The top 10 trends in internal and external communication strategy was the hot topic presented at the inaugural 2010 PRISA Breakfast in January.
Linda Hamman and Daniel Munslow of Talk2Us presented insights based on local and global research, demonstrating how internal communication is a key enabler to external communication and the brand promises that are made to the public via various channels.
External Communication
During the presentation, Munslow, chief communications officer at Talk2Us, highlighted his prediction for the top 10 overarching media and external communication trends that can be expected in 2010 and beyond. This list, available on the Talk2Us website, includes;
- Media measurement needs to evolve
Public relations has traditionally relied heavily on a monetary unit to calculate the value of the editorial space obtained in media. This unit is known as (AVE) Advertising Value Equivalent. Based on global trends and research, we will start to follow in the footsteps of the American and Canadian thought-leaders in this field in identifying more qualitative units of measure to assess media exposure.
- New media measurements
Social media and social networking are being used more by companies, people advertisers, marketers and communicators. There will be a pressing need in 2010 to measure the impact such exposure has ın the businesses represented online.
- Foreign media learnings
South Africa will be “taken over” by the foreign press for a month during the Fifa World Cup. This will be a learning curve for both local and international media as they experience one another’s work methodologies, engaging in conversation about media and the country.
- Social media in business context
There is nothing really new about social media, but the use of it in business, as a tool linked to corporate communication imperatives, is now starting to appear.
- Complementary media
Some people still believe digital media will replace or outstrip traditional media, but the two are complementary to one another.
- Media in internal communication
Media are also found within organizations. Far too many companies still see internal communication as a newsletter, intranet or magazine – and some a combination.
- Vertical integration into mobile media platforms
Mobile platforms have not been given the credit they deserve for reaching mass audiences. Mobile media is one of the fastest growing tools to engage with audiences, and media will need to explore ways of integrating this channel into their offering.
- Editors will create content with consumers
An American blog promoted the term “curated information” – consolidate the vast amount of information being put on the web and make it manageable.
- Marketing to create conversations
while traditional marketing has been about raising awareness through a uni – or bi-dimensional approach, we are likely to see a shift to multidimensional marketing that will increasingly create a conversations between brands and their customers.
- Media needs to be responsible
With all of these changes and developments, the Fifa World Cup and other events scheduled for 2010, the media needs to handle change with care and consideration.
Internal Communication
Talk2Us CEO Linda Hamman unpacked 10 trends that can be expected in the internal communication space. This list is also available in full on the Talk2Us website, and includes;
- Corporate governance raises the role of communication
King Report lll has opened the door for communicators to obtain buy-in with regards to stakeholder engagement from c-suite.
- Closer synergy between internal and external communication
2010 is likely to see closer alignment between external and internal communication and marketing strategies. The starting point is to identify the purpose of communication and the communication key objectives.
- Focus on value
It was recently determined by a Towers Perrin research paper that only one out of five workers is giving full discretionary effort on the job; and close to four out of 10 workers are disenchanted or disengaged. It concluded that engaged workers are not born, they are made, and this can only be achieved through communication.
- Corporate communication to culture and behavior modification
The role of internal communication needs to shift up to the level of employee engagement. There are four main milestones on the road to behavior modification; (1) create awareness, (2) change perceptions, (3) obtain buy-in, and (4) change behavior.
- Management training
RaporASW research tells us that “%55 of surveyed managers said they believed they communicated well with workers, while only %35 of those workers agreed”. These numbers will have to change if internal communication is going to work.
- Robust measurement principles
In a recent Talk2Us survey we found that %73 of communication managers do not conduct regular evaluation of the three key drivers – contents, process and impact. A total of %27 indicated they used measurement techniques, but not at regular intervals or only measured various aspects of the communication process. No one said their measurement was optimized.
- Brand promise and employee behaviour
Employees may very well know what their company’s brand promise and values are, but the real question to ask is how this is translated to consumers.
- Social media in internal communication
Twitter, LinkedIn, Googlewave, Facebook and other social media tools and applications have fundamentally changed the way people communicate. Used widely in external communication, social media can also be a powerful tool in an organization.
- Put your money where your mouth is
Internal communication is a powerful tool to engage staff. But far too often communication practitioners end their internal communication roll-out once a message has been sent out via one of the available channels.
- Optimisation
It’s no longer about doing the right things or doing things right. It’s about doing things differently. Communicators need to reassess their content, processes, efficiencies, measurement standards, audience segmentation and preparedness of the stewards to deliver the communication ipreatives.
Kaynak: Communika March 2008
