Thinking Aloud!
I wonder what I'd say to others if they ask me what strategic communication is all about? I mean, I had previously wrote a trilogy of epic proportions just to look at the issues of PR and public affairs (see The Fall of Communication and the Rise of Dialogue in the Web 2.0 Era Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) and in those discussions, I had sort of boiled down the core of the issue to strategic communication for the purpose of building relationships with with different groups of people.
But if we were to look even further, can there be a further deconstruction of what 'strategic communication' means? Actually, maybe there is...
How I look at it...
To put things into the terms of the day, I would say that strategic communication for an organization involves creating a holistic inbound and outbound communication and engagement program (communication and engagement not in traditional terms but within the framework of participation, dialogues and conversations).
In my own words, inbound communication represents the feedback that the organization is receiving from the different groups of people out in the community who are talking about it (e.g. products, services, policies, etc). So in this case, some examples of inbound communication channels would include the following:
- Feedback lines (telephone, cell phone, email, web-based feedback widgets, etc).
- Complaints, suggestions, and compliments via email, letters, newspaper forums, etc.
- Media publicity encompassing both good and bad coverage.
- Word of mouth (these days its more like word-of-mouse) that gets back to the organization, etc.
- Social media applications like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.
- Analytics applications such as Google Analytics, FeedBurner, and other freeware platforms, as well as paid applications.
- More...
The above isn't an exhaustive list, but represents what I think are the main incoming feedback traffic (and this is very much predicated upon the culture as well as the societal and technological systems where the organization is found).
Outbound communication, on the other hand, represents the outgoing communication and cues - both intended and unintended - that is going out to the community, which gives rise to the issues and topics of dialogues and conversations that people engage in. Similarly, some traditional examples include:
- Media releases and other publications (organizational newsletters, annual reports and newsletters).
- Event management and the 'physical presence.'
- Organizational websites and online portals.
- Marketing and advertising campaigns.
- Crisis and unexpected turn of events in the organization.
- Social media applications like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.
- More...
Mash of the New and Old
As you can see, the current inbound and outbound communication mix is a mash-up of both traditional and new media platforms. Chances are, our organizations will be well in tune with the more conventional inbound/outbound approaches since this has been the main means of doing business for years.
I think it's the social media and the analytics aspects that many organizations will need to work on today. What are the kinds of new media platforms that you are engaged in on the Web today? Are you on Twitter? Are you sending out messages on Twitter and being Re-Tweeted? Are you monitoring the communication to discover what people are tickled by? How is your brand being perceived in the community today? There are simply too many questions to be had!
But don't just jump in and expect to do wonders. Listen to what Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge say.
"Companies must first... [be able to] accurately analyze where, when, and how to participate."
Not knowing such simple but valuable information is dangerous, they caution (Putting the Public back in Public Relations, 2009, p.205).
What does this 'simple' information entail?
I suspect it has to do with knowing what your communication ecosystem is. Do you know what and where your main outbound communication channels are? That should be easy. But do you know what and where your main inbound (I stress -- LISTENING) channels are? Now that's trickier, but absolutely vital. How do you respond before you know what others are saying?
So where did this concept of the ecosystem come about?
There are many variants of differing comprehensiveness, such as Robert Scoble and Darren Barefoot's Social Media Starfish, Lloyd Davis' Social Media Snowflake, but I like Deb Schultz's Social Media Ecosystem as a starter for anyone new to this (see illustration below).
What's Your Communication Eco-System Like?
Why not spend some time and plot out the two, and see where you stand. We need to consider whether our corporate mouthpieces are outnumbering our listening posts (part of which includes blogs and other online communities who are talking about us as well). Do we have a sonobouy dropped into the waters of their dialogue to hear what the conversations are?
Find the door that leads into their world of conversations!
Then, and only then, should we ask if we're well positioned in their midst to engage them in dialogues that matter. Changes are, if the listening aspect is done well, it will help with the response component!
So, before rushing into action, chart out your communication ecosystem first. I'm doing one for myself too!