Is external comms only half the picture?

Over many years, companies have come to see the value of external comms. Marketing departments with big budgets are tasked with generating income, raising the profile, reminding customers of why they feel good about their most recent purchase – inform, remind, persuade, inform, remind, persuade.

But what of internal comms? Is now the moment when Internal comms comes into its own? Is this a watershed moment when companies finally see the value in talking to and listening to their employees? Will we see a maturing - a coming of age if you will - among internal comms professionals and an appreciation of the skill required to ‘be a good one’.

During the COVID19 pandemic, companies were thrown into chaos. Many internal communicators saw an opportunity to ‘finally get the seat at the table’, to have influence in the halls of power. And now, during the great resignation, companies again are realising the value and need to understand their employees, and to get the tone right. It seems that perhaps the sound of the death knell for top-down draconian communication is ringing at last.

Below I explore seven reasons why External Comms is only half the picture, and how companies should think more about the impact that Internal Comms has on the bottom line 👇

1) The bottom line

External Comms: Delivers fast, tangible evidence of change to the bottom line Internal Comms: Delivers slow, often intangible but significant change that impacts the bottom line. Outcomes include:

• Reduced Employee turnover

• More engaged employees

• Better connected teams

• Greater collaboration

• Reduced absence due to illness

• Happier customers

• Repeat business

• Can head off reputational risk

2) Sales

External Comms: Generates sales and volume of leads Internal Comms: Converts leads into customers

• Well trained employees know their customer and their business

• Connects the right people to the right people

• Creates a culture where employees are empowered to make decisions and fix issues Improves internal processes which better serve the customer

3) Success

External Comms: Celebrates successes - eg NetZero commitments, awards... Internal Comms: Facilitates successes happening

• Promotes and encourages collaboration between teams

• Encourages positive collaborative culture

• Creates employees who are invested and want to make an impact

• Creates a team environment Encourages innovation

4) Results

External Comms: Promises Results Internal Comms: Delivers Results

• Connects employees to the business objective

• Creates empowered knowledgeable employees who:

  • Resolve problems for the customer Following through on promises made

  • Understand why what they do matters

  • Bring customer feedback into the organisation

  • Know the product and can connect to the customer's need

5) New Products

External Comms: Launches Products Internal Comms: Develops Products

• Promotes a collaborative environment

• Generates internal buy-in and backing for projects

• Generates understanding of why a project is important

• Promotes a culture of innovation and sharing

• Understanding of the customer is brought into the organisation and shared with the teams which need to know

6) Brand

External Comms: Connects customers to a product/brand, builds influencers Internal Comms: Connects employees to a product/brand, builds brand ambassadors

• Provides context to how 'my role' fits into the bigger picture

• Provides understanding of what other colleagues need to 'do their bit' effectively

• Helps employees to feel proud of where they work

7) Feedback

External Comms: Understands the customer, elicits regular feedback Internal Comms: Understands the employee? Elicits regular feedback?

This is an area where many companies need to develop. Many companies do not understand who their employees are, what they need and how best to communicate with them.

An annual survey no longer cuts it - we must find alternative ways to listen to employee voice.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn - I'd love to hear your thoughts.