A content strategy is your roadmap to better employee engagement.

And whatever the factors and ambitions driving you, your people are essential in helping you get to where you’re heading. Being open and transparent about what’s ahead – and the role that every employee is expected to play – is crucial for moving forward. And it's here where the role of content is so important.

You may already have a communications strategy:

Your big picture of ‘why’ and ‘how’ you’ll communicate with your people and stakeholders. But a content strategy defines the all-important ‘what’ and ‘when’. What content formats and channels will have the biggest impact on your employees’ attention, and when to communicate to them.

Investing time in developing a content strategy – and an accompanying content plan that acts as your schedule for rollout – means you’re creating a roadmap for delivering your messaging consistently at every turn.  

Jump in and we’ll explain how it works … 

Before you set off 

Everything begins with your people and really understanding who’s on the journey with you. Your employees aren’t all the same – nor are the ways in which they want to be communicated to. Their roles, locations and behaviours can all differ greatly, so defining the different audience groups in your organisation will be essential in defining how you talk to them and the best channels for doing this. 

Map it out 

From your start point to your destination, be clear on the purpose of the journey and consider how you’ll know when you’ve arrived. Understanding your wider business objectives will help inform what content is needed. You may be going through an exciting period of growth or planning a major organisational restructure – two very different journeys to communicate, but each requires a clear direction of travel.    

Whether they’re involved in the decision making along the way or not, give your people the context of the journey and what it means to them before you set off. They’re along for the ride whether they’re engaged or not. But who makes a better travel companion – the bored voice in the back asking, “are we nearly there yet?”, or the one sat up front, excited to be on the road?

A clear content strategy gets them on board by presenting a compelling reason for them to join you as you move forward.

Check you’re on the right road

As with any long journey, make time to take stock and review your progress. By measuring the effectiveness of your content along the way, you’ll know if everything’s on track. If so, stick to your route. But if you take a wrong turn and aren’t seeing the results you want, correct your course.

It may be that one content format has failed to land your message as you’d like. No problem – just take the learnings and try a different tack. Adapt and improve is the approach to take. 

Be sure to take in the sights
As you hit major milestones, celebrate them. These are occasions where you can deviate from your plan and throw a bit of magic into your output. The best content plans – like the best workplace cultures – perfectly balance the day-to-day, need-to-know organisational comms with unexpected and unforgettable moments of fun and wonder.

So embrace opportunities to get creative in how you share successes or wins along the way. If your content planning is sound, you can dedicate time to doing this, knowing your core messaging is taken care of.
 

You’ve arrived at your destination 

The aim is that you ultimately arrive where you want to be – having achieved your objectives – with employees who feel energised, engaged and valued for being more than just a passenger. Transparent, clear and inclusive communication creates a positive culture, and culture counts because it can raise morale, increase retention and boost productivity. Not to mention the fact it makes any journey more enjoyable for all involved.