Going Beyond Opens and Clicks: Measuring Internal Communication

Picture of Anete Vesere

Do you rely on opens and clicks to measure internal comms effectiveness? If yes, take our word: You’re looking at a puddle when you can explore an ocean instead. Sure, we hear you if you say these numbers are easy to track. However, the fact is, they don’t tell you what matters if your message landed or made a difference..

For example, an email with a 75% open rate might look like a win. But is it a success if no one remembers what it said or takes action? It isn’t, right? So, how do we shift focus from these vanity metrics to what counts? 

In one of Speakap’s webinars, which focused on measuring internal comms effectiveness, Daren Jennings, Speakap's CCO, discussed the limitations of measuring quick and flashy vanity metrics. Jennings also highlighted the CORE framework as an effective alternative for gaining an inside look at your internal communications reality. Stay along to learn more.  

Free webinar recording: Measuring internal comms the right way

This exclusive webinar recording with myself and Daren Jennings dives deep into the strategies and tools you need to effectively measure the success of your internal communications and link them to meaningful outcomes. Check it out!

What’s the problem with opens and clicks? 

Opens and clicks are vanity metrics. “These metrics only show that someone clicked,” Daren explains. “They don’t tell you if the message resonated, if it was understood, or if it inspired action.”

Let’s understand this better with an example. Suppose you have a 50% engagement rate. You need to ask what does that mean? Does engagement reduce workplace incidents? Did it improve retention? 

Leaders care about outcomes. What matters most to them is context and how the internal comms metrics translate into meaningful results. Therefore, as an internal communicator, you need to move from mere numbers to meaning and tie your metrics to outcomes that matter to the business. 

Inspired to leave vanity metrics behind? Let’s dive into how you can measure what truly matters in internal comms.

Introducing the CORE framework for measuring internal communications

Daren swears by the CORE framework, a set of actionable internal comms metrics to measure internal comms and connect it to outcomes that matter.

CORE metrics include:

1. Cost Per Engaged Employee (CPEE):

This helps you measure the cost-effectiveness of internal comms campaigns and demonstrates ROI in a way leadership understands. 

Here’s a formula to calculate it: Divide the total cost by the number of employees who engage meaningfully. For engagement, you could track comments, survey responses, or behavior changes.

2. Ongoing Engagement Trends

“Engagement is not a one-time event. Trends help you see what’s working - and what isn’t,” explains Daren. When trends are consistent, you can know the lasting impact of your communications. 

To assess ongoing trends, you can eyeball engagement rates over time to ascertain if your message is resonating or if employees are disengaging at some point. 

3. Retention of Messages

Next up is the retention of messages. Tracking message retention is vital to assessing whether your employees remember and understand the key points of your communication. If there is little recall, we’re missing the beat, right?

To measure how you perform at retention, you can use follow-up surveys or quizzes. For example, ask employees, “What’s our new safety protocol?” a few weeks later after their briefing. An incorrect answer here can, for example, mean there’s some gap and scope to improve your communication.

4. Engagement Follow-Up Effectiveness

This metric is all about connecting comms to outcomes, which is critical for demonstrating value. Tracking engagement follow-up effectiveness tells you whether your communication inspires the desired action, such as completing a training module or adopting a new tool.

To assess this, measure the changes in the outcome before and after your communication efforts. For example, how many people say mental health has improved after you’ve worked on raising awareness about mental health through different internal comms campaigns? 

Now that we’re clear with the basics let’s dive into the CORE framework with an example.

An example of CORE metrics in action

Suppose you’re rolling out a new digital safety form. Here’s how you can use the CORE framework to improve your campaign evaluation:

  • Cost per engaged employee: Calculate the campaign cost divided by employees who submit the form.
  • Ongoing engagement trends: Monitor form submissions over time to ensure sustained adoption.
  • Retention of Messages: Poll employees weeks later to measure awareness of the form.
  • Engagement follow-up effectiveness: Assess whether the form reduces workplace incidents or speeds up reporting.

As you can see, this approach highlights how internal comms initiatives contribute to key business goals like safety, efficiency, and cost savings. Daren says, “By focusing on these metrics, you’re not just measuring activity - you’re measuring outcomes.” 

According to research, 84% of internal communicators seek ways to measure data more often or more comprehensively. For this, what’s needed is tools that do the heavy lifting to get the most out of the internal comms strategy. 

Measuring CORE metrics: How Speakap’s Workforce Analytics can help

Metrics without context are just numbers. What leadership really cares about is how those numbers translate into results. Speakap’s Workforce Analytics helps you measure what matters. Using it, you can track essentials such as:

1. Activation: get everyone on board

Your comms won’t hit the mark if employees aren’t on the platform. Workforce analytics within Speakap helps you track activation rates across your network. It shows you who’s signed up and who’s still holding out. It even measures how long it takes employees to activate their accounts so you can refine your onboarding and ensure no one’s left behind. Plus, tracking activation rates can help you show that the investment you’ve made in a platform for comms is paying off (because people are showing up).

2. Retention: know when to reach out

You’ll agree, retention isn’t just about being present - it’s about staying relevant. Workforce analytics helps you understand when employees are most active and how often they log in. With this data, you can schedule updates at just the right time, ensuring your messages are seen and not skipped.

3. Engagement: spot what works

All content is not created equal, right? With workforce analytics, you can track every interaction—likes, comments, posts, polls, you name it—to see what’s grabbing attention and what’s missing the mark. Armed with these insights, you can tweak your strategy to deliver messages that truly connect.

Are you ready to bring meaning to your metrics?

Measuring internal comms effectively involves looking at a lot more than how many people clicked. As Daren says, “It’s about what they thought, felt, and did after receiving your message.” The CORE framework, with its holistic approach, offers an excellent starting point to measure your comms effectively. And with Speakap’s Workforce Analytics, you’ll know exactly how your comms are landing. 😉

Read to go beyond opens and clicks? Explore Speakap Workforce Analytics