Increasing intranet usage is not a one‑time effort. Even the most intuitive platform needs time, consistency, and visible support from leadership to become part of employees' daily work routines.

In this guide, you'll find practical strategies to improve intranet usage, engagement, and long‑term acceptance across your organization.

Adoption increases when the intranet is useful, easy to access, and regularly reinforced. For detailed guidance on structuring your intranet to meet these standards, refer to our article series on information architecture in the "Structure Your Intranet" section.

Make the intranet unavoidable

Your intranet should be the central entry point for everyday work on desktop and mobile.

• Position the intranet as the single source of truth: Share important updates, internal news, sales and marketing materials, training content, and resources primarily on the intranet so employees know where to go.
• Structure content around employee needs: Use department and location pages to surface relevant information such as open positions, team updates, or local announcements. Use tools like the Wiki app to document processes, policies, and updates relevant to page topics.
• Design an engaging homepage: Homepages are the main entry point to your intranet. Combine clear navigation with visual elements, such as the Hero Teaser, to highlight global or timely topics.
• Create clear jump‑off points: Use the Launchpad or Launchpad links widget to connect employees to essential tools like menu plans, scheduling systems, or external applications, also easily accessible on the mobile app.
• Map internal processes directly in the intranet: Use Form apps or the MS Forms widget to handle requests or surveys without forcing users to leave the platform. 

Encourage interaction and exchange

Employees are more likely to return to the intranet when they feel involved, recognized, and supported.

• Create a Help or "Ask Your Colleagues" community: Offer a space for questions, advice, and idea sharing. Initial moderation helps establish trust, but peer‑to‑peer support will grow over time.
• Use social features intentionally: Social Reactions and Kudos make it easy to engage without creating content. They also help recognize achievements and celebrate employee successes.
• Give the intranet a personality: A mascot or persona can share tips, promote small campaigns (such as Easter egg hunts or Advent activities), and make the intranet feel more approachable and human. All you need is a user account and a filled-out user profile for your mascot.
• Support onboarding from day one: Provide onboarding videos, guides, and FAQs in a dedicated space. Consider introducing the intranet during onboarding sessions or including a short overview in welcome materials.

Publish relevant content regularly

Fresh, relevant content is essential to maintaining interest and engagement.

• Plan content strategically: An editorial plan helps ensure consistency as you plan your top-down communication. What's relevant to which users and on what page should this be released? Focus on topics that connect the entire organization or a large part of it and invite participation.
• Collaborate on content ideas: Regular editor meetings or brainstorming sessions help generate new formats and strengthen cross‑team collaboration.
• Enable employee‑generated content: Provide templates and guidelines to make it easy for employees to contribute while maintaining a consistent look and feel.
• Use feedback to guide topics: Collect ideas through Form apps or let employees vote on topics using the Poll widget.
• Vary your formats: Combine articles with videos, live streams, podcasts, GIFs, or short messages from leadership to reach different audiences and support mobile app usage.

To learn how to build a simple, effective internal communication strategy to get your messages heard, boost employee engagement, and connect your organization, take our masterclass in the Haiilo Academy: "Building Your Intranet Comms Strategy"!

Actively involve employees

Adoption grows faster when the intranet feels participatory and engaging.

• Run interactive campaigns: Advent calendars, photo contests, scavenger hunts, or seasonal challenges encourage regular visits and playful exploration. 
• Use small incentives thoughtfully: By offering small rewards, such as food vouchers and merchandise that participants can win, word-of-mouth promotion among employees can provide an additional boost in intranet usage. 
• Build a network of internal influencers: Identify trusted employees with strong reach and involve them as intranet champions. When employees see others being active, it lowers the barrier to their own participation.
• Support interest‑based communities: Allow employees to create communities around shared interests such as sports, classifieds, or hobbies. These topics often drive strong engagement. If you don't want users to create communities freely, set up a community request process instead.
• Train community managers: Provide guidance and best practices to help community admins keep communities active, welcoming, and relevant.
• Surveys and feedback: Conduct regular surveys to understand employees' needs and interests and adjust your intranet accordingly. The Poll widget can be particularly helpful for easily and quickly gathering direct feedback on specific content. Alternatively, involve your managers or influencers to gain deeper insights into the (new) intranet through direct interaction with employees.

Promote the intranet beyond the platform

Regular reminders help turn occasional visits into daily habits.

• Meet employees where they already work: Use the Studio to send updates to your employees during their everyday workflow outside the intranet, such as through email, or take advantage of the Microsoft integration to bring your intranet into MS Teams. This helps keep your team regularly reminded to check the intranet and stay informed.
• Send regular digests: Newsletters like "Here's what you missed" help highlight new or popular content.
• Connect online and offline: Promote the intranet in offices and production sites using posters, flyers, digital signage, or dedicated homepages on screens for deskless workers.
• Link intranet activity to real‑world events: Encourage employees to upload photos, share updates, or exchange information related to company events. Learn more in Turning viewers into creators on your intranet.
• Reach non‑users directly: If needed, use the API to identify users who have not logged in yet (see REST API Documentation, "Export all users with administration information") and contact them with clear, value‑focused messages.

A successful intranet is never truly finished. By continuously listening to employees, updating content, and actively promoting participation, your intranet can become a trusted, everyday companion across the organization.