corporate communications: can you hear me now?
TRANSCRIPT
In business it’s only natural that within an
organization employees consistently
communicate with their managers, while
externally, salespeople regularly communicate with their customers.
However, as an organization grows, it
also becomes increasingly important
that the company consistently
communicate with all of its stakeholders—
internally as well as externally–as well as the
media, which often serves as the conduit for communication between business and the public.
For the senior management of any business, the task of
successfully communicating—both
internally and externally—has always been
somewhat of a challenge, albeit a
necessary part of ‘doing business.’ Entrepreneurs
are, by their nature, often more focused on
building their businesses, rather than sharing their corporate
stories.
It’s also ironic, but true, that in this Information Age–where the available tools for communication have never been easier to access and utilize–successful ‘Corporate Communications’ has actually become
more challenging.
The fact is that in the Internet age–where
even your cell phone can provide limitless amounts of news and
information at a moment’s notice–
people are constantly inundated with
information from a seemingly endless number of sources.
Breaking through that informational ‘din’,
and actually connecting with your target audience, is
indeed a challenge for all business leaders, and one that requires
considerable effort and commitment.
For example: in the case of our company, Sackett National Holdings (SNH), successful communications has never been more important. This year, we’re experiencing unprecedented growth, and as a result, we’ve also been hiring a considerable number of new employees to keep up with that expansion. That
is, of course, good news.
Still, it’s increasingly important that we ensure
that all of our employees—both existing and new hires
—are kept abreast of our diverse and growing
business. As we strive to ensure that all of our
employees understand the current state of our
company–and the direction it’s headed going forward—
internal corporate communications has
become an even more important priority for our
Senior Management team.
One of the benefits of having a ‘tech savvy’ company such as SNH
is that we are well suited to utilize
technology to benefit not only our clients, but our own internal
communication efforts as well.
Still, like many growing and diverse companies, one of the challenges
we face in achieving our internal communications
objectives is basic geography. Our
corporate headquarters is located in Las Vegas, but we also have a large office in San Diego, as well as offices in Ohio and Kansas City; in a
less-technological age, that geographic
disparity would present significant logistical
problems for our communication efforts.
Enter the benefits of technology. As a method of bridging the geographic distance between our regional offices, and ensuring ‘consistent and clear’ corporate communications—our company recently began providing employees a “CEO Communication” webcast; initially broadcast live, and then posted online for several days in case any employees were unavailable during the original webcast, this video
allows me—in my capacity as Chief Executive Officer–to speak directly to all SNH employees, and deliver the good news about our company’s growth and success.
In that same broadcast, we also made a point of
singling out several employees for their
exceptional work, and thanking them for their efforts on behalf of the company. In addition to
sharing information about our company’s
growth, we also included some lighter fare, such
as photos from company gatherings as well as
contests offering employees prizes.
And while internal webcasts are most useful as a means of updating and connecting with staff, I also believe that
maintaining the ‘human touch’ is an important element in our internal
corporate communication efforts. To that end, we recently held company
‘Town Hall’-type meetings in San Diego and Las Vegas—providing employees with a chance to hear directly from Senior Management about the status of our company, as well as fielding corporate
questions from those in attendance.
I was very pleased to find that, in response to an internal survey, 94 percent of our employees said they welcomed the ‘Town Hall’ events, and hoped we would conduct many more on a regular basis; while happy with that result, I wasn’t the least bit surprised, because I recognize the inherent and
natural desire of employees to be kept ‘up to speed’ with what’s happening at their place of employment.
Concurrent to our internal communications efforts, our company is also expanding our efforts to reach out to external stakeholders—including current and potential customers—to share information about
both our organization, and the innovative products and services we offer.
With double-digit growth, rapid expansion and unique and innovative products to
proffer, we’re proud of SNH’s corporate ‘story’, and
are committed to the communication efforts
required to share our story often, and with as many stakeholders as possible.
In the business world, most commerce can be divided into one of two categories: business-to-business (B2B)
as well as business-to-consumer (B2C). At SNH, we’re fortunate to have
subsidiaries that are industry leaders in both
B2B as well as B2C businesses.
While there may be some minor differences in the way a company
approaches communication for a B2B versus B2C audience, it’s
imperative that the corporate messaging for
both be clear and consistent—and fully
aligned with an organization’s internal communications; the
several hundred employees who work for
our company are our strongest ‘brand’ ambassadors, and
ensuring they are fully engaged with our
company’s progress is key to our success.
When devising a corporate communications plan, it’s important to keep in mind that throughout all of history, there’s never been a time when information was more readily available–everywhere and all of
the time.
Given that reality, one of the most formidable challenges facing organizations—and those charged with running them—is to commit the time, effort and resources required to ensuring successful
corporate communications; by doing so, you will also ensure that your company’s story gets heard, and doesn’t fall between the constant ‘clicks’ of the Information Age.