The Internet and social media have made it easier to extend your brand’s international reach. Jennifer Janson, managing director at Six Degrees, provides six top tips to running a multi-country campaign
Much has been said about the impact social media is having on the way we communicate – with customers, prospects, partners and employees. The proliferation of broadband networks is changing the way entire groups of people communicate. In this increasingly connected world, it makes sense to re-evaluate how we create and execute successful communications plans.
In many ways we are seeing a return to true ‘public’ relations. Today’s communication tools create the opportunity for extremely targeted, localised, one-to-one dialogue, but they also expose companies to the risk of appearing uncoordinated and inconsistent. And therein lies the challenge – to communicate with local relevance, in a way that makes sense as part of a bigger global picture.
Previously well-defined media barriers are crumbling, and with the increase in peer-to-peer interaction, companies need to reconsider a siloed, country-specific approach to communications. It may seem like common sense, but implementing a truly global communications strategy is more difficult than it sounds.
If you are considering integrating social media activity into your tactical plan, make sure you appoint an owner. Particularly in bigger companies, social media activity easily falls within marketing, R&D, sales and even customer service, not to mention the overlap in PR and advertising. It will pay off in the long run if you are absolutely clear about ownership in the earliest stages of your strategy development.
Here are six guiding principles to get your global comms off to a good start.
1. Establish a centre of gravity
It is critical to have a centre of gravity for any campaign, where the strategic vision is set and goals are outlined. In order to make a global campaign work, all players need to have a clear view of what they are aiming for, before they execute locally.
2. Avoid central broadcasts
It never hurts to make sure we put the right processes in place to ensure global teams are communicating well and regularly. Best practice is to share information equally among dispersed teams, rather than simply broadcasting from the ‘centre’. Whatever you choose, create a process and stick with it.
3. Invest in shared platforms
Investing in shared platforms, wikis, collaboration software and document sharing will streamline communication and make cross-market, knowledge-sharing much more efficient. And these days, there are robust, secure tools that cost very little such as instant messaging (Skype or MSN), secure document sharing (Google Docs or Zoho) or even online scheduling (Doodle.com), which all make life easier for those involved and ensure transparency.
4. Inform, don’t sell
Particularly in today’s media environment, there has never been a more pressing need for good quality content that informs rather than sells. Whatever your area of expertise, well-written, topical content will quickly help to establish you as an industry expert. Plan to produce something at least once a month. It could be a blog post, a customer newsletter, a contributed article, a video of a new product launch, a news release etc. Ensure you share the content with dispersed teams. Even if it doesn’t work in another territory directly, it could provide the spark for a relevant idea.
5. Question everything
This relates primarily to reporting. Spend the time to set up solid measurement criteria that are consistently used in every market you operate in. Strip down reporting to the bare essentials so that time can be spent generating results rather than justifying activity. Having one standard report and key performance indicators will ensure that goals are aligned and everyone is focused on the right priorities, no matter where in the world they are.
6. Use the right people
Whether you are using inhouse resources, a large global agency or a network of independent specialists, don’t be afraid to test the strength of the team you will be using. If using external support, you should expect a first-rate team in every country you are operating in, and ensure that you are aware how much of your fee is covering administrative overheads. It’s worth getting input from your colleagues on the ground. Applying a successful global strategy needs to take into account cultural considerations, language, the sophistication of different media markets, Internet penetration, legislation and your own local presence. Where you have local expertise on the ground, use it.
The communications industry hasn’t seen a shift like the one being created by social media since the advent of the Internet. Those companies that change their own practices to meet the changing nature of communications will triumph in the end.
