10 best practices for internal corporate communications

Learn the 10 most important best practices for measurably improving your internal corporate communications.
Table of contents

Internal corporate communication is successful when the right information reaches the right people at the right time and decisions become transparent. In this article, you will learn how a clear structure consisting of target groups, message types, and channels creates order and how the intranet as a source and the employee app as a distributor work together. The 10 best practices show you step by step how to simplify editorial processes, prepare content for mobile use and accessibility, make effective use of personalization, and make the impact visible with just a few key figures.

What is meant by internal corporate communication?

Internal corporate communication is a plannable process that ensures important information reaches all employees reliably and that queries are clarified quickly. It combines strategy, content, and clear responsibilities into a system that enables orientation, efficiency, security, and participation. This allows internal corporate communication to be improved and managed in a transparent manner.

Goals and benefits

Moodbild zu 10 Best Practices für interne Unternehmenskommunikation

The 10 best practices

Best Practice 1: Really understand your target groups

If you address everyone in the same way, you will ultimately reach the fewest people. The first step toward better internal corporate communication is to develop a concrete picture of your employees: Who needs what information, when, through which channel, and in what depth?

To do this, define three to five typical profiles of your workforce. For each profile, determine which content is relevant, at what times it is read, and which channel is best for communicating the information. This clarity reduces queries, prevents duplication of work, and increases effectiveness.

How to succeed in four simple steps

Gather basic information
Record roles, locations, shifts, languages, and access to devices. Supplement this with figures from the intranet, employee app, and email. Important factors include searched topics, articles read, and typical reading times.

Outline profiles
Conduct brief interviews with employees from different departments. Ask them what information really makes their working day easier, when they read it, and what format helps them. Create one page per profile with requirements, format preferences, and good times.

Derive rules
For each profile, determine which messages belong in which channel and how they are structured. Time-sensitive messages should be short and concise in the app, permanent and detailed on the intranet, with a note via email containing a link to the source.

Label and apply
Introduce mandatory fields in the editorial system. Specify target group, profile, location, language, topic, and validity. This ensures that content reliably reaches the right groups.

Examples of three personas

Shift management in production
Requires information on safety messages, handovers, and brief operational information. Read on a smartphone shortly before the start of the shift. Clear headings, a sentence with the key message, multilingualism, and confirmation are suitable.

Field sales
Here, information such as product news, prices, competition, and material for customer appointments is important. Reads on the go during short breaks. Short videos with subtitles, bullet points, and a link to the detailed page on the intranet are effective.

Development in the home office
Requires decisions, technical guidelines, and release notes. Reads selectively and takes time to delve deeper. Structured articles on the intranet with summaries and visible contact persons are suitable.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

One channel for everything

Best Practice 2: Define channel architecture

Many problems in internal corporate communications arise because it is unclear which channel is intended for what purpose. Sometimes the entire message is in the email, sometimes on the intranet, and sometimes in the employee app. This is confusing, time-consuming, and weakens the impact. A clear channel architecture provides a remedy: each message has a main channel, a reference channel, and, if necessary, an emergency route. This ensures that content can be found reliably and reduces duplication of work.

To do this, establish a simple, binding system: What types of messages are there, which channel is the main route for each type, in what form are they published, and how do you consistently link to the central source? The goal is to have a single source for each topic, brief notices in accompanying channels, and a clearly defined route for urgent messages.

How to succeed in four simple steps

Take stock
Which channels are you currently using? Intranet, employee app, email, chat, on-site screens, notices. What messages are being communicated via these channels? How often, to whom, and with what success? Collect examples of successful and unsuccessful posts.

Define message types
Name 8 to 12 recurring types, for example, security alert, system malfunction, policy change, quarterly update, project progress, onboarding info, success story, appointment announcement, knowledge article, location report. Record short definitions so that everyone understands the same thing.

Decide on allocation per message type
Define the following for each type: main channel, information channel, emergency channel if necessary. Note down the form of the message, the desired length, the language, and the link to the source. Make a conscious decision as to when the employee app will be used and when the intranet will be the central source.

Describe the rules for each channel.
For example, the intranet requires a clear structure, descriptive headings, jump marks, a designated contact person, and permanent links. For an employee app, use short texts, understandable subject lines, a clear next step, and, if appropriate, a read receipt. For email, the rule is: as short as possible, always with a link to the source, no attachments if avoidable. And for on-site screens, only the key message and a reference via short link or QR code.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Publish everything everywhere

Best Practice 3: Editorial planning and clear approvals

A lot of friction arises because topics are launched without a plan, approvals come too late, or responsibilities are unclear. Lean editorial planning with clear roles and a fixed review process makes internal corporate communications more reliable, faster, and consistent.

