I find myself amused when I see in job postings, mostly agency but sometimes corporate, that they seek a social media expert to run their Twitter, Facebook and usually Blog portals. Now what makes me laugh is that, more often than not, I see they are looking for expertise in these fields. I find that not only funny but a tad ironic because it really does fly in the face of what is generally considered expertise.
Think of other areas in our society where we want expertise. For our doctors they have to go to 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and then serve various residency and attending programs that often go for another 4 to 6 years. At that point they are considered a doctor but are still the low man, or woman, on the totem pole. I remember reading about Japanese fugu chefs who have to study for 7 years in how to prepare what is considered one of the world's great delicacies. Of course fugu comes from the liver of a puffer fish and, if prepared incorrectly, can quite literally kill you. Even a restaurant sommelier needs to demonstrate extensive knowledge of wines before being certified.
What all of these groups also share is that they need to keep their skills current to maintain their status. In PR and Marketing sadly, the opposite is the case. We seek people out based on a perception of skill and not a proven ability to deliver the goods. This differs from the development of the Internet when you could show demonstrable programming, and/or design skills. We tend to put people into slots (tech, media relations etc.) and keep them there for the balance of their careers.
Of greater concern, a lot of organizations are treating Web 2.0/social media areas as a separate field of marketing. I am of the mind set that this is wrong headed and will pose problems for the organization down the road. For one thing, the organization, in order to be effective, needs to speak with one voice. You can not have the social media guru, I do love that term , sending out messages that either will contradict or disrupt the corporate messaging strategy. Most importantly, you need to have someone who appreciates the role of corporate communications and public relations and bases their decisions less on something being cool and more on how it will impact the organization positively or not.
The simple fact is that this technology is too new too hire someone off the street as an expert. What is more important, and in my opinion likely to be more successful, is to have an experienced PR or Corp Comm person assume oversight and manage the program conservatively to start, and then with more increasing amounts of risk taking as familiarity and experience grow. To do otherwise risks the disruption of the corporate message and worst case scenario, damage to the corporate brand.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Should PR and Corp Comm People Have Liablity Insurance
There is an old joke about a doctor who saw a patient and told him that in order to stay healthy he needed to quit drinking, quit smoking and quit eating fatty foods and exercise more. The next time the doctor saw the patient, not only was it obvious he hadn't done any of what he said but had actually gotten worse at it. The doctor, fuming and exasperated asked why the patient hadn't done what he asked. The patient looked at the doctor puzzled and said, "oh were you being serious.?"
Sometimes, when you work in Corp Comm or PR you can see situations like this. If the patient in the case dies from a heart attack most people would say that he had lived an unhealthy life. If you are a PR person, you or your organization has committed a public relations gaffe. Recently, when BP CEO Tony Hayward went sailing while oil surged into the Gulf of Mexico, it was referred to as a PR disaster. OK, first of all, I Mr. Hayward told his PR person what he had planned and then had it approved before he went sailing. Granted, BP has committed more than its share of PR errors which can be attributed to PR but this was not one of them.
Keep in mind that in general when an organization does something stupid or just flat out wrong and then mishandles the response it is often called a PR gaffe. The usual problem is that we're seeing an organization trying to "spin" its way out of trouble. That is they are trying to set the agenda and decide what is, and what isn't, relevant to the discussion.
So what is the solution to this issue? Well there is actually an easy one. It's called telling the truth. Well it's a bit more complex than that. My parents used to call being punished "taking your medicine." A throwback to the days before Nyquil when medicine actually tasted poorly and you had to brace yourself before taking it.
McDonald's is the sign of an organization who took their medicine earlier this year and very quickly the problem was gone. It's amazing how quickly stories enter and exit our news cycle but you may recall that when the most recent Shrek movie was released, McDonald's had some glasses it released as a product tie in to the movie. Of course it turned out that the glasses were tainted with lead. McDonald's quickly issued a recall and about 4 to 6 weeks later the issue has been almost forgotten. They didn't spin, they told the truth, took their medicine and as a result will move forward with little interruption.
