Intranet strategy and branding/design

One of the most versatile and effective internal communications tools is the intranet, given its ability to serve as an information portal, displaying and providing access to a variety of information channels. Intranets often show a significant return on investment - when correctly implemented. Intranets can improve employee morale through enhanced communication. They also facilitate document exchange and improve workflows for increased productivity and operating efficiencies. They can also help to build a sense of corporate community. Unfortunately many companies don’t leverage the power of corporate intranets.

Intranets are typically initiated from within an organization. A process manager or business leader identifies a need for improved communication or workflow management and spearheads an intranet development project. These project champions take ownership of their individual intranet applications. The intranet grows as more business leaders initiate their own departmental projects. This approach gives business leaders and employees a sense of ownership of the intranet, which fosters use. However, eventually such an ad-hoc approach leads to issues with usability and future growth.

Because employee engagement is essential for intranet development and use, many companies have allowed their intranets to develop in an unstructured manner, allowing individual departments to work in silos and to develop ad-hoc applications and content. When intranet applications and content is created by a wide range of individuals and departments, without any centralized control over design and development, the intranet does not properly represent the company brand image, content management gets out of control, development is unproductive, and the intranet deteriorates over time.

Mariconda Marketing Solutions can help you leverage your existing intranet or help you plan and develop a new one. We offer expertise in intranet business strategy, planning and branding. We can also facilitate the development and implementation of new corporate intranets through our partnership with Convergepoint a highly experienced SharePoint consulting and technical development firm. Collectively we offer end-to-end intranet solutions - from intranet strategy and planning - to user interface design and branding - to technical development, implementation and support.

Specific intranet services include:

• Internal audit of current intranet
• Intranet strategy and planning
• Intranet branding
• Employee engagement marketing and communications