What to Consider for Next Year’s Communication Plan
As you begin to think ahead to 2010, it’s important to re-evaluate (or create) your communications plan for the year. Be sure to keep a few things in mind:
- Think big picture: Take a step back and examine how your 2010 communications plan fits in with your overarching, long-term goals. Does your strategy support and strengthen your organization’s brand or identity? Will your communications plan serve to advance your organization’s vision?
- Examine changes in your audiences’ methods of communication: Over the past year alone, we’ve observed a dramatic shift in the way people are finding and sharing information, particularly with the growth of Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. When mapping out your strategy, consider how these changes may have impacted your target audiences’ sources of information.
- Be flexible: As we’ve recently learned, the communications landscape is always changing and, to a point, your communications plan should change as well. Be prepared for new methods of communication and embrace them. It’s important that you take time to learn about new technologies and trends and strategically incorporate them into your plan where appropriate.
- Keep your messaging focused and simple: As we covered in our last issue of Impressions, “if you take a look at messages that truly resonate with audiences, there is one common denominator. Simplicity. The most potent messages avoid jargon or complicated language and instead get to the heart of the matter, usually in as few words as possible.”
Keeping up with Your Elected Officials Online
The art of keeping up with local, state and federal politics has evolved into far more than a one-way stream of information from newspapers, television ads and bumper stickers.
Today, the public has access to a wealth of information online, from websites that help you track the progress of a specific piece of legislation, to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, that let you interact with and keep tabs on policymakers.
Tracking elected officials and legislation online is a useful and effective way to stay updated on issues that are relevant to you and your organization. What’s more, you now have the unique opportunity to engage in productive two-way conversations with your lawmakers, as an ever-growing number of legislators use blogs and social media networks to reach and communicate with their constituents. To help you get started connecting with your elected officials and tracking legislation online, CG&A recommends checking out these useful sites:
Find out if your state legislators are on Twitter and start following their updates.
A directory of all members of Congress using Twitter.
Find information on Senators and Representatives, track federal legislation and watch video footage of Congress. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to watch bills that haven't been posted for open public review on the Internet for 72 hours before debate begins.
Get analysis on the latest polling data and read predictions of upcoming elections
A live stream of Twitter updates from members of Congress.
Why You Need a Social Media Policy
Guess what? Your employees are using social media. A lot.
Does this mean you’ve lost complete control over your internal messaging and brand? Of course not, but it does mean that it’s high time to put a policy in place and establish guidelines for how your employees should communicate online with respect to your company or organization.
Even if your company blocks access to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at work, it is highly likely that employees are engaging in some form of social media outside of work. As such, they are still serving as representatives of your brand. Rather than seeming like an act of “Big Brother,” social media policies should discuss your own company’s online presence and purpose, aim to position how your company wants to be talked about online while also educating employees with tips and resources to help employees smartly engage as brand advocates.
Confused about where to start? No worries, CG&A has you covered. Here are some recommended resources to check out when crafting your own policy. Above all, remind employees to be aware and use common sense.
10 Things You Should Cover in Your Social Networking Policy (Tech Republic)
10 Must-Haves For Your Social Media Policy (Mashable)
Online Database of Social Media Policies
*Looking for some more hands-on help with social media? Check out CG&A’s social media services. We’re happy to host a social media bootcamp and assist with strategy development to ensure you’re on the path to social media success.
A Look at an Integrated Communication Campaign: Science Chicago
CG&A began working with Science Chicago in November 2008, at a time of sharp decline for traditional media outlets. Therefore, in the spirit of science and innovation, CG&A built a communications strategy focused on web tools and social media to help drive attendance to thousands of Science Chicago events and promote the goals of spurring interest in science education and careers.
CG&A redeveloped an existing Science Chicago blog, created a robust Facebook presence, invited fans to share science photos through a Flickr group and engaged people and journalists directly via Twitter and YouTube. By diversifying its online presence, CG&A enabled Science Chicago to engage multiple target audiences, including students, parents, science experts, journalists and bloggers.
Most coverage of Science Chicago came where today’s media consumers live: online. Websites like Gaper’s Block and the online versions of Time Out Chicago, The Reader and Chicago Magazine all helped to spread the word and tell the story of Science Chicago.
Building on that foundation, CG&A secured traditional media coverage as well, including major local television coverage. Quality stories about Science Chicago also appeared in high profile outlets like the Chicago Tribune, the Sun-Times, and Chicago Parent. Opinion pieces by Science Chicago advisers ran in the Huffington Post, Sun-Times, Crain’s and Science.
Overall, the Science Chicago story was told through nearly 10 million media impressions, which proved to be a catalyst for the nearly 300,000 science lovers and learners who engaged with Science Chicago in person and online.