So I come back to the issue that made me write this little tome. Should PR and Corp Comm people have liability insurance. Well of course I was being somewhat factitious when I said that, the truth is we don't. What we need to do is remember that our first goal and highest calling is to tell the truth. While lawyers and bean counters think we should "spin" the news the fact remains when an organization listens to them, or has a culture that encourages that, you have a situation like BP. If you encourage the truth and "taking your medicine," you are like McDonald's where only a minor hit disrupts your path to ongoing business success.
Sometimes, when you work in Corp Comm or PR you can see situations like this. If the patient in the case dies from a heart attack most people would say that he had lived an unhealthy life. If you are a PR person, you or your organization has committed a public relations gaffe. Recently, when BP CEO Tony Hayward went sailing while oil surged into the Gulf of Mexico, it was referred to as a PR disaster. OK, first of all, I Mr. Hayward told his PR person what he had planned and then had it approved before he went sailing. Granted, BP has committed more than its share of PR errors which can be attributed to PR but this was not one of them.
Keep in mind that in general when an organization does something stupid or just flat out wrong and then mishandles the response it is often called a PR gaffe. The usual problem is that we're seeing an organization trying to "spin" its way out of trouble. That is they are trying to set the agenda and decide what is, and what isn't, relevant to the discussion.
So what is the solution to this issue? Well there is actually an easy one. It's called telling the truth. Well it's a bit more complex than that. My parents used to call being punished "taking your medicine." A throwback to the days before Nyquil when medicine actually tasted poorly and you had to brace yourself before taking it.
McDonald's is the sign of an organization who took their medicine earlier this year and very quickly the problem was gone. It's amazing how quickly stories enter and exit our news cycle but you may recall that when the most recent Shrek movie was released, McDonald's had some glasses it released as a product tie in to the movie. Of course it turned out that the glasses were tainted with lead. McDonald's quickly issued a recall and about 4 to 6 weeks later the issue has been almost forgotten. They didn't spin, they told the truth, took their medicine and as a result will move forward with little interruption.
So I come back to the issue that made me write this little tome. Should PR and Corp Comm people have liability insurance. Well of course I was being somewhat factitious when I said that, the truth is we don't. What we need to do is remember that our first goal and highest calling is to tell the truth. While lawyers and bean counters think we should "spin" the news the fact remains when an organization listens to them, or has a culture that encourages that, you have a situation like BP. If you encourage the truth and "taking your medicine," you are like McDonald's where only a minor hit disrupts your path to ongoing business success.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
How to survive a game changing application!
There is the old expression, "be careful what you wish for." This is very true. I don't know if it has an ending but if it does the ideal ending in my opinion would be, "be careful what you wish for, it may come true." One thing that every marketing and communications professional wishes for is to be there at the beginning of a potentially market changing application. We would all like to think this is very exciting and filled with moments of breathtaking, heart pounding thrills.
Well one analogy I could draw is what it must be like to be the pitcher of a no-hitter. While everyone remembers the no-hitter and we all see the players dancing around once it is over, imagine the last few minutes before the final out. That is what it is always like being with a company trying to launch a product that can change the marketplace. With one step you could reach immortality and hey, based on what players make, maybe you can make a lot of money off it as well. But there is also the potential for having a miscue mean that you're going to miss out on the opportunity and soon be relegated to the trash heap of soon to be forgotten history.
Marketing and communicating the benefits of a game changing application are simply put, brutal. For one thing, every company thinks they have a game changing application. I remember seeing an electric fly swatter being sold as a "revolutionary pest control device." Let's be honest, restraint is not really a facet one tends to see in most marketing and communications people. Nor is a judicious temperament.
But often when you have a product that is set to radically alter the landscape that is exactly what is needed. For one thing, no brand new, market altering product can be successful without properly educating the media and analysts' who follow the market. Basically, they are both the gatekeepers as well the individuals with the knowledge and insight to see if something really has the potential to change the marketplace or is once again, more hot air.
