In the following article, we want to give you tips and suggestions on how you can further increase the usage and acceptance of your intranet! Please also consider that establishing an active and engaged user base in the intranet takes time. It requires a long-term approach that involves continuous engagement and support from management.

Make sure there is no way around your intranet

• Whether on desktop or mobile - the intranet should serve as a central anchor point for important information, resources such as sales and marketing materials, as well as training and many more. On the department or location pages, your employees should find all relevant information for them, e.g., open positions. You can best implement this with, for example, the Wiki app to provide information and updates. Use the intranet as a platform where employees can share their knowledge and learn from each other to create a collaborative environment.
• Homepages are the entry point to your intranet. When designing them, pay attention not only to functionality but also to appealing design. Use, for example, the Hero Teaser to visually highlight global or current topics.
• Create jump-off points to other applications, such as the menu plan, via the Launchpad or the Launchpad links widget. Especially for decentralized workers, you can thus create an anchor point with all useful links that they need for their daily work, also easily accessible with the mobile app. Additionally, use apps in the intranet to map internal processes, such as business card orders, natively via a Form app.
• Create a "Ask Your Colleagues" or Help Community for advice and idea exchange. Although you should typically provide initial moderation support for such a community, you will promote efficient "helping each other" in the long run and motivate your employees to interact and exchange ideas.
• Use Social Reactions and Kudos to further emphasize the social aspect of your intranet and promote interaction. This also motivates employees who do not create content themselves to interact with and support their colleagues. Additionally, you can celebrate employees and their successes in this way.
• Make sure you have a solid intranet onboarding process, especially for new employees. Use, for example, the Help Community, where you provide onboarding videos, guides, etc. You could also include a flyer about the intranet in the onboarding package or integrate a short session (or explanatory videos) into the onboarding journey of new colleagues.
• Give your platform a face by integrating or introducing your company mascot (if available) or a newly created persona. Such a character can share little tips and tricks in everyday working life, organize interactive campaigns such as Easter egg hunts or Advent gifts and even act as a health coach. A lively persona not only makes the intranet more entertaining and lively, but also brings it closer to the employees and can become the missing “influencer” voice in your company. An idea like this strengthens loyalty and makes the intranet a real highlight!

Publish new content regularly

• Content is still king because without appealing and, above all, relevant content, your employees could eventually lose interest in the intranet. An editorial plan can be helpful, especially when introducing a new intranet. Regularly ask yourself: What connects everyone in the company? What can everyone contribute to?
• Organize regular brainstorming sessions to develop creative ideas and innovative content for the further development of your platform. For example, set up a regular table for editors to promote exchange and networking. Include current trends and topics in your planning to increase relevance for your users. 
• Provide templates and guidelines for specific content formats to facilitate employee content creation and ensure a consistent look and feel.
• Conduct workshops where you work together with employees to develop topics and formats for new content. Authentic content from employees for employees strengthens the trust of target groups and promotes engagement. Trust and creative freedom are crucial to motivate employees to actively participate. Alternatively, you can submit topic requests or suggestions via the Form app. Or you can provide a selection of possible topics for new content for voting via the Poll widget.
• Try out different media formats: Use podcasts to involve employees on the go, e.g., "A Day with X". Integrate GIFs for visually appealing and memorable communication. Whether live streams, video messages from management, or, for example, Holiday speeches - use videos to tell stories vividly and convey messages clearly.

Actively involve your employees

• With an Advent calendar, Easter egg hunts, photo contests, or other competitions - your imagination knows no bounds. Use interactive formats that motivate your employees to use the intranet even more through playful approaches. By offering small rewards such as food vouchers, merchandise, etc., which participants can win, word-of-mouth promotion among employees can provide an additional boost in intranet usage.
• Internal influencers/multipliers: Utilize authentic voices with reach within the organization. Establish a network of internal influencers to convey important messages and help promote your intranet internally.
• Allow your employees to create interest communities in the intranet. Popular topics include classified ads, sports groups, and the like. It is crucial that interest-based rather than strictly work-related topics serve as an additional magnet for the intranet. In this context, make sure to regularly offer training for potential community managers to help them actively maintain and enhance the community. You could, for example, use the Wiki app in your help community to provide some tips.
• Surveys and feedback: Conduct regular surveys to understand employees' needs and interests and adjust your intranet accordingly. The survey 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.

Continuously remind your employees about the intranet

• "Constant dripping wears away the stone": Use the Studio to reach your employees in their daily work routine outside the intranet, for example, via email, or utilize the Microsoft 365 Integration to have your intranet also present in MS Teams. This way, your employees will be continuously reminded to actively use the intranet. Especially in the early stages of a new intranet, the additional effort of a regular newsletter can be worthwhile, teasing and linking exciting news from your new intranet ("Here's what you missed"). The Content Studio, with its additional playable channels, is the perfect tool for this purpose.
• Linking offline and online activities: Make your intranet visible in the office or at production sites. Digital Signage and Screens can draw attention to relevant topics within and around the intranet. When introducing a new intranet, ensure that you communicate the added value of the new platform clearly and in a user-friendly way outside the intranet, for example, through a flyer, posters, or other media. Additionally, you can link other events or employee activities with the intranet to increase employee engagement. For example, employees participating in an event could have the opportunity to upload photos on the intranet platform or exchange information about the event.
• When introducing a new intranet, you could also export a list of all users who have not yet logged in via the API (see REST API Documentation, "export all users with administration information") and address them separately, for example, via email.