Optimizing Your Broadcast Communications

Capture Employee Attention andWeed Out ‘Internal Spam’

For Webinar, April 16, 2008 www.cutthroughcommunications.com

Technology solutions to revolutionize employee

messaging and communication

Paula CassinCEO/Founder

Agenda

1. The Problem of Internal Spam, Employee Information Overload

2. Three Suggested Solutions

3. Takeaways

Role of Broadcast Communications

3. Drive Action/Chan

ge

2. Build Knowledg

e

1. Get their

Attention

We’re stuck here

The Status QuoExecutive

Human Resources

Finance

Corp Comms

R & D

Sales

Marketing

Customer Service

I.T.

Your Employees

New Communities of Interest - Innovation

Financial industry forecastAnnual Shareholder Meeting live webcast SAP Training for Accounting Dept – sign up

Cisco Certification coming upNew technology updatesOutage notifications

Monthly call center performance statsTop Telesales rep for the monthCustomer support stories

Upcoming Product Launch – X version 6.2January special offers and promos

Brown Bag lunch on retail industry trendsNew sales claims process

New Expense claim formNew employee disputes process from 1st Jan

Change to staff healthcare plan

Weekly positions vacantWelcome new hires

New intranet goes liveExecutive Briefing coming up

Annual Engagement Survey - complete this weekSales Conference - register

Company mission statement and annual objectives now on intranet

Too much email and communications

clutter means

important business infogets missed

The Issue

Suggested Solutions

1. Manage Broadcast Comms – Take Charge

2. Optimize your Broadcasts – Improve the message

3. Provide Alternatives – Remove the noise

Solution #1: Manage Broadcast Comms

• Limit access to Distribution Lists• Sign-off process for “push”Control

• Define which messages qualify for each channel

• Company-wide guidelines + trainingCriteria

• Central Comms Calendar and Timeline• Protect employees from too much infoVisibility

• To reduce ‘push’, provide good alternatives• Full Range from Pull to PushOptions

Solution #1: Outcomes

Protect Employees from Spamand Info Overload

Make sure that critical 5% gets through

Solution #2: Optimize your Broadcasts

Measurable

Context

Message

Channels

Interaction

Measure, Benchmark

1. Are you getting through? Do you even know?

2. What’s a normal response rate in yr org?

• Readership

• Click-throughs

• Survey responses

• Ratings

1. Pick your ideal target outcomes

• X entries tagged in CRM by at least X sales reps

• X click throughs to new product page

• Training module viewed/completed by % reps

Context: Current state of affairs

1. COMPETITION. Who else sends them broadcasts?

2. FREQUENCY. How often do staff receive broadcasts?

3. VOLUME. How many other emails/voicemails do they get a day/week?

4. PAST RESPONSE. How have they responded in the past?

5. INTRANET. Quality of intranet/in-depth resources

Read this.

Really, I mean it

Optimize your Message*

Six key recommendations.• Consistent structure• Make it fresh• Pare it down• Overview for context• Use several mediums

(text, image, table, video…)• Invite interaction

*based on IABC Research Report:Preparing Messages for Information Overload Environments,” Eppler/Mengis, 2009.Read it for more great details!

Channel Mix Criteria

• Cuts through?

• Appropriate?

• Media-rich?

• Targeted?

• Measurable?

Inviting Employee Interaction

“We need to ‘push’ out information that explains WHAT the business is doing,

and WHY it is doing it . . .and then use interactive social media tools

to get employees to start talking about HOW they’re going to help make it

happen.”Steve Crescenzo, Consultant

Solution #2: Outcomes

Make Comms easier to absorb

Make Comms more enjoyable and interestingfor employees

EmailVoicemail

broadcastsScreensaversInternal BlogQ&AsForums

I.M.Digital

SignageE-Bulletin

Boards RSS Posters Print pubs Videos Wikis

INTRANET newsLaunch PacksPeers/ChampionsTraining Sessions

Scrolling news tickers

Desktop Alerts

SMS/Text Apps

Micro Blogs

Team MeetingsLeader VisitsConferencesLetters to Staff

Solution # 3: Provide Alternatives

1. Convert info to PULL

2. Consolidate Interruptions

3. Have Channels for every requirement

Solution #3: Enterprise Example…

• Competition: every staff member with girl scout cookies to sell

• Audience: extreme email fatigue

• Volume: hundreds of email broadcasts per day, mostly spam.

• Context shows that even the best email in the world would get a low response

Contributions and social media

News aggregation

Targeted advertising

Solution #3: Enterprise Example

Feedback and education

Cut through for critical content

Solution #3: Outcomes

All Communications still given an outlet (nothing stifled)

Info available on demand

Delivery method matches content relevance

The Snap Comms Tools

Snap Alert

Snap Ticker

Snap Quiz

Snap Poll

Snap Mag

Snap Shots

Snap Interactive

TAKEAWAYS&

QUESTIONS?

Checklists,

MANAGEyour broadcast comms company-

wideOPTIMIZE

each message to be easy for staff to absorb and action

CHANNEL content into appropriate mediums

to reduce noise, maximize cut through

for Webinar: Communicate to Help, not Hinder, your Salesforce, April 2009

CHECKLISTS HERE: http://bit.ly/lqkjcFeel free to contact me/us at Cut Through Comms

www.cutthroughcommunications.com

Paula Cassin1.805.715.0300. Twitter: paulacassin. LinkedIn: paulacassin

THANK YOU!

5 ways to reduce Email Overload:http://blog.cutthroughcommunications.com

IABC Preparing Messages Report: www.iabc.com (free for members or

$99)

Paula.cassin@cutthroughcommunications.com

http://www.twitter.com/paulacassin