Bundle all topics into a visible plan, assign a responsible person for each contribution, define a simple approval path, and work with recurring templates. This creates a traceable process from idea to publication with clear deadlines and decisions. In this way, internal corporate communication can be permanently controlled and continuously improved.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Organize topic sources
Collect input from management, departments, projects, and locations in one place. Work with categories such as mandatory information, notes, knowledge articles, and culture. Prioritize according to impact, target audience, and urgency.

Set up an editorial plan
Use a simple table or board with columns for Idea, In Progress, In Approval, Ready, Published, and Archived. Required fields for each post are Target Audience, Message Type, Channel, Responsible Person, Desired Publication Date, Validity, Language, and Link to Source.

Clearly define roles
Assign one person to be responsible for each contribution and clearly define the roles. Roles may overlap, but responsibilities must remain clear. Appoint a substitute for each role and make this visible in the editorial plan.

Define approval paths and deadlines
Write a fixed schedule with clear deadlines into the editorial plan and stick to it consistently. A recurring rhythm, such as weekly sprints with fixed publication times, gives everyone involved planning security.

Rule for this:

Use templates and standards
Work with approved text modules and clear rules for length, language, accessibility, and multilingualism. A short summary, next action, contact person, and link to the source are mandatory. This ensures consistent quality, even when several people are writing.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Too many approval levels

Best Practice 4: Systematically establish leadership communication

Effective internal communication visibly starts at the top. When managers communicate regularly, clearly, and in dialogue, trust grows. Information is understood more quickly and decisions become comprehensible. To ensure that the effect does not depend on individual persons or their daily form, a simple, reliable framework is needed.

To achieve this, establish a repeatable process for messages from management and division heads: fixed deadlines, appropriate formats, clear roles, a short review process, accessible presentation, and genuine opportunities for questions. The goal is reliability rather than individual cases.

How to succeed in four simple steps

Define the goal and narrative thread
Define what employees should know, feel, and do after the update. Use a fixed structure: results first, then what’s new, why it’s important, and what the next step is.

Choose formats and frequency
Establish a clear rhythm so that everyone knows when news will be released. For example: a monthly brief update in text form with a video lasting up to three minutes, a quarterly in-depth article on the intranet, and a question and answer session twice a year with a recording and transcript.

Organize production in a streamlined manner
Work with a short checklist to ensure that every update has the same structure.

Enable and manage dialogue
Plan fixed channels for queries and responses.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Irregular publications

Best Practice 5: Strengthen the feedback culture within the company

Good internal corporate communication is not a one-way street. When employees can ask questions, give feedback, and contribute ideas, content improves, decisions become more transparent, and trust grows. To ensure that feedback is not left to chance, clear channels, visible responsibilities, and a simple loop of question, answer, and implementation are needed.

Create a few, easy-to-use feedback channels and determine who will respond, within what time frame, and where the results will be documented. The goal is to establish a reliable dialogue that works in everyday work life and whose impact can be measured.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Provide easy ways to give feedback
Make it as easy as possible to give feedback. Enable comments under posts, provide feedback forms, and offer an anonymous option for sensitive topics. An ideas section with voting rounds off the offering.

Clarify rules and responsibilities
Determine who will respond and within what time frame. Publish tone rules, appoint a person responsible for each area, and define which feedback will be answered publicly and which will be handled confidentially. This way, everyone knows where they stand and responses are reliable.

From feedback to decision
Each piece of feedback is clearly classified and given a visible status. Classify posts as a comment, question, idea, or complaint, assign them to a person, and mark their progress as under review, planned, implemented, or rejected with justification. Short response templates help you respond quickly and consistently.

Reach all employees with the employee app
For employees without a fixed workplace, the app is the central channel. New posts appear with push notifications, and reactions and short forms work with a single tap. On-site notices or screens link directly to the relevant app post or page via a code.

Learn and give feedback
Regularly show what has been done with the feedback. Once a month, publish a short summary with the most frequently asked questions or feedback topics, the decisions that have been made, and the next steps. Link to the source and clearly state what applies from now on. This shows that feedback has an impact.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Feedback is fading away

Best Practice 6: Optimize content for mobile use and accessibility

Many employees read internal messages on their smartphones. Others use read-aloud functions or require subtitles. If content is easily accessible on mobile devices and prepared in an accessible manner, its reach and comprehension increase noticeably. This makes internal communication more reliable, especially in teams without fixed workplaces.

Design texts, images, and videos so that they can be quickly understood on small screens, even when time is limited and environments are changing. At the same time, make sure that all employees can use the information, regardless of language, vision, or technical equipment. The employee app is the central access point for time-sensitive content. The intranet remains the source for details.

How to succeed in four simple steps

Key message first
Start every message with a sentence that states the result. This is followed by the three most important points and the next step. Even if you only have a few seconds, the essential information will still be understood.

