Be it an internal or external organizational communication channel that you manage, running an audit periodically can help uncover gaps, improve value and enhance effectiveness.
Why do you need an audit in the first place?
The reasons are many. Your business may have changed and the market landscape expects the firm to adopt a different approach. Or, the channel has changed ownership and the current method of engagement needs a revisit. It can also be that your channel’s users have matured and now demand more attention.  Likewise, it is possible that the channel’s technology has evolved and you need to stay more close to how audiences interact with the vehicle. It can be that there is limited participation on the channel – a cause for concern. Lastly, analytics may indicate that your channel needs an overhaul or the communication on the channel isn’t effective enough. Overall, it is good practice to take stock of how your channels fare and continually improve their impact.
So, how do you go about it? You can approach the audit in multiple ways.
- Review the current ‘as-is’ state:Get a sense of what works and what needs addressing. Conduct studies to gauge the current perceptions and what can be better.
Think about –
- what is the channel meant to do and how is it currently used?
- is it consistent, timely and updated regularly?
- do users have any views about the channel?
- does it need improvement?
- what measures are adopted to gauge impact and value?
- are there opportunities to cross-link/promote with other channel
- Analyze the issues:Through a review of the process or format, a content analysis or a benchmarking exercise you can discover gaps that need addressing.
Think about –
- how is a similar channel used in other organizations?
- what best practices exist?
- what does research tell you about such channels and effectiveness?
- what can you consider at the workplace?
- Act to improve:Take insights and recommendations to stakeholders, pilot interventions and tweak your model
Think about –
- what do you propose to change about experience with the channel?
- what can you do to involve employees or other audiences?
- over the next 6 months what are the possible actions/milestones you can aim to achieve?
- how will it improve the user experience or brand recall?
Is that enough?
Report what you find, share progress and communicate your actions to help stakeholders appreciate and for users to acknowledge your commitment to change. No audit is good enough unless you can do something meaningful with it.
Go ahead and try these approaches. Keen to know what you discover.
