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Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on Aug. 2, 2024 to include new data and information.
Intranets have undergone a major transformation in recent years, accelerated by the emergence of new AI tools. But there remains one constant variable that can, despite all those new capabilities, make or break your intranet: your content strategy.
We explore the five components of an effective intranet content strategy and share expert tips for getting the most out of your efforts.
Why Do You Need an Intranet Content Strategy?
While intranets were originally seen as a means to gather and store key documents in one place, they've expanded beyond this core functionality to become a critical channel for unifying the organization, engaging in two-way conversation and understanding how critical company messaging is making an impact within and outside organizations, said Staffbase senior strategic advisor Lottie Bazley.
Even with all the functionality of new technologies, an effective intranet content strategy is still rooted in the mission, vision and values of the organization — and strongly tied to the employee value proposition. It should also offer a balance of global and local content, so employees can view companywide news as well as information that helps them perform better in their respective functions.
This alignment of goals serves as the springboard for proactive and authentic content that establishes an organization's intranet as a critical channel to connect employees to one another and to the moments that unify them, no matter where they work or live.
A robust and effective intranet content strategy therefore involves an integrated approach across the organization, led by the communications team. This, Bazley noted, includes building solid relationships with critical stakeholders who have important information for employees, proactive planning and creative approaches for sharing information internally with maximum impact.
Related Article: The Communicator’s Guide to Building a Corporate Intranet: Part 1
The 5 Goals of an Intranet Content Strategy
There are many goals to executing an effective intranet content strategy, but Howard Waterman, president of communications consultancy The Waterman Group, said the most important include employee engagement and alignment with organizational objectives.
He summarizes them into five avenues:
- Provide two-way communications channels between management and employees
- Provide a repository of easy-to-access important information
- Allow for an interactive feedback loop
- Offer various formats of content, such as video and interactive options
- Offer social media-like feel and functionality to enable sharing, commenting and feedback
5 Best Types of Content for Your Intranet Content strategy
Ultimately, said Deep Cognition's John Pennypacker, the goal of an intranet content strategy is to ensure that the content on your company's internal network is organized, relevant and valuable to employees.
Several content types can help feed such a strategy, including:
- Company news and announcements: Bringing regular updates from leadership and department heads keeps employees informed about important organizational changes or developments.
- Policies and procedures: Providing an easy-to-access hub for employees to locate company policies, procedures and guidelines helps ensure consistency across the organization.
- Employee resources: Providing access to useful tools and in-demand resources such as HR forms, training materials and IT support.
- Social features: Integrating social features allows for increased collaboration and community-building among employees and leads to a more engaged and connected workforce, improving communication and teamwork.
- Mobile technology: Offering a way to access information on the go, via mobile-friendly platforms has become vital for dispersed and hybrid workplaces, improving accessibility and productivity.
5 Tips to Maximize Your Intranet Content Strategy
An effective intranet content strategy is vital for fostering a well-informed and connected workforce. As organizations grow and evolve, the challenge of maintaining an engaging and functional intranet becomes more complex.
Intranet experts offer up several tips on how to get the most out of your intranet content strategy:
1. Invest in the Right CMS Controls
Toby Ward, president at Prescient Digital Media and founder of the Digital Workplace and Intranet Global Forum Conferences, recommended organizations invest in a content management system with the right set of controls.
“Content management system controls should include content templates that standardize content formatting (font sizes, types), expiration/review dates (all content has to have an expiration date) and meta data input (mandatory fields for author, publishing date, title, subject, etc.).”
2. Write for the Audience, Not the Content Owner
It’s important to understand the audiences for all content (not just news) and how those audiences will access the content, whether it’s via mobile app, a kiosk desktop or at home on a personal device, said Suzie Robinson, intranet and communications consultant at Clearbox Consulting.
“Understanding who will need to read what content and how will help content owners consider the most appropriate format, length and tone of any content. This is particularly important for policy and process documents, where people rarely have time to pour through comprehensive materials written in technical language.”
Robinson also recommended using simple terms everyone can understand, and giving a “TLDR” (too long;didn’t read) summary at the end of the page to improve usage of the intranet.
3. Have Clear Policies in Place
It’s essential to have rules and guidelines for writing, formatting, classifying, reviewing and deleting content in place, according to Ward. “Writing for the intranet is the same as for the internet: shorter, more direct and relying on standard conventions for hyperlinking and classification (tagging).”
It’s also helpful to regularly schedule audits to assess the effectiveness of these guidelines and make necessary adjustments to keep the intranet content strategy aligned with organizational goals.
4. Get Governance in Place — and Stick With It
You should set up roles and responsibilities for each and every person involved with creating, publishing and managing content, said Ward. “Every author and publisher must adhere to a set of rules and policies for all content.”
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Robinson added that good governance is also the key to good search. If the search is displaying old content, she said, lifecycle tools will help archive old materials while a regular review of search analytics will help uncover what people truly want to find.
Governance becomes even more important as more AI drives search within intranets, said Robinson. Because if the data the AI tool is looking at is inaccurate or outdated, it will regurgitate that to employees and errors could be made. “Having accurate, up-to-date content also helps build trust in the platform and more broadly with individual departments, as if someone knows they can find the right answers on the intranet they'll be reassured to contact that department to get further answers.”
5. Look After Your Publishing Community
No one person is solely responsible for the intranet, said Robinson. When an intranet is launched, she explained, publishers receive a large amount of training to populate a new site. But then that knowledge is lost as people add content infrequently, people leave without finding a replacement and as people lack time to give their sections attention.
“By setting up a digital publisher community, intranet managers will have a means to share updates, re-share training materials, run AMA sessions, @mention people where activities need to be completed and maintain governance standards more easily,” explained Robinson.
If the people who maintain the intranet love it, she added, the experience will be far better for employees. She likened it to a garden that’s well-loved with a few weedy spots. People will ignore the weeds if the overall experience is strong. If the garden is a thicket of thorns, however, no one will want to go inside as they know they won’t find what they want.
Related Article: Top 8 Intranet Features Available Today
The Future of the Intranet
While some organizations have done away with their intranets, convinced they didn't bring much value to the organization, others have doubled down on them in an increasingly hybrid workplace. At this point, few experts agree on where intranets are heading. What is clear, however, is that like most other enterprise tech, it is an evolving space, influenced by new technological developments.
A growing number of companies are integrating generative AI into their modern intranet platforms, betting on the tech to save communicators valuable time by enhancing content strategies and allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks — including creating even more and better content.
