Ten reasons why internal newsletters matter for employees
By
— July 17th, 2014
Email employee newsletters and internal communications email softwareremain a cornerstone of an internal communication strategy. They can be one of the most effective communication tools available to engage employees. But there are a number of things that communicators need to have in place to ensure they have the highest impact.
60% of internal communicators regularly send email employee newsletters
How to improve employee newsletter open rates and drive engagement
The importance of email employee newsletters as an internal communication tool
Over 500 communicators participated in our Emerging Trends & the Use of Technology survey. One of the questions we asked was what types of communications they sent by email. Over 60% regularly send email employee newsletters. Why have they survived through the digital age? What makes email employee newsletters still matter – in fact, why they are essential?
Employees want them
Internal communications are extremely important to employees. Good employee newsletters can keep employees informed, provide a line-of-sight across the organization and supply the tools and information needed for job productivity.
An internal newsletter reduces information overload
By using employee data and content targeting, your team can produce employee newsletters that are personalized to the employee, sending only the information and news they need.
A newsletter declutters the inbox
Instead of relying on a glut of single message emails-to-all, employee newsletters push out aggregated essential information. This not only reduces emails – it boosts the relevance of what does appear in the inbox.
A newsletter can be read on any device
Designing and using a high-impact template offers employees the flexibility to securely view employee newsletters at their workstation, or on a smartphone.
Starts and continues conversations, improving company culture
Today’s technology lets you embed interactive features in your newsletters – such as commenting, ratings, ‘likes’, and surveys or polls. This encourages employees to feedback to management.
Features multimedia such as video
Along with written articles, you can also offer an array of content, such as images, podcasts, infographics and videos – bringing your employee newsletters to a whole new level of engaging.
How to improve employee newsletter open rates and drive engagement
Company newsletters ensures important messages are read
Through the insight and measurement that the email channel can provide, your team can monitor email performance and track how your audience responds to your newsletter.
A newsletter provides real time engagement metrics
Engagement metrics such as opens and clicks, article and section popularity can help you shape your content strategy and improve performance with every issue.
Newsletters Complement existing channels
The email channel is most likely just one of a number of channels available to you. Use your newsletter to signpost and drive traffic to SharePoint, Yammer, Chatter and other enterprise platforms.
Proves Internal Communication’s business value
Benchmark and use your results to transform internal communications from shooting in the dark to an effective management tool. Link your results back to organizational goals and objectives and share it with stakeholders.
Newsletter ideas
Internal newsletters are a fun and informative way of communicating with your employees. There are plenty of excellent ways you can use your newsletter to boost employee engagement and understanding of company updates:
- Placing executives in the spotlight for valuable insights
- Behind the scenes
- Big company news - the most obvious one
- A day in the life of an employee..
Learn more on some of the above suggestions and find more ideas with our post Creative Ideas for Your Company Newsletter.
Key Takeaways
In conclusion, email employee newsletters remain an essential component of an effective internal communication strategy. They are valued by employees as a means of keeping them informed, engaged, and productive. By leveraging the power of technology, communicators can enhance the impact of their newsletters by personalizing content, offering multimedia options, tracking engagement metrics, and linking the results to organizational goals. The email channel complements other existing internal communication platforms, proving the business value of effective internal communication. Through the effective use of email employee newsletters, organizations can foster a strong, informed, and engaged workforce.