nearly enough when you want to engage employees. You must give them something they need or care about, and it has to be easily accessible.
It’s important to consider what you need your intranet to do. Intranets can serve any combination of internal communications objectives, from posting company news and distributing information, to collecting feedback and providing a forum for employees to connect and engage with each other. And while Facebook may not offer the same level of security your behind-the-firewall domains can, it more than makes up for it. In fact, it seems a “closed” or “secret” Facebook group could be the perfect solution based on these 5 Ideas for Boosting Intranet Engagement.
- Mimic the digital/social functionality people use in their personal lives
With nearly 2 billion people on Facebook globally, and membership/usage continuing to rise (even among older generations), chances are a large majority of your employees are already members and know how to use it. - Treat the site as a new source; post new/original content frequently
The nature and functionality of Facebook’s Timeline promotes timely, relevant distribution of content, and features like Facebook Live offer a channel to communicate up-to-the-minute information in real-time. - Promote the site by notifying users about new content
With built-in notifications and many people scrolling through their newsfeeds multiple times per day, Facebook nearly eliminates the need for additional promotion. - Reduce clutter
Facebook’s infrastructure automatically organizes your content based on timing of the post and its simplicity leaves little room for content hoarding. (Note: You may need a supplemental internal microsite to host certain types of documents as Facebook doesn’t currently allow for traditional file storage. An internal microsite could also be used as an added layer of security on highly confidential docs.) - Serve your users content needs
Liking and commenting are built-in features that allow you to measure how valuable your employees find the content to be, and you can easily ask about what they’d like to see more or less of.
If security remains a concern, even with a supplemental microsite to host sensitive content, Workplace by Facebook offers a nice alternative, and integrates with leading enterprise file storage platforms, productivity applications and CRM solutions. However, it does require a separate Facebook account/login and is therefore less integrated with your employees’ existing daily usage.
Do you need a new intranet? Or, does your current one need a recharge? Let’s talk about some ways we could help you do that.