5 tech platforms capitalizing on the virtual workplace by making internal comms look and feel more like customer-facing marketing tools Strong internal communication tools are paramount to delivering targeted and relevant information to remote employees everywhere. These five tech platforms are proving to be major players in the employee communications software market, which is expected to grow to $1.6 billion in the next five years, Research Dive predicts. The platforms innovatively mirror the way people consume content outside of work with internal social media, hyper-personalized content, and built-in engagement analytics. "The need for this type of solution has definitely been validated," Smarp CMO Bruno Bin said. "The ecosystem is so complex for communications technology that these platforms do different things in different ways. It's a really tough place to navigate." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . In the never-ending battle to get employees' attention, the look and feel of communications inside large companies now mirrors the external campaigns that marketers use to engage and sell to customers.