Create an Editorial Schedule
Do you have a schedule of the content you will upload? A little forethought goes a long way when you are busy and need content or an idea in a hurry.

Here are some things to think about when developing an editorial schedule. What are the key areas of content that are valuable to your stakeholder group? Are there annual events or happenings that you can put in to the schedule? Ask stakeholders what they are interested in hearing about from you and add it to the schedule. Look at information you are using – do you have a media pitch or news release that you can repurpose? Do you have more information than you used from an interview with your CEO or another industry leader?

Ask for Assistance
We have worked with some clients to establish a content committee, an advisory board and we have also put out a call for volunteer content creators (establishing exactly how much of their work week can be put towards this task). Often there are individuals within your organization that have skills in this area that you don’t realize. Their positions might not have anything to do with writing, taking images or identifying good stories, but they are good at this. Asking for assistance isn’t a sign of weakness; it shows that you want to get others engaged and that you are interested in their areas/departments.

Think Like the Media
It is human nature to fall into writing material in a more promotional manner – it’s often a big part of our job. Take a step back and think like a magazine/newspaper editor/writer or broadcast producer. Moving into the role of content producer doesn’t mean you are going to air dirty laundry or talk about negatives; it means that you are going to create authentic, compelling content. It means creating content in an editorial style – a style that is balanced and has quotes that are substantial. The content could show the humanity, the challenges, the risks and the successes of your organization.

Change Up Your Words
We recently had a client that struggled with taking on an editorial approach. She was a good writer, but the content she was creating read like marketing material. Working with her, we developed a list of words that she agreed not to use; words like leading edge, exciting, innovative and world-class weren’t to be used. (Don’t get us wrong, we have nothing against these words in the proper context.) It was a bit of a challenge at first. She had a big case of writer’s block because she relied on these words. However, she had a breakthrough. Now her content is read by a large stakeholder group and it is regularly shared throughout the industry. It was a big step forward in building her organization’s brand.

Good content helps with search engine optimization (SEO), it helps to build community and it allows you to reach out and share stories with your stakeholder group.

One of the first things a potential client asks us when they approach AHA about working with them is: What makes good content? That might seem like a question that is easier to answer than it actually is, because what the CEO, president or senior team see as good might actually be more like brochure copy or marketing speak – and that style of outreach is pretty old school. People are intelligent, they are informed, and sales copy doesn’t cut it anymore.

There are lots of blog posts and articles online that list overused buzzwords. You can check out a couple here and here.

The development of good content – whether it is an article, a white paper, a news release, a video, images or a podcast – has to provide interesting, relevant and useful information to the audience. It shouldn’t be about what you want them to hear; rather something that will make their life better, will teach them something, and will make them think. And by doing that, you will better position your organization. I realize that seems counter-intuitive to some – especially to people who are used to using the buzzwords. But it is time to learn to use a new language – one of authenticity, one that shares rather than sells, one that tells a compelling and engaging story.

David Merman Scott (an AHA favourite) has a great piece on HSBC and their approach to sharing information about their organization and how well they have done it. His piece is worth a read if you are interested in creating great content for your organization.

I don’t hold the same political views as some of them. I have to admit, I have found some of the discussions and ideas put forward by a some of my “pals” a little worrisome. Especially when it comes to politics – specifically in the U.S. There are some very personal attacks on politicians happening these days – on both the Democratic and Republican sides. We’re seeing a little of it here in Canada but not to the degree that it happens in the U.S.

Disagreeing with a candidate’s platform and what they choose to support and not support is one thing, but there are some nasty, nasty rumours and lies that are put forward sometimes. I am not always comfortable seeing the opinions that appear on the status updates of people on my Facebook page. But I do realize that it is important to stay connected and to listen to viewpoints that are unlike your own, especially ones that you have a visceral reaction to. You don’t have to agree, understand or even respect the opinion, but I believe you should respect their right to have their own opinion. For me, it’s a good practice to be open to listening to a range of viewpoints and to try to understand why they might think or feel so differently than I do.

This morning, I saw an update that contained the content of an update about President Obama that was incredibly nasty. Among other things, it said that the President won’t let his dog Bo travel with him in Air Force One because of Muslim beliefs and that it was costing tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I could feel my blood pressure and anger rising as I read the update and was a little shocked that someone would put that up. The information is just plain ridiculous and—to me—so shockingly unbelievable that I don’t understand how anyone would think it is true. However, it is making the rounds out there online and people seem to believe it.

That made me think about the extreme factions – in this case, political ones. There is a very fine line between getting people all riled up and engaged and going too far and losing your credibility and support. I think that we have all “gone too far” at some point in either our professional or personal lives. Pushed our agenda too hard and with too much vigor so that we lose sight of the overall goal or objective. And I think it is a surprising fine line that we all need to be very aware of between being passionate and committed, and becoming a zealot where the truth no longer matters and the end justifies the means.

As communicators, it is our role to make sure that our outreach stays on this side of the line and is transparent, authentic and truthful. Without those, there can be no trust. And without trust, there can be no long-term success.

The CEO is a smart person. He is connected within his industry, he is well-liked and well respected, and there are interesting things going on at this organization. The CEO has his own Twitter account, which has been silent for several months now. There are a few hundred followers – not a huge amount by any standards, but the followers are relevant to this organization. They are representatives from government, journalists, others in the same field, and board members; there aren’t many clients or customers. The organization itself (the brand) has a Twitter account as well. It has more followers than the CEO, but has been pretty silent over the past few months. It is this account that focuses on their target market.

The challenge here was to get our client to embrace the fact that the number of followers is less important than the “value” of each follower. This is something we face quite often, especially with clients who aren’t fully immersed in social media (and even with some who are immersed, but who are driven by numbers rather than context). And, in the communications field, we have often have to deal with the challenge of defending a targeted pitch to one journalist, as opposed to an email news release blast that goes to 5,000 (mostly irrelevant) journalists. There is a misconception that more means more valuable, and in the context of relationships and communication, that isn’t necessarily accurate. Realizing that more isn’t necessarily better in this context is vital to successful communication. In this space, a small number of the right people is more valuable than a big number of random people.

The CEO’s Twitter account should grow organically. As we ramp up to create an editorial and engagement schedule, defining what would be of interest to his professional relationships, our approach is to help him create relevant content that is of interest, that will help build engaged followers. This includes identifying the people on Twitter that he should follow – people who will provide valuable information and news that is of interest to him and his role as CEO. This doesn’t mean that the target market (potential customers) wouldn’t follow him on Twitter or find him interesting and relevant; but, for the most part, they aren’t the target audience for this specific stream of conversation. The direct consumer connection comes through the brand Twitter account. The brand Twitter account should retweet interesting tweets from the CEO, and the CEO should guest tweet here, as well as retweet from the brand – but only when it is relevant to their specific Twitter followers.

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement is a great example of how a small Twitter community can, and will, share a message when they feel that it is relevant. And how quickly it can spread if it resonates with people. It is incredibly powerful. There is a good example of this in an article on thinkprogress.org. It’s worth a read.

What do you think – is there criteria for a “good” follower? Do big numbers equal big connections?

At AHA, we have done a great deal of work studying online behaviour relevant to communication. What is being said and discussed online is a key component for an organization – from building and managing its reputation to dealing with potential issues and crisis communication. However, there are still large organizations that have not yet come to terms with this for some reason. Some aren’t even monitoring what is being said or who is saying it. More and more we are seeing issues come up, not from an outside source, but through online discussions by employees.

Social media gives everyone from employees to unions and association members the opportunity to gather and discuss things virtually. This is a new opportunity to engage with one another and to find like-minded people. And they are going to do it with or without your support, assistance or knowledge.

I spend a great deal of time speaking and working with CEOs, presidents, COOs, VPs and senior communications executives. Just about everyone I have ever worked with wants to do good things for the people that work at their organization. If there is something that people aren’t happy with, they want to know about it. If there is something that needs to be changed, they want it brought to their attention. People matter to them. And yet there is still a challenge, in some areas, in having the senior team see the value of social media or realize that it is now a part of everyday business life.

Imagine if people were encouraged to participate in honest, open and respectful dialogue using social media and discussions could be facilitated rather than controlled (or perceived as being controlled). It is a culture change, but it is one that is coming. And one, I strongly believe that organizations need to embrace.

Wouldn’t you rather be a part of the conversation – even if it was critical or negative – rather than have it go on without your knowledge or input?

Not everyone is ready to leap into social media full throttle, but it is important to start the process of listening. See what people in your industry/area of expertise are doing online. Pay attention to the conversations that are happening. It’s a good first step into connecting with your specific community.