So the best way to survive a game changing application is by realizing that if you truly have a unique story to tell then you are in the drivers seat and can choose, when, where and how you wish to tell it. But remember that there is truly, very little out there that hasn't already been done or said or told 50 times 50 before. Restraint will help you, but passion will fuel you.
Well one analogy I could draw is what it must be like to be the pitcher of a no-hitter. While everyone remembers the no-hitter and we all see the players dancing around once it is over, imagine the last few minutes before the final out. That is what it is always like being with a company trying to launch a product that can change the marketplace. With one step you could reach immortality and hey, based on what players make, maybe you can make a lot of money off it as well. But there is also the potential for having a miscue mean that you're going to miss out on the opportunity and soon be relegated to the trash heap of soon to be forgotten history.
Marketing and communicating the benefits of a game changing application are simply put, brutal. For one thing, every company thinks they have a game changing application. I remember seeing an electric fly swatter being sold as a "revolutionary pest control device." Let's be honest, restraint is not really a facet one tends to see in most marketing and communications people. Nor is a judicious temperament.
But often when you have a product that is set to radically alter the landscape that is exactly what is needed. For one thing, no brand new, market altering product can be successful without properly educating the media and analysts' who follow the market. Basically, they are both the gatekeepers as well the individuals with the knowledge and insight to see if something really has the potential to change the marketplace or is once again, more hot air.
So the best way to survive a game changing application is by realizing that if you truly have a unique story to tell then you are in the drivers seat and can choose, when, where and how you wish to tell it. But remember that there is truly, very little out there that hasn't already been done or said or told 50 times 50 before. Restraint will help you, but passion will fuel you.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
What's so great about experience?
In looking around at the very few job postings out there, I see a lot of strange postings. One was looking for someone to work the front desk of a hotel but they had to have experience working in suburban hotels and anyone who has worked in downtown hotels would not be considered. Now I will be the first to admit that I read job postings I have no interest in applying for because I find them amusing and because job postings are often so poorly written that they are amusing. I have never found a great difference in the job skill set needed to work down town than out in the suburbs.
Yet we are conditioned to think that having some experience or familiarity with a certain market segment is essential to succeed in that market. While I can see that to be true in some areas I have to say that I believe it to be very short sighted in others. Now of course, if we have a heart condition, we all want to go see a cardiologist and not a ophthalmologist. There are dozens of examples just like this. But I find that for the majority of us who are working in service industries, we posses a certain skill set which is transferable and which in some cases may bring a fresh perspective.
There was a great example from an exercise run by the Army towards the end of the cold war. They were gaming what was generally believed to be how the war between NATO and the old Warsaw Pact forces would play out. In one exercise a group of ROTC students defeated a ground of Army War College graduates by using new tactics not previously in the planning. Many of the War College graduates had seen combat in Vietnam and needless to say were upset that they had lost. They protest claiming the ROTC students used unorthodox tactics to win and should forfeit. When Adm. William Crowe the then head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff found out about the dispute he commented that the enemy isn't supposed to do what we expect it to do. They are the enemy.
Experience often leads to a certain level of intellectual laziness and a comfort that with the experience comes a certain level of entitlement. Experience only works when it is constantly being challenged by a new and changing environment. The person who looks at the situation and claims, "that's what we have always done" is poison to the organization. This is not to argue for change for the sake of change, but it does argue for constant motion to stay ahead of the curve that is always changing.
Speaking as a public relations and marketing professional, I have to know not only what is going on in my own industry, but I need to understand how my profession is changing. I need to understand how this impacts my clients and what threats and opportunities it offers. In other words I need to keep moving. The major conclusion I hope you can take away from this is that experience itself is not anything great, it is how you evolve along with the environment and continually re-invent yourself as someone who offers a set of relevant skills. Experience is less impressive as how you react and deal with change!
Yet we are conditioned to think that having some experience or familiarity with a certain market segment is essential to succeed in that market. While I can see that to be true in some areas I have to say that I believe it to be very short sighted in others. Now of course, if we have a heart condition, we all want to go see a cardiologist and not a ophthalmologist. There are dozens of examples just like this. But I find that for the majority of us who are working in service industries, we posses a certain skill set which is transferable and which in some cases may bring a fresh perspective.
There was a great example from an exercise run by the Army towards the end of the cold war. They were gaming what was generally believed to be how the war between NATO and the old Warsaw Pact forces would play out. In one exercise a group of ROTC students defeated a ground of Army War College graduates by using new tactics not previously in the planning. Many of the War College graduates had seen combat in Vietnam and needless to say were upset that they had lost. They protest claiming the ROTC students used unorthodox tactics to win and should forfeit. When Adm. William Crowe the then head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff found out about the dispute he commented that the enemy isn't supposed to do what we expect it to do. They are the enemy.
Experience often leads to a certain level of intellectual laziness and a comfort that with the experience comes a certain level of entitlement. Experience only works when it is constantly being challenged by a new and changing environment. The person who looks at the situation and claims, "that's what we have always done" is poison to the organization. This is not to argue for change for the sake of change, but it does argue for constant motion to stay ahead of the curve that is always changing.
Speaking as a public relations and marketing professional, I have to know not only what is going on in my own industry, but I need to understand how my profession is changing. I need to understand how this impacts my clients and what threats and opportunities it offers. In other words I need to keep moving. The major conclusion I hope you can take away from this is that experience itself is not anything great, it is how you evolve along with the environment and continually re-invent yourself as someone who offers a set of relevant skills. Experience is less impressive as how you react and deal with change!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Some goals for 2010
For those who don't know me, I have never been a big fan of resolutions. I personally consider them jokes and something that people make, fully knowing that they do not intend to achieve them. That being said, I am a very big fan of goals and believe that every person and organization needs to have goals in order to succeed and most importantly, the goals need to be something that can not only be achieved, but will result in a stronger person and organization.
So what can we set as goals for the individual in 2010? Well there are always the personal goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more and so on. Let me say that each of these are excellent ideas but we should be doing them anyway. These are life choices and really not what I had in mind. Rather, I would suggest we all try and find a way to improve ourselves professionally in the coming year. There are a number of ways we can do this. Some of which include:
Education-The world is changing faster than ever before. I find myself amazed that my 12 year old nephew can often explain things to me that I have never heard of before. I thought my parents were bad for not using one of those old answering machines with the tape that needed to be replaced every six months or so. Now I am in fear I may be reaching that level of technology illiteracy. Even social media presents an interesting obstacle for most professional who have been in the industry for more than 10 years. It is a fascinating world that is always changing and we need to make sure we keep up with the changes or risk being left behind.
So the first goal for 2010 should be to educate your self on the latest breakthroughs in technology. While I write mostly for marketing and communications people, this goes for anyone in any field. Either you learn when the train leaves the station or you're left on the platform.
Network-Everybody knows that networking is important to success in today's hyper-competitive job market place. Sadly, one of the inverse or negative results of social media is we believe we can sit back at the key board and meet people that way. Let me be crystal clear in my own opinion. Social media is not networking. In order to network you need to be out and meeting people and learning more about them and engaging them in conversation.
There is a big difference between between knowing someone and being a friend with someone. Your friend is someone who brings a smile to your face as you recall a funny story or a great conversation you had with them. They are someone you know right away is intelligent and whom you can assess nearly immediately their strengths and weaknesses.
Persevere-It is easy to say things are too hard and move on to something different. Speaking as a former hiring manager, if I was looking at two people and one person had better technical skills than the next, but the latter had stuck to their guns through thick and thin my first instinct would be to go with the one who persevered. There is a lot to be said for people who have passion and love what they do and don't see it as simply a pay check. These are people whom you can count on when times are tough to provide you with solid advice.
Having said that, you need to be sure you are not sticking to someone who for lack of a better word is the typical cockroach. Every organization has one. They survive ironically not because they are good at what they do, but because they spend as much time on self-promotion as helping the organization succeed. Fortunately I have found two sure-fire ways of warding off these people. Much like cockroaches and vampires, they hate direct sunlight. Ask them one or both of two questions, tell me about your greatest personal failure? When did you help the organization succeed but let someone else receive the credit.
