Page 71 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING
CHAPTER 4
Marketing communications refers to communications designed to

present a point of view, e.g., to sell or promote. Think of advertising.
What you see in a 30-second television spot or a four-color print ad
communicates a message that is paid for by the organization. The same
technique can be adopted by organizations that wish to sell the benefits
of organizational transformation.
Marketing communications is especially effective for communicat-
ing a sense of urgency. You can structure the message so that you con-
centrate on the WIFM (what’s in it for me?) as a means of persuading
people that the change, the program, or the initiative is good for them as
individuals and for the entire company.
Web communications are communications that reside on the web site.
These messages may be developed solely as e-messages, or they may
be retreads of articles, videos, and other media.
The Web itself, however, can be a very powerful tool for enabling a
leader to speak directly to his or her people. There are two popular meth-
ods. One is a webcast, which is a video telecast of a presentation or a
conversation that is transmitted over the Web and restricted to sub-
scribers, e.g., employees, dealers, media, or other groups. The other is a
webchat, which enables a leader to respond to questions submitted via
email. Sometimes the reply is sent out audio only or as a text message.
Both methods are very direct means of getting to key issues. In addition,
they can be replayed at the Web user’s convenience or archived on the
web site for later reference.

DETERMINING THE RIGHT MEDIA FOR THE RIGHT
COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
Selecting the appropriate communication channel for a message is often as
important as the message itself. The channel, which can be anything from an
email to a speech to the masses, must be evaluated for its ability to convey the
gravity of the message with the appropriate intimacy and leadership value.
(Note: Channel refers to the method of communication (e.g., organizational,
editorial, marketing, or Web); media refers to the vehicle (e.g., video, brochure,
news article, or banner).
You can use just about any media in your communications channel—
video, print, collateral, and so on. It is a common mistake to assume that video
is only for marketing communications (e.g., a TV spot) and print is only for
editorial. The truth is that you can use either or both—as well as other forms
of media—for any channel that you like. The media you select are dependent
upon the message. (Budget, too, plays a great role. Video can be expensive, as
can four-color brochures.)