I originally wrote this article in 1999 for the Houston Business Journal’s Small Business Insights section. The following is my update with some fresh perspectives on company image, media relations, employee engagement, community relations, and investor relations for the realities of 2020 and beyond. (Read the original here.)
Company image
Image can determine whether businesses make a deal, get a client, or sell a product. Some firms that do excellent work don’t gain the success that quality merits because they don’t communicate it well. Consistency is the key; logos, graphic signage, office lobby and reception, even delivery trucks must have the same look of high quality and success.
Media relations
Blogs, websites, social media, print publications, and broadcast media are persistent 24/7 channels for business exposure, and they all demand strong stories. Develop contacts with bloggers, influencers, and local news media reporters. Become known as the go-to expert — not just about your business/brand but also issues and trends in your industry.
Employee engagement
The math is simple: high employee engagement equals greater output and less employee turnover. This can be a delicate and fragile goal requiring a comprehensive approach reflected in all aspects of an organization’s inner workings.
Efficient and timely team-level communication is crucial for the working landscape in which multiple offices and remote work are increasingly considered the norm. Instant messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing are not choices — they’re necessities.
Instant chat communication platforms enable virtual teams to collaborate in real-time. These channels also tend to have a “watercooler” quality that allows physically removed team members to engage on a personal level and create connections that can extend to their overall sentiment towards the organization as a whole.
Having a dedicated internal company blog helps centralize, organize, and effectively share internal news and knowledge and ensure that everyone stays on the same page. The mechanics should be simple: all relevant units of information are published as blog posts organized by categories and tags such as news, events, knowledge base, projects, milestones, etc. Transparent two-way communication takes place through comments, while administrators can control both the audience (who sees what) and their roles (who can post, edit, or comment). The audience helps separate company-level communication from team-specific subjects, while roles enable both efficient content curation and an active discussion.
The internal blog can also be a great platform for providing visibility and validation by introducing new team members, recognizing achievements of individuals or teams, or marking birthdays and work anniversaries.
Community relations
Businesses that don’t know their neighbors or interact with their community are making a big mistake. A proactive community relations program can develop solid support, not just in businesses around you but in a broader area as well.
In addition to charitable work, consider sponsoring or hosting events important to the neighborhood/community to strengthen goodwill.
Investor relations
While keeping investors happy is not relevant for all businesses, any organization in which dollars are being put in from other sources needs some form of an investor relations campaign, whether it’s for 10 people or 10,000. You must keep your investors informed.
To develop a strong financial support base, let investors know about your latest successes, what’s new on the horizon, changes in management staffing or techniques, and scores of other kinds of information. This demonstrates to them that they are indeed making a sound investment. Little or no information fosters confusion and frustration at the investor level.
Communicate regularly, announcing whatever information must be disclosed and anything else that enhances the company’s overall public image. Screenshots of social media posts, press clippings, and newsletters can be used to show the organization’s strength, publicize awards and recognition, and anything else that reflects success.
Good verbal communication must be emphasized. Calling meetings of stakeholders of any kind can be beneficial. Let them know that your phones are always open to their calls. Keep in touch with them, and keep them in touch with you.
In case of bad news, tell them quickly and honestly. It’s always best for those involved in an organization to hear the worst from you first.
Be proactive on communication
Setting up and maintaining a consistent system and schedule for blogging, posting on social media, and sending external newsletters is valuable for promoting your products, services, and milestones.
If you or others in your organization speak well, get out and speak publicly about the organization, its operations, charity work its doing, or anything of interest that is even marginally related to the business. You need ambassadors, and your best speakers make excellent ones.
Participating in an industry organization offers benefits, too. While some see peril in mixing with competitors, such participation can be good exposure for you and your organization, and it can provide valuable information for operations. It can turn competitors into collaborators or partners for specific projects. Visibility also can make you known as an expert within the industry and a credible source for the media. Industry trade shows and conferences offer opportunities to display products and skills if those attending include good target audiences for you.
Good public relations is within reach for every organization and can be vital to success. It is labor-intensive; you get out what you put into it. Allocating time and resources can enable great potential for you to reap the significant benefits this management element can provide. Take the long-range view; public relations is an investment for future business growth, not immediate return.
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