Many times, PR and Communications Practitioners are mistaken for the person who types away at their laptop whole day sending emails to the staff/ customers or a glorified secretary to the head of department, CEO, CFO, Vice President.
Yet in fact, if a communications Manager exists in your company, it’s likely that they hold a bachelor’s degree in some form of Communication (Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing or Communications) because without it they won’t be able to develop strategic communications. We spend a great deal of our foundational studies understanding messages, customizing written or audio content for specific audiences, ensuring that it aligns with the organizational culture. Our tools are often internal and external social media, video, newsletters, engagement activities, and a consistent form of messaging like the formalized company email communique or leadership town halls. The use of these tools are output focused, not input or outcome orientated which requires a deeper level of understanding and analysis.
Our process is simple, we research, test, design then implement and improve communications and public relations strategies and plans, as we go. Though social media management is part of our skillset, for it to have a high impact, a lot of internal communications takes place between the leadership and the employee contingent, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and can connect the dots between company strategy, goals and the people doing the work or representing the company to clients. This ensures that what gets shared or promoted externally reflects internally. In my view, marketing and PR is only effective when what you promote is the same as what the customer experiences from the front line/ customer orientated staff.
High impact and valuable communications will align what you say and do as an organization or leadership team therefore creating credibility, purpose and meaning, and a defined identity for your customers and employees as you build rapport with them.
