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If you have committed to a channel of communication, it is important not to let it slide too far out of the schedule. There’s no point in writing a quick blog post just to have something to upload. No matter how busy you are, the information you share needs to provide your readers/viewers with something they can use – an effective tip, an interesting article, a new way of looking at something, etc.

Here are some ways to work around a particularly busy timeframe that keeps your readers/viewers engaged and provides value.

• When you are in a slower period, write a few blog posts that you can save and upload when you are too busy to write.

• While your audience will read your blog post or view your video because they are interested in what you have to say, there is nothing wrong with sharing a blog post or article that you have read and find of value. It is always good to include your opinion in the post before you link to it.

• Guest bloggers are another way to share relevant information. Having guest bloggers, that are of interest to your readers, lined up can help you get through the busy times.

One of the key points to remember is that the length of the blog post or video doesn’t necessarily reflect how good it is. Sometimes a short post – two to four sentences or a 30 second video clip – can provide an important point or “how to.” Longer doesn’t necessarily mean better.

Do you have any tips or hints on creating great content during busy periods? We’d love to hear what you do.

I have been following several big stories this week, including the tragic Trayvon Martin case and the Jet Blue pilot who had to be subdued by passengers (two of the biggest stories). Both traditional media coverage and social media play a big role in what the public is learning in both these cases.

That got me thinking about context and how it impacts what we take in. I have been as interested in comments on news pieces and the social media discussions as I have been in the traditional media coverage itself. The comments and discussions provide insight and context and that is important. Our world has become more complicated – we have access to many opinions and perspectives. That’s important. It can help us to put information into context and to understand what the actions and reactions mean relevant to social norms and expectations. This gives us a broader scope of understanding, I believe.

However, because so many people have the ability and opportunity to participate in discussions, it’s also important to put the comments and opinions into context. In another completely random – and yet surprisingly related – moment, I was on Amazon.com looking for a book. I was reading reviews and there was one review that was really negative. It stood out from the other good to great reviews. So I checked out the person’s other reviews. She hated everything she read. That allowed me to put the review into context, and in this case, discount her opinion because, for me, she lost credibility. It’s important to keep the comments and discussions in context as well. Don’t take them at face value; make sure you understand the context of the information and of the person making the statements. It might change what you think about a specific topic, subject or issue.

We are often asked by clients to present to their senior executive, to their board of governors or directors, and to other leaders within their organization. There are times when having an unbiased “outsider” come in and share knowledge and information in this area is beneficial. We don’t have an agenda, we’re not trying to “sell” them on an idea, and we have a range of professional experience that can help put media relations and social media into context for them.

One of the key components for us in delivering this type of presentation is to collaborate with our client (usually the communications manager or director) to develop the organization’s key messages.

We have had great success in engaging the leadership team and I believe that’s because we build our presentation in a way that speaks to how they see the world. Believe me, the CEO, senior VP, board chair or board member perspective is different than that of the communications manager (and it should be). Our role is to help the communications manager to clearly connect on all levels.

The first thing we do is clearly define what is being done in the specific industry. This is, of course, much easier when we are presenting to a long-term client. We know what the competition and partners are up to – it’s a part of our role. If this is a new client or they want a one-time workshop, and it’s an industry we don’t know well, we research it and do a competitor evaluation as well as review what the organization we are presenting to is doing.

Another key point that we include in any presentation is what the budget (human resources and financial) will be to develop a strategic communications plan or to integrate these new components into the existing plan. We want to be realistic about what it will take because the fact is, if you don’t adequately resource this type of outreach and give it enough time to develop and grow, you are setting yourself up for failure. These days, the leadership team wants to know what it is going to cost them in time, effort, energy and money. As an aside, being open and transparent about the costs is also a support for our client. If you don’t showcase what it takes, there can be the expectation that it is “free” (it’s not) or that it can be added to the current workload, which in many cases, is already too heavy.

We also talk about the value of measurement and how crucial it is that you make sure that you measure throughout the campaign, not just at the end. There are lots of areas of public relations, media relations and social media that are a little “soft” and it’s hard to put definitive numbers to them – we all know that. There are also plenty of opportunities for clear measurement that tells you what is working and what isn’t. Measurement is key. And it isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s a strong tool that helps campaigns become and stay effective. I can’t tell you how often I get calls after a presentation from a CEO or senior VP saying thank you for including measurement. The fact that measurement can be put in place is what shifted their response from one of not thinking this is a good idea to being open to trying it.

