As every communicator knows you start your communication plan with a measurable goal, one that lets you demonstrate whether or not the outcome of executing on your plan achieved the goal you established. To be genuinely worthwhile, though, a goal needs to be much more than that. It also needs to be smart. Rather, SMART: Specific – target a specific area for improvement.Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.Assignable – specify who will do it.Realistic – state … [Read more...] about Why your communication goal must be smart and measurable
Professional Development
How to engage the C-suite about social media with authority and confidence
"Social media takes time to build," said one of the participants in the webinar on social media and the C-suite that I co-presented for the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) of The Conference Board earlier this month. It underscores a primary reality for communicators looking to engage their leaders in helping them understand the strategic value of social media in the long term as a legitimate business tool. It's equally true that one of the biggest obstacles to using social … [Read more...] about How to engage the C-suite about social media with authority and confidence
SNCR webinar will help you close the C-Suite gap about social media
While the time is long gone when you had to explain, routinely, to members of the C-Suite what social media is, it's often still a time of explaining what social media does. One of the biggest obstacles to using social media for business effectively and measurably has been that gap, that lack of clarity of mind, where leaders of organizations cannot see beyond tweets, likes and impressions - hardly strategic imperatives, in their minds. In many cases, the lack of leadership clarity isn't … [Read more...] about SNCR webinar will help you close the C-Suite gap about social media
How to get the media on board to end AVE
One of the hurdles along the road of seeing an end to the "advertising value equivalence" (AVE) measurement metric that's decried by many in the PR and measurement communities is persuading organisations to stop using it. The issue with AVE is well summarised in a white paper published by The Institute for Public Relations in 2003, in which this succinct text appears: We urge you to move away as quickly as possible from statements of the nature, “Our news coverage this quarter was worth $X … [Read more...] about How to get the media on board to end AVE
The end of AVE in PR?
If there's one phrase guaranteed to generate debate in the PR business, it's 'advertising value equivalence,' AVE for short. In simple terms, AVE looks at the volume of space an editorial article takes in a print publication, or the amount of time an editorial audio or video segment plays, and equates its value to the price you'd have paid if you had bought the equivalent-size space or time as advertising. For decades the use of AVE has been a controversial activity, one that has been … [Read more...] about The end of AVE in PR?
Call for entries for UK Social Media Communications Awards 2017
For seven successive years, the UK Social Media Communications Awards contest (hashtag: #somecomms) has been a benchmark of good and best practices in the roles and uses of social media in organisational communication. This week, organisers Don't Panic Events announced the call for entries for the eighth annual competition: The UK Social Media Communications Awards celebrate the very best in UK social media communications and reward the individuals, companies and organisations who are using … [Read more...] about Call for entries for UK Social Media Communications Awards 2017
Takeaways on #BigData at #EuroComm17
Like everyone in the contemporary workplace, communicators confront information – data – on a scale unimaginable a decade ago. We’ve all heard the term “Big Data” but do we really understand what this means? Can we see what we must do right now to enable our competitive differentiation, operational effectiveness and early-mover advantage that are essential in the cognitive business era of the coming decade? In a presentation session at the IABC EuroComm 2017 conference in London next week, … [Read more...] about Takeaways on #BigData at #EuroComm17
Submit your entry for the 2017 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards
The Society for New Communications Research of The Conference Board (SNCR) has begun a call for entries for the 2017 Excellence in New Communications Awards. The winning case studies will be published by The Conference Board and winners will be honoured at its 22nd Annual Senior Corporate Communications Management Conference to be held in New York in Spring 2017. The deadline for entries is Friday February 3, 2017 at 11:59pm PST - just over three months away. Founded in 2005, SNCR is a … [Read more...] about Submit your entry for the 2017 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards