2011

AHA - Boardroom ImageAt AHA, we are communicators. Quite often that means that we work with our clients on projects that they want to share with stakeholders – either internal or external (and often both).

Sometimes, our role with them is to assist in developing communications vehicles – a website, an online newsroom, a Facebook or Twitter page or other social networking presence along with a strategy. Other times, we work with them on a business project and to help develop a communication strategy around it. Quite often, we are brought in at the start of the project and asked to contribute to the project as a whole – rather than being given the directive to “communicate this.” That’s always an exciting time because it shows that the client organization understands that communication deserves a seat at the leadership table. They see that a strategic communicator can provide value in a business strategy session, not just build a communications plan around a strategy.

Often we are asked to participate in product development brainstorming sessions, to contribute to refining a corporate structure, to work with them on plans for growing their business or improving their organization with a focus on becoming more relevant and valuable to stakeholders. As senior communicators, many of our clients find it of value to have us in at the start of the project to provide our input and feedback.

When I came across this article in Forbes online, it reinforced the value of communication throughout an organization and to external stakeholders as an organization focuses on innovation.  It’s worth a read.

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Recently, we at AHA have been working with several clients to develop communications strategies that include social media and issue and crisis components. The clients are in diverse industry sectors and have very different stakeholder groups. For each organization, we had to define what engagement meant for their specific “community” when it comes to traditional public relations outreach and for social media.

That’s an important definition to make – what engagement means to your stakeholders or community. For some, engagement is truly a verb and they are very active in participating – responding and creating opportunities for conversation, discussion and, yes, even discourse. In fact, for some stakeholder groups, discourse, disagreement and even conflict drive them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that their organization or brand is perceived negatively. It does mean that they live in an active world, where ongoing communication is key.  In this type of environment, it is crucial for an organization to be proactive in keeping stakeholders up-to-date. It is important to participate in online and real world conversations about their industry, field of expertise or what their organization is doing in areas of concern or importance.

There are many ways that people participate online. Some are more active – like content creators (there can be a real opportunity for your organization to effectively engage with this group), some comment or participate, and some just consume.

Not every organization has a stakeholder group that falls into a nice, neat demographic range. (In fact, with a few exceptions, I can say that for the most part, AHA clients have external communities that are incredibly diverse.) It’s important to have an overall communications strategy, and it’s equally important when you are working out the tactics and tools that you look at the groups and subgroups within your stakeholder group. Facebook contests may work to move some of your community to participate, but others may just be following along and not participating at all.

If a campaign that you recently ran didn’t hit the participation numbers you were expecting, it may be because some of your stakeholders are not participants.  Defining what segments of your stakeholder group are likely to participate fully, to comment or respond, or whether they may be following along – even sharing information and telling people about the campaign, contest or event – without “joining in” before you launch is important for measurement. Asking yourself what segment of your stakeholder group you want to connect with and can realistically expect to connect with – and how that will happen – is an important component of the planning process.

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AHA Blog Post ImageIn a communicator’s life there is always talk about what works and what doesn’t. What’s hot and what’s not. And recently, we’ve heard lots and lots of chatter about how blogs are dead. We, at AHA, don’t believe that they are. We don’t believe everyone should blog; but in our experience there are many opportunities for an organization to have a blog and to have it be effective.

Not all blogs are alike. For example, we rarely get comments on our blog here at AHA, but we have a strong number of people that read our AHA blog post every day. The objectives of our blog are to share some valuable information, to engage with stakeholders, to showcase our knowledge and the AHA culture, and to help those interested in working with a PR agency find us.

We review our objectives on a regular basis to make sure our blog posts are supporting our goals.

For many organizations, a blog provides an opportunity to showcase the people behind the brand, to engage and connect with stakeholders and to further explain ideas, services and products in a non-commercial way. While attention spans are shorter these days, you can still say a lot in two to four paragraphs and if someone is interested (and you have provided engaging, valuable content), they’ll read it.

Producing a good blog takes time and effort. The content needs to flow; it needs to be informative, relevant and interesting. A good blog isn’t about you; it’s about your readers and providing them with what they want to know from your organization.

At our Vancouver PR agency, we often work with clients to review their current communications vehicles – to see what’s working and what’s not. We develop blog policies and processes, which includes editorial schedules (especially if there is more than one blogger) and we assist clients in reaching out and building a community that engages through the blog. Understanding the blog community is at the heart of it all. Knowing what conversations are important to your stakeholders is key. It is where it all begins.

I recently read a great piece in Inc.com on blogging mistakes that small businesses make. I think this piece translates to any organization that wants to or is blogging. It’s worth a read.

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