…that is the question! Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outmoded communication, or to leap into the sea of social media and – by participating – perhaps discover something of value? I decided to leap and I’ll tell you why.
As I work with nonprofit and government organizations to help them connect with the people who matter to them, we inevitably face this question: What to make of blogging, Twitter and the wild proliferation of social media? And how do they relate to our web site, email and “offline” communication strategies?
The answer, of course, depends on your communication objectives. If you simply want to make information about your organization available online, you don’t need a blog. However, if you want to engage – and expand – the audience of people who know and care about what you do, then blogging may be an effective strategy. To be frank, that’s why I’m doing it myself. (And if you’re reading this, maybe it’s working!)
But doesn’t blogging take a lot of work and open us up to criticism? On the first point, no, blogging doesn’t have to be a lot of work, if someone in your organization has the skills, responsibility and authority to do it. For example, this post took me about 30 minutes to write. Since I’m the boss, I didn’t need anyone’s approval; I just pressed Publish!
As for risk, there are always two sides to that question. What is the risk of starting a blog? You could generate controversy or criticism, but you can manage that risk by being thoughtful about what you post, and you can easily monitor the responses and decide which ones to publish. (You could also be ignored, but then you’ve learned something useful about what interests visitors to your site and what doesn’t.)
Equally worth considering, though, are the risks of maintaining a static web site. If you want to engage and grow your audience, but there’s no opportunity to interact on your site, then you’re sending the wrong message. The culture of the Internet is shifting from static sites to interactive ones, and people’s expectations are shifting, too. You get one shot at your first impression, whether online or in person; you don’t want to blow it.
So let’s say you decide to give blogging a try. Then the question becomes how to make it manageable. That’s where an integrated communication strategy comes into play. Once you’ve identified your communication objectives, key audiences and core messages, you can use your web site, email and blog to target, deliver and reinforce those messages. Often, the same “nugget” of content can live multiple lives as a blog post, an email blast and a news item on your home page. Write it once, then get the most out of it.
Yes, it takes a bit of work to figure this all out, set up systems and assign responsibilities, but once the framework is in place the writing part can actually be fun! Give it a try. And if you’d like some help developing an overall communication strategy, setting up convenient systems or honing your message, let me know. I’d be happy to help.
Well, I’m just getting started, but there has been some interest and even a few inquiries, so that’s promising!