From large multi-region conferences to smaller internal comms workshops, corporate events are a great way to inspire, inform and engage staff.

But all too often, once the event ends, employees get back to their 9-5 and the connections and learning are lost. And where is the value for those who couldn’t attend?

These are common problems for employee engagement and internal communications teams – but they don’t have to be for you.

Make Events Work Harder

By using compelling copywriting, you can avoid these issues. With the right words – and the right creative copywriter – you can maximise the value of your corporate events, and your employee engagement.

Instead of a stand-alone occasion, your event can become a springboard for interesting content, reminding attendees of what they learned, and sharing valuable insights with those who couldn’t be there.

How does it work?

Before your event takes place, set up a meeting with your copywriter to brainstorm ideas based on the topics and structure of the event.

Book your copywriter to attend the event so they can sit in on the presentations and take note of conversations during workshops.

Your copywriter can also interview the speakers from your event separately to get more information about their specialist subject, or to ask for their tops tips on tackling a particular issue within the workplace.

Maximising value

If you take this approach, the opportunities for internal comms content from corporate events that really stimulates employee engagement are huge.

It could be an in-depth article with quotes from speakers. Maybe it’s a short, punchy collection of learnings from a workshop. Or what about a listicle of the top 10 highlights of the day?

All of these can be published as part of a newsletter, on the intranet or turned into a special series of blogs.

Style matters

Of course, it’s important that the copy reads well, has the right tone of voice and reinforces the essential messages from the day, as well as your strategic internal comms / brand messaging.

But get all this right (or find a freelance copywriter with the skills and experience to work with you) and you’ll gain deeper insights from events, create more shareable content and make sure employees who can’t attend feel really involved.

The post Create Must-Read Content from Corporate Events appeared first on Alex Genn Copywriting.

But all too often companies commit cardinal sins when it comes to their content – and, as a result, it fails to get results.

To stop you from falling into the same traps, here are six internal comms content clangers to avoid.

1. Using meaningless business-speak

You might hear phrases like ‘blue-sky thinking’, ‘mission creep’ and ‘let’s action that’ in meetings. But have you ever heard them in real life? Of course not. Your internal communications should help you connect with employees. But using business-speak distances you from the very people you want to inspire. Instead, use plain, easy-to-understand language that you’d be more likely to hear in the breakroom than the boardroom.

2. Being critical

Internal communications content should be used as a tool for positive reinforcement – not as a means to be critical. If your sales team has failed to meet their target, or someone’s spending more time on Facebook than their to-do list, save it for a one-to-one meeting rather than your monthly newsletter. Employee engagement always means thinking about when, and how BEFORE you open the conversation.

3. Not having an internal comms strategy

A well-thought-out internal comms strategy is the foundation effective employee engagement is built on. Like all strategies, it should pinpoint where you are now, where you want to be and, most importantly, how you’re going to get there. But keep your strategy simple. A long-winded document that goes into excessive detail will get filed in a drawer and ignored. Instead, use a living document that’s regularly referenced to ensure everything’s on track. It’s also worth revisiting and updating your strategy at least once a year.

4. Information overload

We live in an age when we are constantly bombarded with information. It comes from every angle, emails, texts, tweets and Facebook, Instagram or adverts on billboards and television. To effectively create employee engagement, your internal comms content needs to cut through all of this noise and grab the attention of your employees. To do this, keep your content simple, short and to the point. This takes skill and experience. If you’re stuck, a freelance copywriter can help with creative approaches to framing new procedures, interesting formats to share best practices, and even building a content calendar to help you plan your employee engagement strategy.

5. Not asking for feedback

Having an effective internal communications strategy is important. And, equally is vital is listening to what the people your content is written for actually want to read. Maybe there’s an expert within the business that they’d like to see interviewed. Or maybe they’d prefer shorter, weekly bulletins rather than one longer update every month. Invite ideas from employees on a regular basis – and explore different ways to implement them. Working with a copywriting agency can give you someone fresh that colleagues are more willing to talk to as they come without ‘internal baggage’.

6. Failure to measure results

If you want your internal comms to be successful, it’s vital that you know what’s working and what’s not. As part of your employee engagement strategy, use metrics to track how many clicks your intranet article gets and how many people open your newsletter email. You could even use tools to work out which headlines and subject lines are most effective. The information you glean can then be used to tweak and update your internal comms strategy.

Find out more about how we can support your internal comms

The post Employee engagement matters. Avoid these internal comms clangers appeared first on Alex Genn Copywriting.