Do you know what is the key to promoting teamwork in today’s fast-paced, digital workplace?
Yes, you guessed it correctly! Efficient communication system to inform employees and promote teamwork is the key to fostering teamwork. For doing so, most of the companies are now utilizing SharePoint Online. Setting up a corporate blog on your intranet is one of the excellent ways. In addition to centralizing information, it boosts engagement, blends in seamlessly with your business’s culture, and facilitates internal communication.
Businesses can improve internal communication by implementing a corporate blog with SharePoint intranet development. Your internal blog will be smoothly incorporated into your current digital workspace thanks to the versatility of SharePoint intranet development, which promotes cooperation and knowledge exchange. This blog post explains the benefits of having a SharePoint intranet blog and how to set one up using best practices.
Why a Corporate Blog Matters
Imagine being attracted into a storefront window with vibrant delights that are expertly arranged to catch your eye when you’re strolling down a busy street. Similar to this, a corporate blog draws readers in but instead of focusing on selling goods, it highlights important information catered to the needs of your staff. Let’s examine why your company requires one in more detail.
Improves Engagement of Employees
Blogs that are updated frequently keep staff members informed and involved. To promote interaction, a SharePoint blog can have features like feedback and comment sections. Workers can ask questions, discuss their thoughts, and make suggestions for enhancements, which promotes teamwork. Your employees will feel more a part of your company’s mission the more engaged they are.
Controlled and Relevant Content
A business blog gives editorial control, in contrast to a news feed where everything is uploaded. Departments have the ability to submit only content that supports their goals. For example, the IT team can use it to inform staff members about software rollouts, while HR can use it to communicate new perks to employees. By lowering noise and boosting relevancy, SharePoint’s metadata tagging system makes sure that the appropriate content reaches the right audience.
Fosters Company Culture
A corporate blog serves as a narrative tool in addition to providing news. It may have wellness advice, employee highlights, or even entertaining material like group recipes. Whether workers are in the office or working remotely, you can foster a feeling of community by sharing tales that align with your company’s basic values. Employee happiness and morale are raised by this cultural fit.
How to Create a Corporate Blog on Your SharePoint Intranet
The next step is to create a corporate blog if you are certain that it will be a beneficial addition to your intranet. With the correct strategy, this procedure can be expedited with SharePoint Online. Here is a detailed guide:
Step 1: Configuring Content Categorization Metadata
In SharePoint, metadata is crucial for blog post organization. Users can find what they’re looking for more easily when postings are appropriately categorized thanks to proper metadata.
Go to the Term Store: Navigate to the Term Store in your SharePoint admin area.
Make tiers of metadata for your content. News might be at the first level, HR updates or IT announcements could be at the second, and particular tags like “Policy Changes” or “Product Launches” could be at the third.
Make Term Sets and Groups:
Organize high-level content kinds into term groups.
To define categories beneath each group, add term sets.
You may effectively filter posts on your blog page by following this step.
Step 2: Creating Columns for Metadata
In order to effectively organize and classify blog entries, you must make columns for your metadata:
After selecting the “Site Pages” library, select “Add Column.”
Choose “Managed Metadata” as the kind of column.
Give the term set you generated a name (for example, “Blog Category”) and set it up in the Term Store.
Your blog entries will now be tagged in this column, which will facilitate content sorting and filtering throughout your intranet.
Step 3: Tagging Existing and New Content
You can begin labeling your material as soon as your metadata and columns are configured:
To view all of your posts, go to the “sitepages” URL on your website.
Use bulk edit tags to classify previous posts.
When writing material for new posts, assign tags using the “Page Details” window.
Your blog will stay structured thanks to its tagging system, which makes it possible for staff members to find pertinent material fast by category.
Step 4: Configuring a News Web Part
Putting up a news web section on your intranet page is the last stage. This section of the website will display your most recent blog entries and filter them according to the metadata tags.
Include a News Web Section:
Go to the SharePoint page that you want to use for your blog.
After selecting “Edit,” add a “News” web section.
Set up the Web Section:
To access the settings for the web section, click the pencil icon.
Select a layout that complements the style of your intranet.
To display just posts that have been labeled with particular categories, use the “Page Properties” filter.
You may guarantee that only pertinent posts are shown by utilizing metadata tags in the web component settings, giving your staff a smooth and customized experience.
Benefits of Using SharePoint for Your Corporate Blog
Integrated with Microsoft 365
SharePoint’s smooth integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem enables you to exchange content using programs like Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive. Teams can be used to push notifications about new blog entries, keeping staff members informed without forcing them to physically access the intranet.
Accessibility on the Go
Having content that is mobile-friendly is essential in today’s remote work environment. Employees can keep updated while on the road thanks to SharePoint’s responsive design, which makes your blog accessible on all devices.
Safe and Expandable
To safeguard your content, SharePoint has strong security measures. You can limit important posts to particular teams or departments by implementing role-based access controls. Additionally, SharePoint’s scalability guarantees that your blog will be able to grow with your company.
Best Practices for Maintaining Your SharePoint Blog
Track Engagement: To find out which postings are receiving the most views and interactions, use SharePoint’s analytics features. Based on this information, modify your content strategy to better suit the demands of your staff.
Optimize for Search: Use descriptive titles and metadata to take advantage of SharePoint’s search features. This guarantees that others can find your posts with ease.
Frequent Updates:
The secret to sustaining interest is posting stuff consistently. To schedule posts ahead of time, create a content calendar.
Promote Employee Input:
Ask staff members from various departments to contribute to posts. This increases employee pride and ownership while also diversifying the material.
Wrapping Up
Sharing company news is not the only use for a SharePoint intranet blog. It’s a vibrant platform that can engage staff, strengthen corporate culture, and improve communication. You may create a company blog that inspires and informs your employees by utilizing SharePoint’s robust features.
You can establish a productive and well-structured corporate blog on SharePoint that promotes internal communication and a collaborative online workspace by following the preceding steps.