Media and Communications – issues, challenges and way forward

In today’s world of one click solutions and 24/7 switched on stakeholders have thrown new challenges for Media and Communications. Not to mention the various new terms that come into existence every few months…… traditional media; New media; Social media to name a few.

I have tried to list down a few key challenges that we face today as we reach out to various global locations. The global imperative for communications is changing to bring about a revolution in how we perceive, manage and engage our stakeholders. We are trying to resolve the differences that exist between our perception of traditional and new media. Think global and act local has become the mantra to resolve this chasm.

1. Media and new technologies are pervasive, instantaneous, and global.2. Transparency and disclosure laws and practices have made media relations

more complex, and strategic for stakeholder engagements.3. New technologies force corporations toward tactical responses.

Corporations have to be ready to respond instantaneously in this age of first, quick and effective responses.

Verdict - Expect more demand for transparency from internal as well as external stakeholder. Clarity and knowledge of key issues will be advantageous for engaging the stakeholder’s imagination.

Future - Embrace new tools (blogs, posts and surveys). Audio visuals become key in communicating values, strengths and image.

4. New technologies such as Web 2.0 offer a new crisis, creating a geometric progression of more challenges as a result of more transparency and hyper-connectivity.

Verdict - Ethics and values offer a strong base for advocacy in the practice of corporate communication. We must bear in mind that different societies consume media differently. Communication must be structured keeping in mind the end consumer, i.e. cultural nuances, language, content, channel etc.

5. Although writing is still the core skill for Communication, the communicator needs to have business knowledge; to understand budgets, and to know how to measure the value of communication to the organization and be able to perceive the stakeholders pulses. The what, how and when to communicate is as much an art as a science.

Verdict - Also part of the skill set for the communicator – strategic thinking; problem solving, discipline, integrity, crisis management, media relations and grace under pressure

Critical issues and trends for corporate communications –

First and foremost is trust.  As much as we have made advances to repair the reputation of business through better governance and communication, we continue to take steps back as well.  For example, corporate blogs have been helpful by fostering direct, candid and open conversation with stakeholders, but some companies and agencies have engaged in deceptive practices concerning blogs.  When these frauds are exposed, the impression is: new channel, same corporate trickery.

More willingness to explore social media and other non traditional channels of communication; growing dissatisfaction with advertising as too one-way and expensive. The organization can take a more personal, less corporate voice, such as that of corporate blogging, and the personal and friendly nature of that voice personalizes the company and engenders trusting conversation. Greater leadership and involvement in social issues that is important to stakeholders and the general public. Clarity in communication in all aspects and across the board of an organization can bring greater brand synchronization for internal as well as external stakeholder.

The Blending of traditional and new media –

The focus of most advertising campaigns, ATL/BTL is to create awareness and impart a certain message across to the customer/stakeholder. However in most cases we forget to link up the traditional and new media and close the loop. If blended properly with traditional ads, the combined effort can supercharge the expected results.

I don’t feel that it is a contest between different ways to communicate. You don’t have to choose one or the other. Today’s stakeholders cross easily between online and offline worlds. Our goal is to reach them and reinforce our message in both places, giving you greater control over your message.

It’s also important to blend channels because each one plays a different role in influencing how stakeholder perceive and discover you. For example, a print ad might stimulate a customer to want to learn more about what you offer, causing them to search social media for more information. 

I am sharing a few of my learning -

1. Make print a social driver. If your Facebook page is becoming your main

online communicator, print and other traditional marketing tools can be used

to help drive people to your page. Promote your Facebook address on

magazines, brochures, OOH media. 

2. Showcase social mentions in print.  Use your print ads to showcase what

others are saying about your business, products or services through Facebook,

review sites, Twitter or elsewhere.  This helps amplify the buzz about your

business and can generate (or reinforce) all-important goodwill.

3. Get everyone in your business involved.  Every employee should be trained

to inform stakeholders of your social media presence and to recommend they

visit you on Facebook/twitter/you tube etc. Think of it as pure one-on-one

offline communication.

4. Cross-sell continuously online and offline.  Each time you use a

communications channel, mention the other channels you are using and what

you are doing there.  For example, OOH, magazines, banners, posters should

all mention how to find you on social media. On the flip side, your Facebook

page and You Tube posts can tell people to be on the lookout for what’s

coming through other channels.

Way forward –

Strategy 1 – Align, Engage & Enable. By align, I mean to align the brand and the company with the declared mission and vision, engage stakeholders on topics and activities of interest to them, and enable stakeholders to achieve their personal and professional goals. Media and Communication should be extended to all aspect of the corporation, be it CSR, Brand Management, Crisis Management or stakeholder engagement. Media consumption has become instant…..everything is now…. Either you are ON or OFF.

Strategy 2 – Social Media – Today Social media is touching many areas of an organization. It has transformed recruiting and the HR function. Social media can be a very cost-effective way to handle customer service. It can be used as an educational and business networking tool. The social web can be an enormous contributor to research and development and a source of low-cost, high-quality crowd sourcing. The companies on the leading edge of the social revolution are exploring ways social media can improve almost every company function. There is a very exciting movement toward applying private versions of these social technologies to internal staff functions, too, to improve communication and collaboration. So social media marketing is really a subset of what will be happening in a bigger way across the organization. It is no longer either listening or speaking, today; the organization is doing both at the same time. How quickly and to what extent an organization uses social media tools can be the differentiating factor.

Road to a successful Social Media Strategy –

We have all heard the expression “Content is King”, and this is absolutely

true, but to successfully develop a social media strategy, the following needs to be

considered:

1. Filter and Focus - – Companies developing a content strategy often fall into

the trap [that makes them think] that they need to create unique content to

be relevant. Nothing is further from the truth. This holds true for

stakeholder groups who are looking for new articles and blogs, analyze

them for relevant ideas. The strategy must be structured to help the

stakeholders find important information.

2. Multi-task your Content & Promote it –this means the importance of

creating content once and using it multiple times on multiple platforms. For

example, a white paper can become a number of blog articles, which in turn

can have multiple tweets, Facebook mentions, and LinkedIn discussions to

promote each one. Simply creating content is not enough. It must be shared

and re-shared with the stakeholders in different ways to generate the

maximum buzz.

3. Provide solutions and recommended actions – stakeholders are looking for

expertise and guidance. When creating content end with a series of

recommendations and action steps that resonate with the interests of the

stakeholders.

4. Use Multiple Media – More and more, people do not have time to read

lengthy articles and verbose literature. They want information to be fast and

easy to digest. Use a mix of articles, videos, and even basic Power Point

recordings to reach stakeholders. With more and more emphasis on mobile,

the written word is becoming less effective in reaching your target audience.