Stay optimistic-This is one of those things that will be easier said than done! Being optimistic in tough times is extremely difficult but equally important. Discouragement can result in mistakes and missed opportunities. Remember that every opportunity is a gift and by opening it, we can achieve great things.
Go for it-I know HR people will hate me for saying this, but if there is a job you think you are qualified for then go for it. What is the worst that can happen? They can say no which as well know is more likely in this day and age. But if you do your homework, and prepare a well thought out appeal and present yourself as the problem solver they all need you will be surprised at how strong the positive response is.
This is only a partial list of my own goals for 2010. I am sure once I post this I will think of several more. But the important thing I believe is that we need to focus on what is going to happen, what we can contribute and most importantly why we are needed. To quote the Kink's "The past is gone and ain't coming back no more." Focus on what you can bring to the market and pretty soon you will be bringing them to it!
So what can we set as goals for the individual in 2010? Well there are always the personal goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more and so on. Let me say that each of these are excellent ideas but we should be doing them anyway. These are life choices and really not what I had in mind. Rather, I would suggest we all try and find a way to improve ourselves professionally in the coming year. There are a number of ways we can do this. Some of which include:
Education-The world is changing faster than ever before. I find myself amazed that my 12 year old nephew can often explain things to me that I have never heard of before. I thought my parents were bad for not using one of those old answering machines with the tape that needed to be replaced every six months or so. Now I am in fear I may be reaching that level of technology illiteracy. Even social media presents an interesting obstacle for most professional who have been in the industry for more than 10 years. It is a fascinating world that is always changing and we need to make sure we keep up with the changes or risk being left behind.
So the first goal for 2010 should be to educate your self on the latest breakthroughs in technology. While I write mostly for marketing and communications people, this goes for anyone in any field. Either you learn when the train leaves the station or you're left on the platform.
Network-Everybody knows that networking is important to success in today's hyper-competitive job market place. Sadly, one of the inverse or negative results of social media is we believe we can sit back at the key board and meet people that way. Let me be crystal clear in my own opinion. Social media is not networking. In order to network you need to be out and meeting people and learning more about them and engaging them in conversation.
There is a big difference between between knowing someone and being a friend with someone. Your friend is someone who brings a smile to your face as you recall a funny story or a great conversation you had with them. They are someone you know right away is intelligent and whom you can assess nearly immediately their strengths and weaknesses.
Persevere-It is easy to say things are too hard and move on to something different. Speaking as a former hiring manager, if I was looking at two people and one person had better technical skills than the next, but the latter had stuck to their guns through thick and thin my first instinct would be to go with the one who persevered. There is a lot to be said for people who have passion and love what they do and don't see it as simply a pay check. These are people whom you can count on when times are tough to provide you with solid advice.
Having said that, you need to be sure you are not sticking to someone who for lack of a better word is the typical cockroach. Every organization has one. They survive ironically not because they are good at what they do, but because they spend as much time on self-promotion as helping the organization succeed. Fortunately I have found two sure-fire ways of warding off these people. Much like cockroaches and vampires, they hate direct sunlight. Ask them one or both of two questions, tell me about your greatest personal failure? When did you help the organization succeed but let someone else receive the credit.
Stay optimistic-This is one of those things that will be easier said than done! Being optimistic in tough times is extremely difficult but equally important. Discouragement can result in mistakes and missed opportunities. Remember that every opportunity is a gift and by opening it, we can achieve great things.
Go for it-I know HR people will hate me for saying this, but if there is a job you think you are qualified for then go for it. What is the worst that can happen? They can say no which as well know is more likely in this day and age. But if you do your homework, and prepare a well thought out appeal and present yourself as the problem solver they all need you will be surprised at how strong the positive response is.
