The disciplines and craft of journalism have changed corporate communications – for the better. New opportunities to cut through the noise and engage an audience abound, partly because so many companies still seem to believe that bragging about themselves in buzzwords is the best way of making sure their target audience will understand the value of their brand.
We’re subjected to a barrage of corporate messages every day, most of them so flat and clichéd that shutting them out is easy. Take this one, for example:
“We are focused on mobilizing our resources across the company and around the world, to create opportunities in the communities where we do business, and to fulfil our commitment to serving the public good through innovative technologies and partnerships.”
How interesting, really, is that? And how many top management reviews did it take before it could be released to the eagerly awaiting audience?
So, how do you engage an audience and showcase your brand?
Quit writing like a marketer
Instead, think – and write – like a publisher.
“Businesses and organizations that make a commitment to serving their customers with great content – just as they commit to providing a quality product – create interest and build loyalty,” writes Geoff Livingston, author of Welcome to the Fifth Estate. “They offer value where others simply offer PR messages.”
What is this value, exactly? It seems to lie somewhere within a magic triangle of insight, information and entertainment. And it means writing about – and for – your customers and their markets. “Shine the spotlight on the cause and what others are doing in your industry, rather than yourself,” says Ed Nicholson, director of community and public relations for Tyson Foods Inc. “It will generally reflect favourably back on you.”
So, what do you need to do to carry this off for your brand?
Publish the hottest magazines
Magazines – both mainstream and trade publications – know how to capture an audience and keep them coming back for more. They know how to generate content that will engage an audience, and they can do it consistently to tight deadlines. However, at the same time, the traditional publishing industry is facing a crisis – and this has presented corporate communications with a huge opportunity that it is beginning to take.
Fact #1: The trade and mainstream press can no longer cover all your industry’s stories. After years of cutbacks, their staff is too small and inexperienced.
Fact #2: Many of the older, more experienced editors and journalists are taking their know-how elsewhere: communications departments and agencies.
Fact #3: These publishing experts are appalled at the lack of an editorial mission, guidelines and workflow behind company newsletters and magazines.
Fact #4: These same people are turning dull company newsletters into tightly constructed, compelling industry magazines that really can engage an audience.
As a result, it’s never been easier to act like a publisher and engage an audience that will have far-reaching benefits for your business. The skills are out there for hire. And there is a gap that your company’s publication can plug, provided it lives up to the standards expected of editorial journalism.
Plugging the gap
Geoff Livingston explains exactly what this gap is, where it can be found and how new company publications can fill it in markets all over the world: “The lack of coherent editorial guidelines in most blogs and corporate publications provides an opportunity for organizations to become authoritative thought leaders if they can transition effectively from PR machines delivering messages into providers of useful factual information. To do this they must become their own corporate journalists.”
Today, company magazines are appearing that use the same approach as the hottest mainstream magazine publishers, such as Wired or Vanity Fair. It’s not just a question of style. There is a whole strategy and array of disciplines behind the production of leading publications. They work to a strong editorial mission and editorial guidelines and employ a workflow that can meet tight deadlines time and again. And now, corporations are also beginning to understand the power of a coherent content strategy.
Print media still makes a huge impact with an audience. There’s nothing like leafing through a well-produced magazine with great stories and a crisp design. And there are often opportunities to hand over your company magazine in person at conferences and trade fairs. However, online publications – using the same powerful publishing know-how – can help you reach a wider audience, and get closer to them more quickly via social media and sharing links. It’s vital that companies make themselves accessible to that audience, and there have never been so many opportunities to make an impact and build credibility for your brand.
Working like a marketer, thinking like a journalist and producing like a publisher means that your audience – your customers – will build a powerful connection with your industry, your business and your brand. This is an exciting time to be in communications.
