Giving your old comms channels and tech a new breath of life

As new tech offers more ways to reach employees, it can be easy to overlook the tried and true classics of internal comms: newsletters, intranets and internal blogs. But even these old tools can be used in innovative ways.

At Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference in Austin this November 12-14, Sarah Guckert, director of communications at real estate developer Bozzuto, will share her insights on how her team has revitalized its selection of internal comms channels to make them more viable.

“The beauty of revitalizing old channels is that it doesn’t mean throwing them away,” she said. “It means looking at what’s always worked — newsletters, manager meetings and internal updates — and giving them a modern backbone that connects everything.”

A fresh approach to classic comms methods

Newsletters are often thought of as old and staid – but they don’t have to be.

“Newsletters are still incredibly effective, but they need structure,” Guckert said. “It’s not helpful if everyone is getting five different newsletters a day. You have to monitor frequency and make sure each one provides concise, valuable information.”

Guckert told Ragan that Bozzuto’s internal enthusiasm for newsletters posed a slight issue, and communications had to step in to resolve it.

“When we first moved our newsletters into a new platform, we noticed departments were excited — maybe too excited — to create their own,” she said. “Suddenly, people were getting several in a day. So we set clear guidelines — one coordinated weekly newsletter that links back to the intranet, where teams can explore more details if they want. It keeps the inboxes lighter and the experience cleaner.”

Guckert also shared some insight on how intranets are set up at Bozzuto. As a company with over 3,000 employees in varied job functions, the intranet needs to serve different interests and needs.

“Each business line — construction, development and property management — has its own intranet site,” she said. “For example, our construction team uses their space to post safety updates and progress photos, while the management division might share community events or policy refreshers. It’s all the same platform but tailored to each audience.”

She added that her team meets once a week to ensure that the carousel on the home page is current and meets the needs of the audience on each intranet subdivision, making adjustments as necessary.

“One week it might highlight a new property opening, the next week a sustainability award or a new leadership program,” Guckert told Ragan. “That constant rotation keeps people coming back because there’s always something new to see.”

Mixing analog and digital channels

Having a robust intranet platform is a great asset for internal communicators. But sometimes driving people there requires an extra push with a little cross-functional help. That combination of efforts can also take the form of a combined digital and analog communication push.

“When we roll out a new initiative like a benefits update or a safety campaign, our brand and marketing teams will design visuals that live in the physical spaces where our people are,” Guckert said. “That might mean posters in leasing offices or digital signage in break areas, each with a QR code that takes you straight to the intranet for more details.”

Guckert added that as a real estate company, Bozzuto needs to take its front-line workers into account in its internal comms strategy. That means finding new ways of reaching people with one of the oldest ways of getting attention — a visual cue.

“We think a lot about deskless employees — those on-site who don’t sit behind a computer all day,” she said. “Even though everything ultimately leads back to digital, the analog touchpoints matter. Seeing a visual reminder in your workspace — something tactile and branded — reinforces the message and keeps it top of mind.”

In an increasingly digital world, it can be easy to forget that classic comms methods still work. When you’re trying to reach busy employees, a simple push can be an effective one.

“Sometimes people just need a nudge,” Guckert said. “That’s where those analog moments come in, like a poster in the elevator or a quick QR scan at a team meeting. It’s a reminder that communication isn’t confined to one channel anymore. It’s everywhere.”

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.