Have a critical look at your website. We often get clients calling and asking for a social media strategy and when we start the discussion of why they want to engage in social media, we ask about their website. Quite often, their site is stagnant and hasn’t been touched in a very long time. Your website is an important component of your online brand. How up-to-date is it? How relevant is it? Is there a way to make the content more current on a regular basis?

When clients want to begin to use social media tools as a part of their overall communications outreach, we often recommend starting out small, one step at a time – with a focus on doing it right. Below we have outlined four small actions you can take over the next two weeks to begin to include social media in your day-to-day work.

1. Review your website. How many unique visitors do you have each day? How interactive is your site? How current is your site? How does your site compare to others in your industry? What could be done differently to encourage visitors to check out your site more often, stay longer or to take the next step and connect with you? (Econsultancy.com has a helpful post titled: Five easy ways to make your business website more social.)

2. Who are the five top bloggers in your area? Set up RSS feeds and read their blogs regularly.

3. Who from your industry is on Twitter? Use the search function on Twitter and find out who is talking about your business, industry, and area of expertise. Set up a Twitter account and follow them. Listen to what they have to say.

4. Is there someone in your office who is active online, who blogs or is on Twitter? Find out who this is and ask their advice. You might be surprised at who it is and how much you can learn from them.

The world of social media can seem overwhelming, but by taking small steps and learning about the culture, the technology and the people – it makes it easy to accomplish.

One of our key assets is that we have several people on our crew that come from the journalism world. Another is that we write the articles in an editorial style. It is researched, balanced and well written.

As simple as it sounds, there are times when we have to explain why we take an editorial approach and why it matters. When organizations are used to using marketing or sales copy, it can be a challenge for them to embrace a more balanced, authentic way of telling their story. They just aren’t used to it. For some organizations it is a culture shift.

When we explain to clients why it is crucial for article to be written this way, if it is going to be picked up by traditional media or make a connection with their target audience, there is always this “aha” moment. This is when they begin to realize the value and importance of communicating this way and begin to move away from the old information out paradigm. When we show the benefit of sharing information this way and what it means for their organization’s reputation and their relationships with their target market, a subtle shift happens in how they view this type of communication. It doesn’t mean that the brochures, ads and other sales and marketing pieces aren’t useful; they just don’t work in this context.

When we develop an article for a client, the story idea goes through much the same process as it would if we were a magazine or newspaper. We clearly identify the target audience, do the research, develop a story idea and pitch it to the AHA crew. During our story meeting, we discuss how relevant, timely and of value it is to the stakeholder. The ideas gets questioned and kicked around, it gets reviewed and revised until we have a piece that is good enough to be published in traditional or online media. Once the client has approved it our focus turns to distribution, which is just as important as the piece itself. Getting it out to the right people at the right time means that there will be interest in the piece, that the value we want to provide is timely and relevant, that people will read the piece and, if moved, they will take action based on the information found in the article.

Well researched, balanced articles can be a valuable tool in a communicator’s tool kit.

When we work with clients that have this challenge, we focus on what the senior team needs to hear. While every team has its own idiosyncrasies, there are some key points that work for most.

Show the business case for social media use.

Depending on the industry, this can mean anything from explaining what it could mean for sales and customer service to providing the rationale on how participating in the social media world is a component of reputation management. A well-thought-out, concise business case can put the use of social media into perspective.

Use case studies of similar organizations that are active in social media.

I can’t imagine there is any industry that doesn’t have some kind of social media opportunity. If there are a limited number of case studies within your field, look at organizations that do similar work in other industries and clearly show why they are being used as a case study. (While the product or service might not be the same, show the similarities in size, target market, etc.)

Don’t gloss over the potential challenges.

They didn’t get to the C-suite by being stupid. Don’t try to slide by the risks – you will lose credibility. You can show them how the risks can be mitigated and managed. And it is always of value to show the risks associated with not participating.

Show the stats.

Social Media Today ran a great piece earlier this summer that pulled together a wide range of facts and stats on social media usage.

Start small.

For some organizations, moving into social media is actually a shift in culture. Realize and respect that. The move from (perceived) control of the message out into what they may believe is the “wild, wild west” – with no control – is a big leap for some. Introduce pilot projects and when you do, create case studies of the successes, challenges and lessons learned.

There are many opportunities to show your senior executive team why integrating social media into your communications plan is a strategic move. Once you get their buy in, sometimes the challenge is making sure they realize social media isn’t a magic cure to all your marketing or PR challenges.