Introduction
Contribution is the fifth and final step in adoption: the platform only truly comes alive when a large share of users actively contribute themselves. High contribution encourages the sharing of posts and ensures a constant flow of new content. Active participation also increases loyalty: users feel greater engagement and ownership.
In this article you'll learn how to increase contribution on the platform. We cover four topics: groups that invite participation, knowledge sharing, training and guidance, and automatic email notifications.
Contribution is the last step in the 5-step adoption model, following Encourage users to Interact. Here the focus shifts from responding to creating and sharing yourself.
Groups that invite participation
Groups within the platform are the key way to build engagement around specific topics, interests, or teams. By setting up and managing groups strategically, you can increase engagement considerably.
Examples of effective groups
- Theme-based groups: centered on specific topics that are relevant within departments or to interests — project groups, innovation, networking groups.
- Open and closed groups: open groups for broad participation and collaboration, closed groups for specific teams or confidential projects.
- Role of the group administrator: appoint group leaders or moderators who keep the group active and organized — they initiate discussions, ask questions, and motivate members to contribute.
- Alignment with interests: make sure groups align with what employees find interesting both professionally and personally.
- Rewarding active participation: recognize active participants — within the group or even company-wide.
Other tips for groups that invite participation
- Personalized: groups focus on topics that are relevant to the individual user.
- Cross-cutting groups: create groups that transcend the organizational structure — so users can find each other based on interest or expertise, not just by department or role.
- Timeline over chat: use the timeline instead of chat for substantive discussion. Chat is ideal for quick, fleeting communication, but less suited to discussion or retrieving information.
Knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing is crucial for an active and lively intranet. By fostering a culture of knowledge sharing, employees support each other better and valuable knowledge is retained within the organization.
Strategies for knowledge sharing:
- Expertise platforms: create sections where experts within the organization share knowledge in the form of blogs, videos, or Q&A's.
- Wikis and knowledge bases: set up an internal wiki where employees can find and add information about procedures, projects, and best practices — ideal for capturing institutional knowledge.
- Forums and discussion boards: create spaces where employees can informally ask questions, share tips, and exchange experiences.
- Document sharing and collaboration tools: make sure the intranet makes it easy to share files and collaborate on documents, so that knowledge sharing becomes part of the daily work process.
Training and guidance
Training and guidance are essential for more contributions. Users first need to know how they can use the platform and what benefits it offers before they start actively posting themselves. A clear explanation of basic features — posting messages, responding to discussions, sharing documents — can help with this. Think of regular (online) workshops, drop-in sessions, and Q&A hours.
Have colleagues act as a point of contact — that makes it more approachable for users to ask questions. As with interaction, ambassadors play an important role here.
Automatic email notifications
With the activation engine you can enable automatic emails that motivate users to participate actively. These mailings are valuable during the launch and afterward, for new platform users.
Examples of automatic mailings:
- Inactive accounts receive a reminder to activate their account.
- Users who have never posted a message receive an encouragement to post one — a direct driver of contribution.
- Users who have not yet logged into the mobile app receive an encouragement to download the app.
Other tips
- Value contributions: encourage employees and show appreciation for their input.
- Provide clear guidelines: make sure employees know what is expected of them.
- Actively ask for contributions: a direct request to share knowledge or experiences can work wonders.
Do you have questions about setting up groups, knowledge sharing, or the activation engine? Contact your account manager or send an email to support.plek@bcs-hr.com.