Storytelling in Internal Comms: Using Interactive Content to Build Connection
Whether our audience are employees or customers, one thing is certain; we are dealing with people, and people are overloaded with communications. But despite the challenges, the modern world offers huge opportunities to reach internal audiences in exciting, memorable, and most importantly, impactful ways.
From their workplaces to their living rooms (which, in the era of home working, can be one and the same), people have several competing demands on their attention. This makes the question of how to make internal communication content stand out one that BR Studio pours huge amounts of creativity, thought and effort into answering.
It isn’t an easy challenge to overcome. Research from Axios HQ | The 2023 State of Essential Workplace Communications suggests a disparity between how effective brand leaders think their internal communication strategies are compared to their employees; nearly 80% of leaders consider their internal comms messaging to be helpful, relevant, clear and engaging, but only around half of employees agree.
The overwhelming positive, however, is that we now have more tools to communicate with our people than ever before. As technology has evolved, so has the power of interactive content to tell your brand’s story to internal audiences in powerful and resonant ways.
Connection in internal comms
It has always been true that the same rules of storytelling apply whether we are speaking to potential customers or brand employees. In today’s busy world, however, people don’t want to give content more time than it deserves, and can make that judgement with ruthless speed. They don’t want their time wasted – and most especially in the workplace when they have their day job to deliver.
This is why, when looking at how we can deliver content that drives cut-through, we always ask ourselves – what are the stories people want to hear?
Finding the human thread
Interactive content sets up a forum to discuss real issues in a way that truly cuts through and connects with people. As we all know, people are less engaged by sanded-down, corporate messaging – they want human-to-human conversations.
When we helped Amazon with their Pride Month communications, speaking to their Glamozon network of LBGTQ+ colleagues, the tone was very personal and human. It was ‘real’. The same applied in their International Women’s Day content, where women spoke candidly about their experiences such as the difficulties they faced returning from maternity leave.
Considering the delivery
Tactics such as live-streaming present a fantastic opportunity to open up the conversation and engage employees in an interactive, compelling way. And by creating engaging, thoughtful content, you demonstrate that you value your employees’ time.
One key example is our work with Santander. When they set up Women in Investing, which was designed to empower both women employees and customers to gain confidence in investing, our team created and executed a series of livestreamed, in-person events, playing a crucial role in supporting and documenting while also creating assets which could be seeded out on social media and within Santander’s internal channels.
The valuable advice, insights and personal experiences shared at the event really connected with Santander employees, who went on to describe how engaging they found the event, and their intention to share it with friends and family. This was a fantastic illustration of how a strong creative idea, supported by the strategic use of content, can turn employees into brand ambassadors and give them assets to disseminate amongst their networks.
Elevating the production
In our era of ‘Zoom fatigue’, we can also nurture connection simply by elevating the production value of content. This was demonstrated when the team at BR Studio advised Bosch to enhance the production values of their Town Hall events – resulting in a livestream which had the highest retention rate and interactivity of any similar event.
By moving away from the Zoom screen, we can communicate to employees that this isn’t just another meeting cluttering up their calendar. We value their time, and therefore make the most of the time we have together.
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We all know from our personal working lives that, before we pack up for the day, our time and attention will be pulled in several different ways. Interactive content such as livestreaming, podcasts and video production offers opportunities not just to keep up the conversation with internal audiences, but to inspire them to become enthusiastic advocates for your brand – and our team can help you make the most of them.
If you’d like to find out more, contact BR Studio on studio@broadcastrevolution.co.uk.
