Three Reasons to Embrace the Mixternal Communications Model

July 9, 2021

Out of the chaos of 2020 arose something long overdue for corporate communicators: an understanding from company leaders that employees—above all other audiences—must be prioritized, and that the blurred lines between internal and external messaging is here to stay.

Company leaders, say hello to your new best friend: the mixternal communicator.

Mixternal communications is the area where multiple elements of corporate communications overlap: it’s a little bit internal, a little bit social, a little bit external, a little bit Alexis. (Shout out to the Schitt’s Creek fans out there.) Once communicators see how internal and external communications can (and must) work together, in partnership, to reinforce their company’s mission and objectives from the inside out, mixternal communications becomes a no-brainer.   

The name is new (and fun to say!), but the concept has been around for some time. For example, years ago, when corporations began paying attention to social media, it was occasionally the internal communications team that picked it up, knowing that employees would be on the front lines of the platforms, serving as brand ambassadors before those kinds of processes could be formalized.  

As Ragan notes in a recent article about mixternal communications, the trend has accelerated in large part due to the pandemic, when the employee messages (and, more specifically, the way they’re received by employees) became an essential part of company’s external brand. Employees talk—often online—about how their companies treat them, and a good mixternal communicator can help companies navigate those kinds of messages and situations.

Why should corporate communications teams embrace a mixternal model?

1. Consistency. Whether it’s the messaging itself or the tone of voice it’s delivered in, a mixternal communications approach can help keep internal and external communications sounding similar—which strengthens brand integrity and helps employees feel connected to their work, particularly since they are recipients of external communications, too.
2. Collaboration and skills strengthening. When an internal communicator writes for an external audience – and vice versa – they are strengthening their writing and strategy skills, which makes them a stronger communicator overall. With mixternal communications, teams can work together more closely, share best practices, and turn out improved materials with crisp, clear messaging.
3. Content overlap. User-generated content from employees makes for a great intranet story…but did you know it also makes for some amazing social media campaigns? Likewise, pulling external communications into internal communications helps keep employees on the pulse of what customers think and feel. Through mixternal communications, a team can accomplish all of this at once, by launching a campaign that covers internal and external at the same time.

While our collective renewed focus on internal communications is exciting, it’s even more energizing to embrace the mixternal model. Consider bringing together all your communications teams to coordinate on a single communications program together – and then let us know how it goes!