How To Plan Your Communications
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- Created on Tuesday, 10 January 2012 08:37
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
Have you ever experienced starting an assignment without having properly prepared and planned for it? I have, and you may too.
While you probably managed to get the job done thanks to your experience or professionalism (or both) you probably also realised that you could have done better had you only done your homework before setting out. That was certainly my experience.
Lack of planning equals lost opportunity because we fail to exploit the full potential of a given situation. This is why creating a written plan for your communications activities is absolutely crucial for your organisation's communications impact. Without a written plan that's kept up to date you are going to miss most of the opportunities you'll get to communicate about your organisation's activities. Add a comment
Response Time Too Slow For The News?
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- Created on Tuesday, 03 January 2012 08:52
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
Do you some times wonder how some organisations manage to achieve media coverage of their positions again and again while others respond too late to be of any relevance to the media?
Very often the difference between coverage and no coverage is the result of proper planning and lack of planning respectively. The beginning of a new year is a great time to implement improved planning practices in your organisation's communications. With the exception of budgeting which you presumably did in November and December this is probably the time of year when you plan much of your work anyway, and proper planning can completely change your communications impact.
In many ways planning your communications is not much different from budgeting; it allows you to set a target and allocate your resources accordingly - and of course the plan will only remain unchanged for so long. Just like your budget. Add a comment
The Holy Grail Of Communications
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- Created on Monday, 19 December 2011 18:56
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
I know I'm about to repeat myself, but I can't help it... I've already talked about the importance of consistancy in communications several times, and I'm now going to do it again.
Those of you that know me and have worked with me may think I'm a little obsessed about consistency and deadlines and you're partly right. In fact I'm really obsessed about consistency and deadlines in communications. Regularity is what gets your great content out there. Without rigorous deadlines and message consistency you don't have communications, only great content.
When you've identified your audience and picked the most effective communications channels it's time to start thinking about planning and executing your communications activities. And this is when consistency should come to your mind again. Add a comment
Choose Your Channels With Care
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- Created on Monday, 12 December 2011 21:13
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
Do you sometimes stress over the wide range of communications channels that you could use in your organisational or corporate communications?
You shouldn't and here's why: Communication is not about using every single channel available out there, it's about reaching your audience so they get your message. So start by considering where your audience is and how to best reach them then determine the best communications channel to use. You should only stress out if you fail to reach your audience.
If you're anything like me you don't want to be carpet bombed by organisations who try to reach you through all available channels or simply want to prove to the world that they are capable of using the latest shiny thing in digital media. There is currently a tendency for organisations and companies to explore and exploit digital media to its very limits and sometimes beyond, and often the result is irrelevant and ill-targeted communications. Add a comment
Where Is Your Hungry Crowd?
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- Created on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 07:14
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
As a journalist for a major newspaper, I once got some surprising and extraordinarily valuable information about my audience and what they expected from our newspaper.
Once a week the newspaper published a life style section, and well hidden deep in that section there were a couple of dinner recipes. One day, by mistake, a part of one recipe was missing. From the early morning the life style editor was barraged with phone calls for several hours.
Many readers, as it occurred, were so enthusiastic about cooking that they went straight to these dinner recipes first thing in the morning when they got the paper. That particular morning they were so upset they simply had to call the editor instantly to tell her about their disturbing discovery: That something had gone terribly wrong with one recipe.
Now, that's what I call a hungry crowd. Wouldn't it be great to have an audience so interested that when you make a mistake they call you in droves to tell you there is a problem with the information you just sent to them? Add a comment
3 Must-Haves For Your Web Visibility
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- Created on Tuesday, 29 November 2011 06:11
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
To many organisations and companies their website is the heart of their communications activities. Here they offer information, promote their services or goods and sometimes also sell these through their web shop. But having a nice website is not enough if you want to communicate effectively.
There are millions of nice looking websites out there but there are far fewer that realize the potential of their website investment. Actually, most websites, though they may be nicely designed, don't participate actively in the competition for the attention in cyberspace of either their existing clientele or new clients. This is simply because they are not fit for entering the competition in the first place.
We usually think of our website as our window to the world. That's where we present ourselves and our activities and services, and that's all fine - except people can't find us. Often they have no idea we exist, so no one sees our nicely decorated window. So our website design needs to consider more than content. Targeted navigation is a critical element of the design. Add a comment
Do You Know Your Clients?
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- Created on Sunday, 27 November 2011 14:50
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
“Clients?!! What do you mean? We don't have clients!”
If this was your immediate reaction to the headline above, you are not alone, but the fact is that most of us have clients. No matter if you work for a private business or a public organisation you have clients - or customers if you're selling goods or services. Your clients are the end-users of the output of your organisation. This is true even if your organisation is part of government since you still have clients in the sense of end-users – even if you've never met them or talked to them.
What has this got to do with your communications? Everything, because if communications activities are relevant to your organisation or company your clients, or end-users, should be the first and last you think about when you plan your communications.
Many organisations tend to only communicate about themselves. They fail to understand that this information may be of little use to their end-users. This is a clear sign that these organisations did not make the effort of getting to know their end-users very well, and how can you serve people and their needs if you don't know what their needs are? Add a comment
Recession-Proof Your Organisation
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- Created on Sunday, 27 November 2011 14:49
By Jens Thomsen, Impact Brussels
Times are brutal with budgets being axed in private companies and public organisations alike as the sovereign debt crisis continues to wreak havoc with the economy. Never was your ability to prove the full value of your activities and to enhance the impact of your organisation more critical than now.
Small organisations and companies are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the downturn with limited resources at their disposal to get through tough times and at the same time remain visible on the radar screens of their members, clients, customers, employees or stakeholders.
But while you cannot change the economic tide there is absolutely no reason you should just wait for the recession to catch up with your organisation or company. You can still do a lot to bolster your organisation's position even in the current chaotic environment. Apart from excelling in your job, one effective way to gain strength and survivability is through communications that can provide your organisation with the impact and recognition you need. Add a comment