Readable on smartphones
Write short paragraphs, clear headings, and avoid convoluted sentences. Only use lists if they really help. Link to a page with details instead of copying long texts into the app.

Think mobile media
Use portrait or square images so they look good on smartphones. Compress without visible loss of quality. Keep videos to a maximum of three minutes, with subtitles and a short summary in text form. Use alternative text to describe what can be seen in an image.

Reliable delivery in the employee app
Send time-sensitive messages as push notifications, but with clear rules for times and frequency. Deep links lead directly to the relevant post in the app. For locations without their own device access, use company-provided smartphones and provide brief training on how to use the app.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Inconsistent files and formats

Best Practice 7: Use personalization and segmentation

The better information is tailored to your target groups, the less wastage there is and the greater the impact. Personalization means that each person only sees what is relevant to their role, location, and current situation. This allows you to reach important groups more reliably and reduces the number of queries.

To do this, define a few clearly described groups and specify which message goes to whom, in which language, and via which channel. The employee app delivers time-sensitive information directly to the people concerned, while the intranet remains the central source for detailed content. Email or chat are only used as a short reference with a link to the source.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Define characteristics
Decide which characteristics you want to use to differentiate between employees. Proven characteristics include role, department, location, shift, language, and, if applicable, security clearances. Keep the number of characteristics as small as possible so that maintenance remains manageable.

Form groups, but keep them small
Start with a few recipient groups such as management, office staff, production staff, service staff, and apprentices. Only add more groups if there is a clear benefit, such as having a separate group for each shift. Maintain a short description with examples for each group.

Assign and customize messages
Link each message type to the appropriate groups and channels. In the employee app, short, time-sensitive notices only appear for the people concerned. The full post with a summary, contact person, and further links can be found on the intranet. Customize subject lines, examples, and language for each group.

Control time slots and frequency
Send notifications when your target audience is most likely to read them. Shift start times for production, mornings for sales, quiet periods for development. Set quiet times and avoid duplicate notifications. If a notification comes from multiple systems, only the main channel will display it.

Ensure quality and data protection
Explain openly why someone is receiving a message. Only use necessary information, maintain language settings, and name a contact person for queries. For voluntary topics, provide a simple way to select or unsubscribe from interests.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Too fine a division

Best Practice 8: Establish clear goals and key performance indicators

What is not measured rarely improves. Key figures for internal corporate communications show whether messages are reaching the right people, being understood, and having an impact. With clear goals, precise definitions, and a fixed evaluation cycle, you can manage your communications like a product.

To do this, set a few meaningful goals, define appropriate metrics, and visualize the results in an easy-to-understand dashboard for management and teams. The employee app provides quick metrics on reach and confirmations, the intranet shows usage and search activity, and short surveys test understanding. This allows you to base decisions on data rather than gut feeling.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Formulate goals
Start with three to five goals, for example: reach more people in non-desk teams in a timely manner, increase understanding of quarterly goals, reduce recurring questions about standards. Each goal needs a clear target group and a desired target value with a date.

Define key figures clearly
Define one key figure for each goal and describe exactly how it will be measured. Examples: Percentage of the target group that has seen and confirmed a safety message in the app within 30 minutes. Average reading time of the quarterly update on the intranet. Number of searches for a topic per week. Write down the definitions so that everyone understands them in the same way.

Set up measurement points
Activate confirmations for critical messages in the employee app, specify language and location. Use events such as calls, scroll depth, and clicks on links in the intranet. Add short one-question surveys to check understanding. Document where the data is stored and who has access to it.

Set up a dashboard and rhythm
Build a clear dashboard with just a few cards: reach, usage, engagement, understanding. Display values by target group and channel. Set a fixed date for a brief evaluation, for example every two weeks. At this meeting, decide which measures will be implemented before the next meeting.

Improve, test, learn
Use the figures to derive specific steps: adjust the subject line, change the sending time, add a summary, add a language version. Only test one thing at a time and compare results over one or two cycles. Keep track of what worked.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Too many key figures

Best Practice 9: Prepare change and crisis communication

In times of change and disruption, every minute counts. Clarifying processes, templates, and channels in advance allows you to communicate information more quickly, avoid rumors, and protect trust. The goal is a streamlined, well-rehearsed approach that works even under pressure and reliably reaches all employees.

You create a short manual with typical scenarios, fixed roles, clear time rules, and tested text modules. A page on the intranet serves as a central source. Time-critical information is sent to the relevant people via the employee app, with confirmation. Accompanying channels link to the source.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Define scenarios
Identify the most important cases and rank them according to urgency. Typical scenarios include IT malfunctions, security incidents at the site, product quality, site notifications, personnel changes, and reorganization. Write a brief definition for each scenario and specify a trigger that will initiate communication.

