Look up from your screen for a moment and count how many tchotchkes you have sitting on your desk. Now, count how many are collecting dust. Sure, we all like a freebie every once in a while, but communications is more than ice cream socials and thousands of pens with your company’s logo.As communicators, we are storytellers with important, and often times inspiring, messages to share with our audience. We devote time to crafting our communications and tinkering with the language to make sure it’s perfect for employees. The problem is that sometimes employees, who are already pressed for time, aren’t going to learn much about the latest internal marketing campaign or the company’s new vision if it’s buried under a mound of cupcakes.What can you do to ensure that your overarching message doesn’t get lost? Here are a few pointers:

• Focus on the right details – nailing down your goals, developing your core messages and creating metrics by which to measure success. Those elements will take time to get “just right,” but it’s time well-served as they will be the basis of future communications.
• Invest in ways to make a memorable and lasting impression on employees, such as a killer tagline, a compelling article on your intranet or an eye-catching poster campaign.
• Determine what action(s) you want employees to take. Make sure to drive home your call to action in all communications and at your event.
• Help employees see why you’re launching a new program or making a change to your existing policy. When employees understand the reasons behind your actions, it goes a long way to creating a lasting impression.

And keep in mind that give-aways and free food can be nice incentives for employees to attend an event or participate in a focus group. But next time you’re planning an event, see if you can provide something clever that aligns with - and reinforces - your overarching message.Â