tactics | Amy Mengel

Although we’ve all roared into 2010 with optimism that the recession is soon going to be behind us, many companies are faced with difficult choices in order to survive: cutting or outsourcing jobs, consolidating plants or divisions, eliminating product offerings, slashing funds for research and development, divesting a unit, or even restructuring in bankruptcy. All involve lots of change, especially for employees. What can communicators do to keep the wheels on the bus during the upheaval? Here are six recommendations:

1. Set expectations

Explain to employees what’s going to happen when. Layout a timeline of expected milestones and actions. Address critical issues upfront: how are the changes going to affect the things they’re most worried about: pay, benefits, time off, job security? Let them know what will be expected of them: do they need to fill out any paperwork, make choices about benefits or change their work schedules? The more uncertainty you can remove for them, the better.

2. Create a rhythm

Incorporate change communication into regular channels, but also consider special daily or weekly updates to keep employees abreast. Make sure that the frequency matches the amount of information available, however. Don’t schedule daily updates when it’s likely that there will only be new information each week or month. Most employees will be more comfortable knowing they can expect new information at set times versus not knowing when the next update is going to come.

3. Admit when you don’t have information

In many situations (layoffs, divestitures, bankruptcy filings) legal regulations dictate what you can disclose, when, and to whom. Sometimes even communicators themselves aren’t informed of all the details of a situation until it’s well underway, or if they are informed, they’ve signed a nondisclosure agreement and can’t reveal what they know. Other times, information just may not be available. It’s okay to tell employees that. Not every detail of a situation is going to be worked out from the first moment. It may take months before it becomes clear what’s going to happen with a particular product line, department or program. Employees would rather hear that you don’t know something versus hearing a lot of speculation.

4. Enable feedback

Whether it’s weekly roundtable meetings, an anonymous Web form, an e-mail address, or just a good old fashioned suggestion box, ensure that the communication is truly two-way. Give employees the opportunity to submit questions and air out concerns, and then answer them as promptly and thoroughly as possible. Chances are if one employee is asking about a topic, three or four others are thinking about it. Monitoring feedback is also a great way to catch rumors as they surface. Situations that involve a lot of change can be stressful, and communicators can sometimes get so caught up in making sure information gets disseminated that they forget to check the feedback loop and see where the gaps are in what employees are really hearing.

5. Dispel rumors before they get out of hand

Again, sometimes your hands may be tied with what you can confirm or deny about a situation, but to the extent possible, put the kibbosh on outlandish rumors before they get a chance to spread. Easier said than done, of course. If you can dispel something that’s patently false (and even better, replace it with the truth), do so. Fast. And frequently. Even rumors that have been put to bed end up recirculating among different employee groups.

6. Reinforce the positives

It sounds trite, but there’s always silver lining to be found. Maybe your company is still profitable and growing. Maybe your customers love you. Maybe your employees are racking up awards, patents, conference slots or other accolades. Find the bright spots and incorporate them into communication to employees.

Big changes in a company can cause fear and uncertainty among employees, but they can also lead to a stronger organization. Communicators play a major role in helping make the transition smooth and as transparent as possible, but it takes a lot of effort and planning.

“Let’s send out direct mail postcards with discount codes to potential customers.”

“Let’s sponsor a conference and have our CEO speak at it.”

“Let’s create a referral program for our current customers to help us generate new business.”

Most savvy marketers could read the three statements above and instantly recognize them all as tactics, not strategies. All of those actions might be a good idea, but it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Most organizations know they at least need to start with a strategy, a goal, before embarking on a marketing or PR campaign. You don’t just jump to tactics.

Now replace postcards, conference, and referral program in the above statements with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Still tactics, right? So why are so many erstwhile savvy marketers thinking that these three platforms constitute a social media strategy?

A strategy starts with business goals. Are you trying to sell more product? Reduce costs? Attract more members? Repair a damaged brand reputation? Your marketing and social media activities should match up with these business goals. What does success look like and how do you measure it?

After goals are defined, determine who you’re trying to reach, where they are online and what you’re trying to get them to do. If your target audience is not using Twitter, don’t make Twitter the crux of your marketing campaign. You wouldn’t send a direct mail piece about mortgage refinancing to a bunch of apartment renters. So don’t try to reach teens and college students on LinkedIn.

I’ve been talking with too many organizations lately that want to skip right to implementing social media tactics. Maybe it’s because they’re caught up in the hype and buzz surrounding social media or feel that they’re behind the game and need to get moving. Perhaps their competitor has implemented and seen success with social media and they don’t want to be left behind. It still doesn’t mean that skipping the strategy part is okay, though. Even if you see “results”, without a strategy you won’t know what those results are achieving.

Stop. Take a step back. Start with strategy.

Photo via Flickr user Emilio Labrador

Amy Mengel

I used to have a blog here.

Tag Archives: tactics