Clarify roles and availability
For each scenario, designate a person in charge and their deputies. Maintain an up-to-date contact list with phone numbers, chat details, and email addresses. Specify who approves the initial report, who writes updates, and who answers questions. The list should be available offline in case systems fail.

Review and prepare templates
Create short building blocks for initial reports, updates, all-clear messages, and questions and answers. Each template should contain: a headline with the outcome, a key message in one sentence, specific next steps, a contact person, and a link to the source. Save language versions and notes on tone: factual, clear, without blame.

Define channel and time rules
A source on the intranet bundles information and is continuously updated. The employee app informs affected groups via push notifications, with confirmation for critical messages. Email and chat are only used as notifications with links. Set fixed intervals for updates, for example every 30 minutes until the situation stabilizes, then hourly. Agree on quiet times and exceptions for emergencies.

Practice and evaluate
Conduct short trial runs. Measure the time until the first notification, the reach in the affected groups, the proportion of confirmed notifications, and typical queries. Highlight three improvements and adjust templates. Document the most important findings for next time.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Waiting too long for complete facts

Best Practice 10: Integrate your tool landscape sensibly

Internal corporate communications are most effective when content, target groups, and channels interact seamlessly. This can be achieved when central systems communicate with each other and the process from creation to measurement is clearly defined. The goal is a simple architecture: a reliable source of content, an employee app for time-sensitive notifications, clear access rights, automated processes, and a shared view of the results.

They combine identities, content, channels, and key figures into a coherent whole. Employees log in once. Target groups come from the personnel information system. Content is stored in one place and distributed from there. Measurement data flows into a clear dashboard. Data protection and retention periods are clarified.

How to succeed in five simple steps

Connect access and target groups
Set up single sign-on so that all systems work with the same account. Transfer groups such as role, location, shift, and language from the personnel information system. This allows you to control who sees what without having to maintain lists manually.

Define a source, define distribution lists
Designate the intranet as the central location for detailed content. The employee app distributes summaries and time-sensitive messages to the right people. Emails and chats refer to the source with a link. Store fixed building blocks such as summary, next action, contact person, and validity.

Automate processes
Connect systems via connectors or programming interfaces. Examples include automatic publication from the intranet to the app, language versions from a translation service, subtitles from video production, and archiving after expiration. Use rules to prevent messages from being sent twice.

Standardize measurement exhibition
Bring together key figures from apps, intranets, and short surveys in a shared dashboard. Show reach, usage, participation, and understanding by target group. Set out in writing how values are measured and check compliance with the rules.

Regulate operation, security, and maintenance
Appoint people responsible for systems, content, and data quality. Set retention periods, deletion rules, and emergency plans. Regularly check that links work, language versions are complete, and old content has been marked as archived. Make all rules easy to find.

Common stumbling blocks and better ways forward

Multiple sources with different versions

Moodbild Erfolg messen & optimieren

Measure & optimize success

If you want to improve internal corporate communication, you need clear goals and comprehensible figures. Start small, measure continuously, and derive concrete steps from each cycle. The employee app provides quick values for reach and confirmations, the intranet shows usage and searches, and short queries check understanding.

KPI dashboard

A shared dashboard with a few key performance indicators (KPIs) makes impact visible and comparable. Four building blocks are enough to get started:

Comparative test (A/B testing)

Comparative tests examine a specific assumption: Which variant achieves the better result with the same target group? Only test one change at a time.

How to plan each test:

Ideas for meaningful tests:

Editorial review (retrospective)

A brief, firm review ensures that figures lead to improvements.

30-minute agenda:

Result of the retro meeting:
A maximum of three specific measures with owner and date – and a planned test for the next cycle. This creates a repeatable learning process instead of individual actions.

Conclusion

Effective internal corporate communication does not happen by chance, but is based on clear structures and a well-thought-out process. It functions as a system, because individual messages only have an impact when they work together. When target groups are precisely defined and each message is reliably distributed via the appropriate main channel, information noise is reduced. At the same time, understanding increases because feedback is visibly incorporated into improvements.

The initial approach can be pragmatic. It is sufficient to define three typical employee profiles, create a transparent assignment of message types to channels, and agree on a streamlined approval process. Supplemented by a few meaningful key figures in the dashboard, this creates an initial foundation on which to build.

In addition, mobile formats can increase reach, language versions can integrate international teams, and automated processes between the intranet and employee app can reduce effort. In this way, internal corporate communication is gradually developing into a powerful tool that provides orientation, strengthens trust, and shortens decision-making processes.

This transforms what is often an underestimated secondary process into a key success factor. Companies that strategically develop their internal corporate communications not only improve information flows, but also create a working environment in which motivation, commitment, and cohesion grow.

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