As communicators, it is important to understand visual communication. We don’t work in isolation – and more and more, we’re expected to have at least the basic skill set in this area. It is important to be able to work with photographers, videographers, illustrators and print and web designers – to clearly understand what they do, why they do it, and how to communicate with them.
There is an excellent piece that showcases 25 guidelines for great visual communication on Ragan.com. It’s worth a read.
I came across this quote recently: “Public relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens.” – Alvin Adams, diplomat, (1804-1877)
It’s interesting that in the 1800s, Mr. Adams thought they had instant communications and inquisitive citizens. I wonder what he would make of social media and our online, connected world.
It also reinforced a key element that we, at AHA, believe in and have been sharing for some time. That is: Good communication is a result of strategy, not technology.
Don’t get me wrong – social media, the online world, and technology have created much positive impact in the area of communication. And the use of these tools needs to be acknowledged and integrated into an overall communications strategy. But, it’s a part of the overall strategy – it isn’t the strategy.
You can have plans for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social media networking site. We believe that is important; but these plans are components of an overall communications plan which should support your overall organizational objectives. How does that happen? With a communications strategy.
Communicators have a more complex role these days. It is important that we see the bigger picture, as well as the day-to-day details. We still live in a world of “instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens” and it takes attention, effort and strategy to effectively and authentically connect.
I have seen a couple of incidents of criticism that were wrapped in the concept of “feedback” that are still wrinkling me. Given that as communicators, most of what we do is put out for review and input, I think that there might be some value in my little rant about what is and isn’t constructive criticism.
I have a friend that is currently working on a volunteer project. She is putting in many, many hours as a volunteer to help our former high school celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The small group of volunteers producing this event have done a spectacular job and should be applauded.
In a short time frame, they have reached out and found many grads and engaged us in the celebrations. They are producing a video that showcases some grads doing interesting things in the world. They somehow got funding from a former student, now a successful businessperson, to pay for ads in a large daily newspaper to promote the anniversary celebrations. There are active Facebook events, which include a pub night, a gala and many other activities.
Please visit our blog to read the rest of the post.
We’ve been having some interesting discussions in the AHA office. It’s time to review our case studies and do an update. We have had several projects recently that just cry out to be highlighted in a case study and I am looking forward to writing them. We have been chatting about whether or not to revise the format we use for case studies and discussing what the objective of a case study is, and several points have come up.
The objective of a case study is (or can be):
An example of the skill set and abilities of the agency (showcasing the approach and results) – used for business development.
An example of approach and results – used as a component of building a “business case” for other projects.
An opportunity to review the success/challenges of a project with some distance, clarity and context.
An opportunity to put a project into context – used for the client/agency relationship and for AHA crew members to see the big picture of what, why, when and how.
A part of the AHA legacy – used for internal purposes in the long term to review our professional path and agency evolution. Could also be used for an anniversary celebration for AHA.
Please visit our blog to read the rest of the post.
It’s been a busy few weeks here at AHA. It has been challenging to keep up with the blog posts and Fast Take Fridays. While that’s a little frustrating, I also believe that it keeps things “real” in our office and with our clients.
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.