This is only a partial list of my own goals for 2010. I am sure once I post this I will think of several more. But the important thing I believe is that we need to focus on what is going to happen, what we can contribute and most importantly why we are needed. To quote the Kink's "The past is gone and ain't coming back no more." Focus on what you can bring to the market and pretty soon you will be bringing them to it!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Let's get this decade right
Well I am sure we all agree that the first decade of the century and millennium was a failure by even the most optimistic measure. It is pretty obvious that it was a total failure of leadership by government and business. The short sighted CEO's who managed the economy into the gutter by thinking they work for Wall-Street share the blame alongside the fat cats on Wall Street who thought their bonus checks were their IQ's and let's not forget the total lack of leadership in Washington where the idea of, "If I don't admit wrong then I am not wrong" prevailed along side a total lack of interest in the national well-being.
So now we're in a new decade and hopefully we can turn things around. It may seem highly unlikely now but with the right set of circumstances we might be able to do so but like any task it will take work and sadly thanks to reality TV, government officials and Corporate CEO's we've been taught that hard work is wrong and we should be going for the fast and easy buck. Well thankfully for all of us the days of easy money are over so let's see if we can get the teens, my name for this decade, right.
First of all the biggest change needs to come from the corporate world. Corporate leadership in America does not exist and is driven by really stupid people who think they work for Wall Street and don't care about anything beyond the next quarter. Believe it or not there was a time when companies cared about things like customers, products and yes employees. Companies like IBM and Dow used to brag about how they hired only the best and the brightest. We need to get back to the days of treating employees as valuable assets rather than expendable tools. Employees need to be treated as an asset and not a liability on the balance sheet.
Companies also need to realize that they can anticipate events but can not control them. More effort needs to be put into flexibility and planning rather than trying to cover all possible scenarios are just working under the assumption that we know everything and that events will just work out perfectly because we're super smart and can plan anything again. The goal for the coming decade is an idea I call planned flexibility. Let's be ready for the changes in the marketplace but lets also keep in mind that despite all media hype, the world does not change all that quickly.
As for the other two legs of this stool of stupidity, we need to restore a sense of balance. I laugh at the concept that these firms need to pay these bonuses because if they don't they will lose these oh so valuable souls to the competition. That would be like your local baseball team looking at the player who consistently failed in the clutch and gave up home runs or struck out with the bases loaded and saying, "we really wouldn't want the competition to have this gem." Actually, I think that is exactly what you want! Strengthen the gene pool by getting rid of the weakest link. On the Serengeti in Africa if a gazelle is too slow or gets too close to the watering hole then the gene pool is preserved because the gazelle is some lion's or croc's lunch.
As for Washington, can we tear it down and start over? I think Nebraska gets it right, no parties. Everyone is non-partisan so they have to work together! Let's do that and maybe if we can get people to work together and set one seven year term for all members of congress maybe we can see some real reform.
I hope that we can see the errors of our way during the past ten years and make the changes that are necessary. Sadly, the people best in position to make the changes are the ones who got us here in the first place so forgive me if I am not overly optimistic.
So now we're in a new decade and hopefully we can turn things around. It may seem highly unlikely now but with the right set of circumstances we might be able to do so but like any task it will take work and sadly thanks to reality TV, government officials and Corporate CEO's we've been taught that hard work is wrong and we should be going for the fast and easy buck. Well thankfully for all of us the days of easy money are over so let's see if we can get the teens, my name for this decade, right.
First of all the biggest change needs to come from the corporate world. Corporate leadership in America does not exist and is driven by really stupid people who think they work for Wall Street and don't care about anything beyond the next quarter. Believe it or not there was a time when companies cared about things like customers, products and yes employees. Companies like IBM and Dow used to brag about how they hired only the best and the brightest. We need to get back to the days of treating employees as valuable assets rather than expendable tools. Employees need to be treated as an asset and not a liability on the balance sheet.
Companies also need to realize that they can anticipate events but can not control them. More effort needs to be put into flexibility and planning rather than trying to cover all possible scenarios are just working under the assumption that we know everything and that events will just work out perfectly because we're super smart and can plan anything again. The goal for the coming decade is an idea I call planned flexibility. Let's be ready for the changes in the marketplace but lets also keep in mind that despite all media hype, the world does not change all that quickly.
