Online Communications

AHA - Typewriter imageI spent a great deal of time with some of the best journalists in the world when I worked at Maclean’s and I am thankful everyday as a communicator that I had that opportunity. Creating engaging, interesting and informative content isn’t easy – and writing clearly and concisely adds additional challenge to the craft.

We have heard for many years that content is king. Your stakeholders visit your website, your blog, Facebook page, Twitter page or other social networking sites to learn, to connect, to join a conversation and to either learn something or to tell you something. What you provide is important and it either leads to the person to return to your site because you provided value, created an opportunity to participate in a dialogue or offered something they want or need – or they don’t return.

While your organization may have valuable information that you want to share, it is important to approach content creation understanding what your stakeholders expect from you. It’s not always the same thing. This doesn’t mean you can’t provide the information that you feel is important. It does mean you need to find a different way to package it or put if forward and that you need to also focus on what stakeholders are interested in, relevant to what your organization does or provides to them. It’s all about them – not all about you. If you remember that, you will be ahead of the pack.

Mitch Joel of Twist Image has a great blog post about what type of content you should produce. We’re big fans of Mitch. If you are a communicator, his blog is a regular must read!

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We are a courteous bunch at the AHA office. “Please,” “thank you,” “if you don’t mind…” those are regular (and appreciated) phrases at our Vancouver PR agency.  In everything we do in our personal and professional lives, there is basic etiquette. Then there are ground rules specific to different areas that we practice – social media is one of those areas. It is important to know what is expected of you if you are going to participate in this area.

Social media has its own etiquette and it is important to know what that means prior to participation. We always recommend that our clients spend time online checking things out before jumping in and becoming actively involved. It is important to take the time to understand the culture and the specific environment that is relevant to the organization and its stakeholders.

Chris Brogan recently put up a great blog post on this topic. It lays out what to do and, as importantly, what not to do very clearly. It’s definitely worth a read.

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AHA Blog Post ImageThere has been a great deal of discussion regarding a Pew Internet Study that says that young people are moving away from blogging and are more focused on using Facebook and Twitter.



The New York Times has an interesting piece on it as well.



We have had an interesting discussion on this study and the response it has received here in our Vancouver PR agency. While the report itself does show that young people prefer the fast, short updates provided by Facebook and Twitter – it appears to me that we are missing some context here. While Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for quick updates and fast outreach, often the updates link to an article, photos or a blog that goes deeper into the topic or idea.

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Over the past eight days, I have been to Calgary, Toronto and Tampa for meetings. I am used to travel – AHA clients are all over North America and while we work easily day-to-day using technology, meeting face to face is always a good thing.

I can work just about anywhere – airports, hotel lobbies, coffee shops and even busy sushi restaurants, if I have to. One of the things that always strikes me when I travel is the importance of being prepared, organized, flexible and still hitting our marks and our deadlines. As communicators, that’s who and what we have to be every day, no matter where we are – in our office or in an airport.

A good communicator always has a “plan b” and often a “plan c” in place. And, because our lives are so driven by deadlines, I think most of us arrive early (whether it’s for a meeting, a lunch, an event or a flight) so that we can make sure we are prepared and organized. That way, we can be flexible.

At our Vancouver PR firm and, indeed, with our crew across the country, we pride ourselves on being prepared, organized and efficient.  Perhaps it’s because we’re all travellers at heart. Or perhaps it’s because we are communicators and the skill set necessary to do our work translates well to travel.

As I sit in the Tampa airport waiting for my flight, I think I will take a little break from work and have a coffee and people-watch for a while. Hope you have a prepared, organized, flexible day that works for you.

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