So you finally got your intranet up and running. Great! Except that no one is going to it, and the stress of adding engaging content is really getting to you.
You promised that this time it would be different, and this time everyone would want to read your announcements. You even added a few photos and some sales figures. But getting engagement is beginning to feel like as much as work as those email newsletters you once used.
Intranet software has evolved so much that it’s easy to assume the technology does the job for you. But it doesn’t. You still need to drive engagement!
A lot of what I am going to say may seem obvious, but when you are struggling for content and you just spent the last few months justifying why you need an intranet, the pressure to write content can be a struggle. So regardless of whether your company is large or small, here are some content ideas to incorporate in your intranet today.
1. Company Success Stories
Did our development team just hit a milestone? Did your IT team work all weekend on a project? Even if it feels like there is nothing to celebrate, find even the smallest thing—like your Marketing Manager finally cleaning his desk.
2. Community Events
Is there a local beer festival in your city? Or maybe an upcoming Star Trek convention?
3. Photo Albums
Can you imagine if Facebook didn't have images? Even if you don't have a recent company event to share, take pictures of anything--a coworkers baby, a mouse in the kitchen, a new photocopier!
4. Personal Achievements
If your HR manager just ran her first marathon, talk about it! If an employee who is constantly late finally made it to the office on time, share the news!
5.Internal Job Postings
Adding job postings to your intranet opens up the chance for employees within the company to aim for different roles. It's also good news if your employees share this information with their external network because it's basically an affirmation of "Hey, this is a great place to work."
6. Upcoming Company Events
Christmas parties and annual general meetings are a good start, but don't forget about other events like tradeshows, office clean-up day day, or volunteer activities.
7. Contests
One of our customers had a department of graphic designers who were feeling unappreciated, so they started a contest on their intranet where employees had to vote on which designs they liked the best. What a great idea!
8. CEO corner
Employees want to feel involved in company news, especially when it comes from the top. The more employees know, the more they care.
9. Employee spotlight
This could be anything from a Q & A format to highlighting a specific role or department. As long as you have employees, you have someone to feature...no matter how minor their contribution.
10. Silly goofy humor
I’m a huge proponent of humorous posts. If you are struggling for something funny to include, check out Humour at Work speaker Mike Kerr. He usually lists upcoming silly theme days like “Earmuffs day,” or “work naked day.”
11. Archived Stuff
How much has your company evolved in the last few months or years? Post old logos, photos of old offices, “Remember when our office was on top of a garage (ok, ours actually was!)” or “Remember when our website looked like crap?” Digging up the past is a great way to share company evolution.
What are you posting to your intranet today?