That takes us to our last point for today’s post. We believe that small pilot projects are the way to go. Take small steps into the pond and see how the water is. Test and measure, refine and revise – then measure again. Build slowly and give campaigns the time to build momentum and to provide you with small results at first, so you know that it is a positive move forward. You can always ramp up when you see what works. It’s pretty challenging to ramp down from something too big and not have the project be seen as a failure.

Our clients rely on us to know what is of value for them and what isn’t. I have to say that our clients don’t tend to be out there, ahead of the pack, using new social media technologies. They aren’t early adopters and I don’t think they should be. For the most part, our clients want to communicate with the “average” person – someone who is using social media networks, not creating them or leading the charge to populate new ones. Our clients see social media as an important part of their communications tool kit, but as just one component. (At AHA, we just don’t develop social media strategies; we develop communication strategies.)

I had an interesting conversation with a potential client recently. Their approach to social media was that they think it’s just a trend, that isn’t here to stay.  I was a little surprised at that and probed a little deeper. There were some red flags for me because when they said their stakeholder group wasn’t really participating in social media, I asked how they knew that. He said: “I just know it. I don’t participate, so I am sure they don’t. I don’t think it is of value for us.”

I realize that there are organizations that may have stakeholders that aren’t active in social media (in my personal experience, I have yet to identify one, but I am sure they are out there). Even if your stakeholder group doesn’t appear particularly active – they aren’t “liking” your fan page on Facebook or following you on Twitter – it doesn’t mean they aren’t active. They just might not be engaging with you!

Before you jump to any conclusions whether your stakeholder group is active or not, do some research. Find out if they are online, where they are and what kind of information and social networking sites appeal to them. Understanding your audience is the first step to entering the conversation.

For those of you who might think social media is just a fad, have a look at this short presentation that puts social media and its influence into context.

There are many, many functions of PR. At the foundation, we help our clients to build positive relationships with their “publics.” (You can replace the word publics with the noun that works for you: stakeholders, audience, target market, employees, government, media, community—the list goes on and on.)

One of the questions that came up when I was speaking to the students was around engagement and the best way to approach it. That depends on the community and the organization’s objectives, but it brought home the fact that PR is about engagement and that you don’t engage by just putting up a Facebook page or opening a Twitter account.

At AHA, we have an in-depth process that we go through with a client when we are focused on engagement. You really need to understand your target market—who they are and how they want to connect with you. (Not how you want to connect with them!) There is a great deal of research involved, the defining best practices, understanding what the organization wants to communicate and discovering what the stakeholders want to hear from the organization. Being interesting, informative and, even, entertaining (which can scare some organizations) is important. You want to provide people with something that is of value to them. If you are just pushing out information, you will lose their interest.

We approach engagement as an evolving entity that needs consistent attention paid to it and that can—and should be—measured on a regular basis. Engagement is an art and a science, and it takes effort. You need constantly pay attention and review what is working and what isn’t.  You need to authentically connect and ask stakeholders what they want. You also need to respond in a timely fashion to their requests, demands and feedback or they will go elsewhere.

To me, engagement is at the heart of what we do. There are a lot of great communications plans that don’t produce results because this one important step—engagement—didn’t get enough attention in the planning stage.

The people on my Facebook page represent a range of relationships to me. Some are close friends, other acquaintances, others are former colleagues and some I have only met either briefly in person or not at all. It’s a bit like a neighbourhood coffee shop where there are a lot of different people hanging out.

With the recent changes on Facebook I have seen this happening more recently, but it really hit home the other night when a friend happened to comment on her friend’s photo. I am not connected at all to the person who uploaded the photo, but I could not only see the photo (which was of a party where people were clearly tipsy), but I could see all of the comments below the photo. The person that uploaded the image likely has no idea how many “strangers” could see that image or the conversations that followed. I don’t know what this person does for a living (although I do now know where she lives and what bar she goes to, thanks to the comments), but what if that was a VP in your office or a board member? (Please don’t think that VPs or board members are too responsible to do such things—they’re human.)

Organizations are using social media networks to check out potential employees, research competitors, and check on current employees. And they aren’t the only ones using social media networks to find things out. There is no buffer zone anymore; it’s important to remember that.

I believe that most of what is shared on social media networks is done in the spirit of good fun, but how it is perceived or used can hurt your professional and personal reputation and it could reflect on your brand reputation as well.