Unlocking the Secrets to a Successful Intranet

Introduction: If you’ve ever wondered how to get the most out of your SharePoint intranet, today’s post is tailor-made for you. We’re diving deep into a groundbreaking study by SWOOP Analytics that sheds light on the best practices for optimizing SharePoint intranets. In today’s remote work environment, intranets serve as the nerve center of organizational communication. Yet, despite their importance, there’s a surprising lack of actionable data on how to make them more effective. That’s where this study comes in. It offers a treasure trove of insights, from the best times to post content to the ideal article length for maximum engagement.

Transforming Intranets from Good to Great

Intranets have long been the unsung heroes of organizational communication, serving as the backbone for internal information sharing and collaboration. Often overlooked in favor of more flashy tools like social media or advanced CRM systems, intranets quietly do the heavy lifting, from disseminating company news to hosting essential documents. But what separates a good intranet from a great one? What are the key elements that make an intranet not just a repository of information but a vibrant, engaging platform that employees want to interact with?

Enter SWOOP Analytics, a leading digital workplace analytics provider. Recognizing the gap in data-driven insights about intranet effectiveness, they've conducted a groundbreaking study—the first of its kind—to shed light on these questions. Utilizing real-world data from a staggering 36,000 SharePoint intranet pages across diverse organizations, their study provides invaluable benchmarks and actionable insights. The aim? To help organizations optimize their SharePoint intranets for the one metric that matters most: employee engagement.

Let's dive into the key findings and explore how you can apply them to make your intranet a roaring success.

Key Findings from SWOOP Analytics' Report

1. Optimal Time for Posting: The study found that employees are most likely to read intranet posts between 7 am-9 am and 11 am-1 pm on weekdays. Interestingly, Thursday emerged as the most popular day for intranet usage. Timing is crucial when it comes to internal communications. According to Staffbase, most email opens happen within the first hour of the email arriving in an inbox. The same logic can be applied to intranet posts. Posting at optimal times ensures that your content doesn't get buried and has a higher chance of being engaged with.
2. Employee Engagement: Employees spend an average of 17 minutes per day on the intranet. This is crucial information for news page editors, who can expect about 10 minutes of an employee's workday attention. Employee engagement is not just about the time spent but also the quality of that time. Powell Software suggests that good intranet content should be purposeful and promote engagement. Knowing that you have around 10 minutes of an employee's attention can help you tailor content that is both engaging and meaningful.
3. Article Length: The study recommends an optimal article length of around 500 words. Articles stretching up to 1,500 words also maintain good engagement levels. While the study suggests an optimal length, it's also important to consider the complexity and relevance of the topic. A more complex topic may require a longer article to provide comprehensive insights. However, the key is to maintain engagement by breaking up long articles with subheadings, bullet points, or images.
4. Device Usage: The desktop reigns supreme for intranet access, with only a minuscule percentage of employees using phones or tablets. Given that desktop is the primary device for intranet access, it's crucial to optimize the intranet design for desktop use. However, as remote work becomes more prevalent, a mobile-responsive design shouldn't be entirely neglected. It offers flexibility for employees who may need to access the intranet while on the go.
5. Article Lifespan: Articles have a natural lifespan of about a week, although this can vary depending on the topic and context. Knowing the natural lifespan of an article can help in planning a content calendar. Fresh content should be introduced before the decay rate of existing articles kicks in, ensuring that there is always something new and engaging for employees to read.

The Importance of Real-Life Data

What sets this study apart is its reliance on real-life data from more than 36,000 SharePoint intranet pages across various organizations. This lends a high degree of credibility to the findings, making them invaluable for anyone involved in running an intranet.

The sheer volume of data analyzed provides a comprehensive view that goes beyond anecdotal evidence or limited case studies. It's one thing to make assumptions based on a small sample size, but the robustness of this study offers insights that are statistically significant. This means that the recommendations aren't just best guesses; they're backed by substantial data that can be applied across different industries and company sizes.

Moreover, the diversity of organizations included in the study adds another layer of reliability. It's not just tech companies or large corporations that were analyzed; the data spans a wide range of sectors. This makes the findings universally applicable, whether you're running an intranet for a financial institution, a healthcare provider, or a retail business. The study offers a kind of "one-size-fits-most" guide that can be tailored to meet specific organizational needs.

Practical Applications

1. Timing is Everything: Given the optimal times for posting, consider scheduling your most important announcements or articles accordingly. Utilizing a content calendar can be a game-changer here. By planning your posts around the peak engagement times, you can ensure that your content gets the visibility it deserves. Tools like Hootsuite or Buffer can help automate this process, allowing you to schedule posts in advance and free up time for other tasks.
2. Quality Over Quantity: The study suggests that longer, more in-depth articles are more engaging. This is a green light for content creators to focus on quality over quantity. It's not just about the word count but the value that those words bring. In-depth articles allow for a more nuanced discussion, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the topic. This is your opportunity to establish your organization as a thought leader in the field. Use credible sources, include expert quotes, and offer actionable tips to make your content truly valuable.
3. Desktop-Friendly Design: With the overwhelming majority of users accessing the intranet via desktop, it's essential to optimize the design for desktop use. A desktop-friendly design doesn't mean just scaling down a website to fit a smaller screen. It involves thoughtful layout planning, easy navigation, and quick load times. Tools like Adobe XD or Sketch can help in designing user-friendly interfaces. Also, consider conducting usability tests to identify any pain points in the user experience.
4. Regular Updates: The natural lifespan of an article is about a week, so aim for a steady stream of fresh content to keep users engaged. Consistency is key when it comes to keeping your audience engaged. A content calendar can again be useful here, helping you plan out a variety of articles, announcements, and updates in advance. This ensures that you're not just reacting to the news cycle but proactively keeping your intranet vibrant and informative.

Final Takeaways

The SWOOP Analytics study provides actionable insights for anyone involved in running a SharePoint intranet. By following these data-driven best practices, organizations can significantly improve employee engagement and intranet effectiveness.

This study isn't just a one-off report to skim through and forget. It's a comprehensive guide that should be revisited and implemented in phases. The data-driven nature of the findings makes them adaptable and scalable, meaning they can be applied to intranets of various sizes and complexities. It's not just about making small changes; it's about fostering a culture of continuous improvement in your digital workspace.

As technology evolves, so will the ways in which we engage with intranets. This study serves as a foundational piece that organizations can build upon. Whether it's integrating AI for personalized content delivery or leveraging analytics for more targeted communications, the future of intranets is bright, and this study gives us the tools to navigate it effectively.

Further Reading and References

For those interested in diving deeper into the intricacies of SharePoint intranets and employee engagement, SWOOP Analytics offers a free, detailed report that serves as an invaluable resource. The report not only expands on the findings discussed in this blog post but also provides additional benchmarks and best practices that can be applied in various organizational settings. Download the FREE report here.

Additional Reports and Articles:

• Staffbase on Best Times for Internal Communications
• Powell Software on Intranet Content Ideas

Sources:

• Business Wire
• Benzinga
• Yahoo Finance

About the Author

Sousouni Bajis is a seasoned IT consultant with over two decades of experience in the technology industry. He specializes in Microsoft technologies, particularly SharePoint, and has led multiple large-scale projects for government and private sector clients. As someone who has been exclusively working on remote projects for the past seven years, Sousouni offers a valuable perspective on the future of work and how technology is shaping it. For more articles, guides, and tech insights, feel free to connect with Sousouni on LinkedIn or explore his website. You can also sign up for his newsletter to get the latest updates right in your inbox.