Why you might be getting in a muddle with your internal comms metrics

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In any line of work, the ability to measure the impact of what you are doing is important to achieving success. After all, how will you know whether or not you’ve been successful if you can’t measure it?  As internal communications people, we are usually very keen on measurement.

Herein lies the  trap for internal communicators…

  • World class internal communications are generally acknowledged to help achieve world class employee engagement.
  • And if you have engaged employees, your business is more likely to succeed.
  • It follows therefore that good internal comms help a business succeed.
  • But how do you define business success?

…That’s right: widgets developed, widgets sold, business won and retained!

Business success is never defined in how many clicks your last internal newsletter got. Or how many page-views your intranet homepage gets.

It’s a simple fact that if you’re doing a great job with your internal comms, the results will be seen all throughout the business… All this success is wonderful, and it’s lovely that the Sales Director will get his/her bonus… but the chances are, you’ll probably just be seen as the department that spent lots of money making a newsletter or running a costly intranet.

What does that mean for internal communicators? Well, by all means keep on measuring whether anyone reads your newsletter or subscribes to your blog. That’s fine, but don’t let those metrics be what defines you. Don’t fall into the trap of allowing the organisation to equate clicks and questionnaires to the value of the Internal Communications department.

Instead report on successes and growth achieved around the business. Borrow the metrics from the business and highlight how effective communication & collaboration has made it happen.

I promise you, the business will love you for doing so.

 

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