I have to admit, I had to laugh when I read this post on Ragan.com about all the ways that we now have to be contacted. Back in the day, there were just a few ways to connect. This communicator counted 10 platforms that he now uses – and funnily enough, in person is the last on his list.
What about you? How many platforms do you use for communication?
We recently watched the challenge that McDonald’s faced with a hoax that falsely suggested that the global company discriminates against African-American customers. Is your organization prepared?
At AHA, we often develop crisis communication strategies, plans and manuals for clients. We recently worked on a crisis plan for a client that included a section on how to respond if a hoax hits their brand. The online world has changed communication and facing a crisis or issue, which may include a hoax. Many communicators know this, but are experiencing a challenge in getting the senior executives, CEO, Board of Directors or Board of Governors to realize how crucial it is that social media is included as a part of any communications plan (issue and crisis or a proactive, day-to-day approach).
A good plan needs to be strategic. It also needs to recognize how the online world has influenced how an organization communicates and how stakeholders expect to receive information. Think about how the online world could take hold of a hoax related to your organization and expand its reach on a global level. That thought should make you sit up straight and think about how your organization might react.
There are some initial questions that we would ask a client if there was even a slight chance that your organization could be the target of hoax. Here are a few of them:
It is important that you honestly answers these questions and make sure that you are connecting with stakeholders proactively, that you are aware of where your supporters and critics live online (and in the real world) and that you have streamlined your process so that, if it is strategic to do so, you can respond quickly and accurately should your organization be targeted with a hoax.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media networking sites can be of value to your organization depending on your organization and your communication objectives. But your website is of value no matter how big or small your organization is or what your objectives are. And I can’t tell you how often a website is overlooked in an organization with focus often going to the hotter tools like Twitter or Facebook.
We, at AHA, provide communication audits for clients on a regular basis. The review of the organization’s website is a part of this process. We often have to go back to a client with a failing grade on their website. And it’s basic stuff – the information is out of date, there are spelling or grammatical errors, there is no specific contact information (this is especially important in the media section), there is no media section, there is not a consistent voice throughout the site, the site itself is just an online version of the organization’s (outdated) brochure, there is no interactivity, there is no link or connection to the messaging happening on Twitter, Facebook or other social media networking sites. It is surprising how many organizations have not given their website the attention it deserves.
Having a communications professional review your organization’s communications strategy, tools and tactics – including the results – is a valuable exercise. Having an unbiased, professional review of what your organization is doing well, what isn’t working and what could be done differently is important. For example, we recently provided a communications audit for a client that identified that their e-newsletter wasn’t resonating with the stakeholders it was intended to reach. Rather than take this information at face value, we went a little deeper to find out why those who received the e-newsletter weren’t reading it or clicking on the links to the website provided in the e-newsletter.
There were several key points of feedback that were incredibly valuable. People felt that the information in the newsletter was being provided in an information “push out” manner and it was information being presented in a way that readers felt was what the organization wanted them to know, not what they wanted to hear about. They also felt that providing links to the website was – in their words – “useless” because the website itself was “boring,” “out of date” and “not relevant” to what they wanted and needed to know about this organization. Harsh words, but crucial for the organization to know in order to improve their communication efforts.
Our client took the feedback about the website, the e-newsletter and several other communications vehicles seriously. Working with them, we formed a communications committee that will provide input and advice on what tools and technology will be of more value to their stakeholder group. AHA will develop a communications plan that reflects the information from the audit and the input of the communications committee. Over the next six months, a series of new outreach tools and campaigns will be launched that will connect with stakeholders in a more relevant and effective manner – that provide information in a way that stakeholders want to hear from the organization. It’s an exciting time for our client. Not only do stakeholders feel that they had input into how they want to be communicated with, the organization has the opportunity to be heard through authentic, relevant and interactive communication rather than by pushing out corporate messages (that were being ignored).
How is your website? Is it relevant? Is it informative? Is it up-to-date and interesting to your stakeholders?
Ragan.com has a great piece about what the media might think about your organization’s website – it’s worth a read.
In today’s AHA Fast Take Friday, Ruth uses hot air (really) to explain how to manage a campaign if the wind (of public opinion) shifts.
There are two videos here. The first one shows Ruth and I hot air ballooning in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The balloon ride (and the sudden and quite hilarious landing) lead into Ruth’s Fast Take.
Balloon Ride (and Landing)
Up, Up and Away from AHA Creative on Vimeo.
AHA Fast Take Friday
Hot Air Balloon Fast Take from AHA Creative on Vimeo.
Here at AHA, we’ve been taking a good, hard look at ourselves and identifying areas where we could improve. So often when you work in communications, you are so busy helping clients that a focus on your own public relations takes a back seat. I found an interesting article on Ragan.com that identifies the seven elements that the writer feels every professional should have in their email signature.
While I agree with many of the points, I also believe that email signatures provide an opportunity to highlight a newly launched initiative or campaign. We recently had a client ask us how they could let people know about a charity initiative that they were holding. This is a multinational organization with staff and stakeholders worldwide. One of the easiest ways was to add a call to action to their email signatures, driving people to a page on their website. It was a quick, no cost, straightforward way to let their community know what they were up to – and it worked. The website saw an increase in visitors once the call to action was added, which in turn helped to support the event and the charity.
I do agree that it is important to have your basic contact information on your email signature – and to use the signature. I can’t tell you how often I get emails with no signature on them at all! And I do think that you can use your email signature to get the word out, when it’s appropriate. A quick call to action and a link can help spread the word about an event, campaign or initiative.