Change is Inevitable; Good Communication Gives it Life

As they say, change is inevitable. And in business as in life, change is constant. It must be in order to stay relevant and competitive. Companies must evolve and grow to outpace themselves and the rest of the market more than ever before. This is how progress is made.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill 

Change can be positive for the business, yet still challenging to key constituents. It can appear in the form of organizational and leadership changes, enterprise-wide system rollouts, and mergers and acquisitions. It can also stem from a crisis in the form of financial setbacks, employee layoffs, office closures, or public scandal.

For employees, clients, and key stakeholders change brings anxiety, fear, and negativity. Too much change in a short amount of time and you get resentment, anger, rebellion, and toxic behavior.

Integrate PR and Marketing Leveraging the 4 Media Types

Anyone who has been in the PR profession for any length of time understands there are four media types to leverage in our strategic toolkit: Paid, Earned, Owned, and Shared. In some instances, others have included traded, promoted, and maybe a few others, but at the core, there are the four.

With the onset of social media, blogs, microsites, podcasts, and a ton of other publishing tools, companies have more control over their messaging and brand positioning than they ever had before. Both marketing and PR organizations are wrestling with how to command the attention of the market while eclipsing their competitors with a credible thought leadership position.

If we’re honest with ourselves, there is enormous overlap in the marketing and PR worlds. We’re all in the content business and continue to explore new ways of telling our corporate stories leveraging brand journalism. We have the shared goal of building brand visibility and market credibility, all with the intent of driving new business and increasing revenues.

Why not partner and tackle this beast together.

Leveraging Editorial Boards for Successful Brand Journalism

The proliferation of content marketing and brand journalism has raised the bar of mid- and large-sized brands and increased expectations from their clients and prospects. No longer are companies relying solely on traditional media and marketing tactics to elevate their position in the marketplace, but instead have taken an aggressive approach in publishing content via online newsrooms, blogs, and social media channels. As the recent survey report by TEKGROUP indicates, companies now have more control over their own messages and how and when they are shared.

At the same time, the imperative for marketing and PR departments to become more closely integrated is fundamental. Greater collaboration for modern brand management and corporate storytelling is undeniably a critical success factor. Producing new and relevant content consistently and across multiple mediums and platforms is paramount to the success of these brands and the joint functions responsible.

So how can we support our more ambitious brand goals and strategies? Establish a robust editorial board for content planning and storytelling.

Top 7 Skills for Tomorrow’s Communications Pro

Communications, and in particular public relations, have gone through significant changes over recent years and are continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. Technology, the way we share information, a growing virtual workforce, and the dramatic shift in traditional media–these are all contributing factors to this metamorphosis of the profession.

Successfully keeping up with the innovations and increased competition requires a heightened level of skill and expertise. Today’s communicator must actively build and evolve skills to stay relevant and to leap ahead of demand.

There are many important skills necessary to be a successful communicator, but I believe there is a core set that will differentiate the empowered master from the average communicator. These skills are important today but will be even more critical for tomorrow.

Join Our Community
Sign up for the latest content, news, and offers from the Content Studio.
We respect your privacy.