As for the other two legs of this stool of stupidity, we need to restore a sense of balance. I laugh at the concept that these firms need to pay these bonuses because if they don't they will lose these oh so valuable souls to the competition. That would be like your local baseball team looking at the player who consistently failed in the clutch and gave up home runs or struck out with the bases loaded and saying, "we really wouldn't want the competition to have this gem." Actually, I think that is exactly what you want! Strengthen the gene pool by getting rid of the weakest link. On the Serengeti in Africa if a gazelle is too slow or gets too close to the watering hole then the gene pool is preserved because the gazelle is some lion's or croc's lunch.
As for Washington, can we tear it down and start over? I think Nebraska gets it right, no parties. Everyone is non-partisan so they have to work together! Let's do that and maybe if we can get people to work together and set one seven year term for all members of congress maybe we can see some real reform.
I hope that we can see the errors of our way during the past ten years and make the changes that are necessary. Sadly, the people best in position to make the changes are the ones who got us here in the first place so forgive me if I am not overly optimistic.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Strategic communication planning for 2010.
There was a great article in the most recent Time about how the past decade was one of the worst and how we will be happy to be rid of it. Well, the new year always bodes well for new and exciting things as we shake off the dust of the old so it is time to start thinking about what to do in 2010.
There are several things you need to do to prepare for the upcoming year. The first thing is to review not just the most recent year, but the past few years before hand if your business has been around that long. You need to take an honest and hard look at what has worked and what hasn't worked. It is time for hindsight to do its thing and tell you what would you do different if you had to. It is also important to remember what went well and what you did right. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from success as well as failure.
There is also the need to find out how marketing and communications will help drive the overall strategic goal to its successful completion. Every organization plans ahead usually quarter by quarter, but there is also the need to project out annual goals for the organization as communication goals tend to span several quarters. Strategic planning of communication is every bit as critical to the success of the organization as the strategic planning of capital spending. Planning on communication and marketing is often seen as what I would call an "oh yeah," category when in fact it requires some of the most strategic planning of all the organization's groups in order to succeed properly.
Another aspect of planning communications strategically is to have both hard and soft goals. Communications tends to fluff off the concept of hard goals and that to a large degree is why marketing and communications are seen as expendable in turbulent times like this. By developing hard targets for accomplishments and then being able to benchmark these accomplishments over a period of time and versus company success marketing and communications individuals will be able to clearly demonstrate the role they play in the success of the organization.
The time for strategic communication plan is not only here but it is long overdue. Like all other professionals marketing and communications professionals need to realize that while we are relied on as creative individuals, we also need to join the rest of the management group as people who work in a numbers based environment. Doing this will solidify the role of marketing and communications as an essential role player in the organization!
There are several things you need to do to prepare for the upcoming year. The first thing is to review not just the most recent year, but the past few years before hand if your business has been around that long. You need to take an honest and hard look at what has worked and what hasn't worked. It is time for hindsight to do its thing and tell you what would you do different if you had to. It is also important to remember what went well and what you did right. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from success as well as failure.
There is also the need to find out how marketing and communications will help drive the overall strategic goal to its successful completion. Every organization plans ahead usually quarter by quarter, but there is also the need to project out annual goals for the organization as communication goals tend to span several quarters. Strategic planning of communication is every bit as critical to the success of the organization as the strategic planning of capital spending. Planning on communication and marketing is often seen as what I would call an "oh yeah," category when in fact it requires some of the most strategic planning of all the organization's groups in order to succeed properly.
Another aspect of planning communications strategically is to have both hard and soft goals. Communications tends to fluff off the concept of hard goals and that to a large degree is why marketing and communications are seen as expendable in turbulent times like this. By developing hard targets for accomplishments and then being able to benchmark these accomplishments over a period of time and versus company success marketing and communications individuals will be able to clearly demonstrate the role they play in the success of the organization.
The time for strategic communication plan is not only here but it is long overdue. Like all other professionals marketing and communications professionals need to realize that while we are relied on as creative individuals, we also need to join the rest of the management group as people who work in a numbers based environment. Doing this will solidify the role of marketing and communications as an essential role player in the organization!
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