The global pandemic has caused a fusillade of company and industry messaging.
Everyone’s got their examples – I’ve probably received twenty or thirty unique messages in the past 2-3 days.
A mechanic who once did an estimate on my jeep sent me an email. He said his mechanics are washing their hands more often and following some of the other recommended protocols. I previously mentioned the scooter company, Spin sent me a note. My kid’s schools send a note every other day or so.
Generally, they are all the same – they reference the pandemic, reassure us they are serious about following the protocols and wish us well in the war against corona.
Why did they communicate? Is there a pack mentality where this mechanic also received thirty messages and decided he better send one as well? What was he trying to say? How can he say it so that the audience hears him?
Public affairs officers, before you communicate (about anything) go through this checklist:
Why: What are you trying to accomplish by communicating? IF you have a purpose (and that’s a big IF) then state the purpose upfront. Example: “We want you to know that we are open.” If this is the purpose, great put it in the first line maybe even the subject. There are more nuanced purposes too, I like what my kid’s principal said, “I understand the importance of hearing from a more familiar source and being able to ask questions.” His purpose is to provide a personal venue to ask school questions.
Why (again): If you’re only communicating because you feel like you have to communicate, then don’t communicate. Your audiences will be fine without your factory, boilerplate, empty messages. Commanders love to talk, sometimes the best way to communicate is not to communicate.
Medium: News flash, email is the least preferred form of communication. Think about the best medium to reach your audience. You have to consider two things here, 1. What is everyone else doing and how will your medium be received? If your audience is getting thirty emails in 2 days, email is probably not the best thing. 2. Where does your audience receive information best? Imagine if our local pizza place called and said, “we just want you to know we’re open and we’re offering free delivery.” I’d order a pizza.
Have you considered skywriting? A leaflet drop? Radio? Ok, maybe those are crazy but a mass e-mail is terrible.
Content: Are communicators saying the same thing as everyone else? Your content should be directly tied to your purpose. Every word should help firm up the purpose in the audience’s mind – do not distract with fluff or more of what everyone else is saying.
Tone: What is the proper tone to achieve between you and your audience? My local business can be fairly personal, community-oriented – togetherness. My kid’s school, as a government entity should exude serious care about an important topic. Regardless of your content, your tone can make or break your message.
Yes friends, it’s a hell of a lot easier to send out a standard email which hits all the common talking points to a mass amount of nameless people.
We can be better, your audiences deserve it.
Now go and do likewise.
Photo by Staff Sgt. William Hopper
