How to tell your story with impact - Part 5
Part 5 - Right Delivery
Finally we get to the HOW!
This is where you think about what channels or touchpoints you are going to use to deliver you story and what materials you need to produce to get your message out.
As the image below shows, the touchpoints available to us these days are numerous. We are living in a media saturated world and it continues to change every day. But whatever the format, Kiwi’s love media – our appetite for content is insatiable and now we have more options to view content wherever, whenever. We simply aren’t sitting in front of TV or reading a paper from cover to cover anymore. Did you know that the top 10 magazines in NZ now reach more adults than the top 10 TV programmes?
Digital marketing has also greatly increased relevancy - messages can be targeted with a laser focus to very specific groups offering them relevant content and we expect it these days. NZ will have 90% smartphone and 78% tablet ownership by next year and predictions also show that by 2019, 80% of the worlds Internet consumption will be video content which raises simple questions like is your website mobile friendly? What are your doing now to prepare for this change?
Add to this the fact that we are all citizen journalists now – armed with a phone, a camera and access to the internet in our pocket, the world is our oyster in terms of sharing news, views and random pictures of cats! That means that each and every interaction you and your organisation has with someone has the potential to be broadcast to the masses. Thinking back to the emotional bank account idea I have talked about before – this is why it is more important now than ever before to look for ways to engage and collaborate with your stakeholders in a meaningful way. From the brief chat at the fundraising event to a round table discussion with a Member of Parliament, every interaction counts
To make your communication engaging and impactful, you need to use a variety of media wherever possible but not every channel will be right for you so part of the process is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each format and decide which will deliver your message best. For example, you might favour social media over traditional media if you’re hoping to reach a Generation Y audience. But you don’t have to be in Facebook for instance because everyone else is!
Consider what tools you have got available to you already e.g. regular newsletter, website and what other channels could you access easily e.g. an influencer or blogger?
Part of this delivery discussion needs to be consideration for the all-important “WHEN” as getting the timings right for any communications can be just as vital as the key messages you want to share. When is the right time or a good time for your communications to be distributed and in what order? Maybe you need to think about things like:
What is the flow of information going to be like e.g. who needs to the get the information in what order.
Are their key milestones in the project that you need to document and share?
Are there any specifics that you know about your audience e.g. the optimum posting time for you Facebook page (i.e. when the biggest audience is online), print media deadlines?
All of these factors can impact how your message is received.
You also need to consider who the right person or people are to deliver your story. It may be the same person for all the audiences, it may not be. Consider who would be the most credible person to help ensure you get the action you are after e.g. the CEO might not have the best relationship with the journalist but he would with the staff. A Key account manager might be great for talking to customers but not right for updating Facebook.
Remember business story telling is not just about you. It is about engaging the heads, hearts and hands of your audience so use the channels of communication that are right for your audience and always make sure your message is relevant, effective and timely.
If you want help crafting and delivering your organisations story with impact in 2018 and beyond - Let’s Talk