Benefit comms, Blue Peter style

Sometimes you can call in the experts, but sometimes you have to crack on and do it yourself. So, if you’re launching your benefit scheme on a limited budget, then here are some of our best kept secrets to help you on your way.

Blue Peter, to all of those too young to remember, was a topical show where fearless presenters made Thunderbird toys out of rubbish and got pooed on by wild animals. What are the Thunderbirds you ask? Think of the Avengers, but made of wood, hanging on bits of string.

OK, that’s not fair, it was all much better than that. Blue Peter was a topical show loved for over 60 years and Thunderbirds is still going strong today, with a digital new lease of life for the modern kids. Blue Peter presenters were well known for making something wonderful out of minimal resources. And when it comes to benefit communications, maybe you can do the same.

Benefits, what are these benefits?

By benefits, here we mean the range of employee perks available as part of the employee contract. That may mean the wider total reward, or just a flexible benefit scheme. But it would typically include things like pension, life assurance, holidays, technology/gadgets and much more.

Benefit communications, professionally homemade

Before we go into the communications, let’s just caveat this. People make quick judgements – it’s how we get through these busy lives of ours. So, the quality of your comms will be thought to portray the quality of your benefit scheme. Keep that in mind as you look at your options.

Benefit comms dos

1. Get employees to do the hard work for you

   Let’s be clear, you can’t get away with cheap and nasty comms – employees expect quality from their employer. Yet, they have much lower expectations of their colleagues, perhaps comparing it to what they could create themselves. Getting employees involved is a great way to include them, get their buy in, and spread the word in a more organic way. But it’s also a way of side-stepping a potential quality problem.

2. Use all channels at your disposal

   Some communications can be expensive. But some are also free. What’s important is you use multiple channels to get your message out there and get in front of the entire audience. Because, let’s be honest, they’re not looking out for it. Use email, social media, team briefs, company meetings and whatever opportunities you can to weave your message in.

3. Pull in other resources

   When promoting your scheme benefits, look around you for support. You might find a whizz at editing videos on an iPhone, or someone willing to share their story. Plus, there will be other companies who benefit from your scheme take up, like, for example, the benefit providers. Get them in for a roadshow and let them do their own promotion.

4. Inject creativity, it costs nothing

   Every company is awash with business messages. Why should employees read yours? Make it funny, interesting or different by giving it a little thought. If you’re struggling to come up with something clever yourself, make it a competition and let your employees flex their creative muscles too.

5. Measure it and learn

   As with all good comms, you need to keep an eye on what works and learn from it. Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve and do your best to monitor your promotional attempts. Most channels should provide you some metrics, and feedback direct from employees will help to fill in the blanks.

Benefit comms don’ts

1. Use clip art and fancy fonts

   Nothing says ‘poor quality’ more than shoddy design. Resist any temptation to try design work yourself. Use someone qualified or stick to simplicity. A safe font, with broken up content, structure, and good size headings will look much stronger than word-art or cheap graphics. There’s a reason that designers have studied for years, you should respect it.

2. Push the hard sell

   Employees don’t like to be sold to. They like freedom of choice. So, present them with the facts and engage them with some peer stories. Thoughts and feedback from benefit users will help persuade them, sounding like you’re peddling goods on a shopping channel will not.

3. Get stuck in formal mode

   Sometimes when we write for an audience, we slip into the letter writing approach we were taught at school. That’s not right for your audience. Even big brands chat on social media, indulge in self deprecation and come across very personal. It’s important that your communications do the same. If you read it out loud and it doesn’t sound the way you speak, go back and make it friendlier.

Anyone can write an email. But then everyone can bake a cake too – and well, they don’t always turn out great. Doing it yourself may not be your best option, but sometimes we don’t have a choice. So, if you’re going a bit Blue Peter on your benefit comms, we hope the above tips help. And if you manage to include a Fairy liquid bottle or a baby elephant, then extra kudos to you.

Good luck.