Data has been considered the new oil for decades; yet its power to influence internal communications is often underutilised. Analysing data can support a more effective delivery of key messages and ensure campaigns achieve the desired impact. There are however several considerations for communications professionals when thinking about using data. We have set out three areas of focus below:

Identify your audience and channels

The first step is Communications 101: having a close understanding of your audience and their preferred channels is vital. Given the amount of data the average organisation possesses today - covering employees, customers and campaigns - analytics can help make informed decisions about how to improve communications.

Determining the right data sets to analyse will depend on your target audience. For example, if you are targeting your employees, then data on their demographics and the most preferred channels of communications at work will provide useful insights on how to improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Measuring the current effectiveness

Once you have identified your audience, data can also be used to measure the effectiveness of current internal communications channels. There are tools available to monitor a campaign’s readership and if it is meeting its strategic objectives. This can provide communicators with timely information on adjusting their campaign.

For example, if your data shows that an internal newsletter is being opened by only 10% of recipients, then there is an opportunity to investigate the cause. Are certain sections seeing low click through rates? Could the formatting be unsuitable for certain email clients like Gmail? Is your story compelling enough to drive interest and clicks? Analysing the channel of delivery in this way can help raise important questions and uncover any gaps in your internal communications strategy.

Measuring the effectiveness of a campaign should not be limited to statistics and click through rates. More subjective sources of data can come from varying methods, such as an internal survey. Another example is a workplace temperature check, which is an assessment of how your colleagues are feeling. This can also serve as an important barometer on the delivery of key messages.

It goes without saying, the gathering and handling of employee data should only be done in accordance with your company’s guidelines. Communicators should plan and discuss how they will be using employee data with the relevant person or department in their organisation, most often legal or compliance, before they even consider using it.

Plan for the future

Finally, data analytics can help with planning future internal communications initiatives through the identification of trends. Using the example of employee demographics, let’s say a company is seeing a gradual shift towards younger and more tech savvy employees. This information might suggest that it’s time to appeal to those demographics by implementing more visual and interactive methods of communications like infographics or videos.

Forecasting is also able to predict which channels of communication will become more effective over time. For example, if there is an increasing trend towards mobile channels within a company, then the design of internal content - say, newsletters - could shift to a mobile friendly format or a mobile alert could be sent out for when it is published. Analysing data trends makes it possible to anticipate these shifts.

Data is a very valuable resource and when it is analysed, it can greatly improve the efficiency of internal communications. But data also needs to be used with a clear direction in mind. For internal communicators, this goes back to the basics: identify your audience, your story and how you’re going tell it.