How to Communicate Your Vision Strategy

When two parties come together there are occasionally creative differences that must be resolved to move forward. It is important to be able to explain your vision to your client while also listening to their ideas for the vision and end results. 

Any good conversation, work-related or not, includes healthy amounts of listening, asking questions, and seeking to understand the other perspective. There may be times your client’s vision is the right one for the job. But there may be times you need to tactfully steer your client in another direction.

When there are differences of opinion, it is good to focus on something you can both agree on — namely, the mission, vision, and goals of your client. Ideally, both you and your client will be pursuing their business success, whether that is selling products, running events, or connecting with consumers. Once this ground is reestablished, it is up to you to clearly communicate the vision based on your experience in the field, creative genius, etc. 

 It helps to remember to stay professional and offer your client  reasons why your design ideas are strong and likely successful. You have the experience they need, and when you can clearly communicate your ideas you give your clients every reason to trust you with their hopes and dreams. Remember, business is not personal and a client simply might not like your designs for no clear reason. 

As Steve Jobs once said, “[they] don’t know what they want until you show them.” So your job is to show your clients what they want in a professional and tactful way.

Contact us for more tips about corporate communication or other questions.

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The Core Concepts of Effective Reputation Management

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln.

Do you have the good reputation that you deserve? Bad publicity has always been a challenge, even to the good guys. In these days of social media that can instantly harm you there is a need for a sophisticated response strategy. Make sure people are aware of your character, and not looking at someone else’s shadow.

Reputation management can have many forms, and can require several different roles. In a large organization, the role would be filled by a full-time strategic communication advisor; but even then, the key employee may need consultation depending on the situation.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of effective reputation management is good judgment. Maintaining a good reputation involves planning your organizational structure so that you have a smooth flow of information as well as confronting specific issues as they appear in the business environment and in the media.

Any confusion caused by incorrect reporting must be addressed with authority in a timely manner.  Any roadblocks to communication within your organization must be located and eliminated.

Whether it is for a hospital board, an African nation, the U.S. Department of Defense, a corporate public relations department, or a small business operating a marketing strategy, a reputation management strategist coordinates clarifying your position. This important advisor will also assist in the formation and adjustment of policy.   

The higher your authority, and the broader the scope of your endeavors, the more important it is that you are in position to be able to manage the public perception of your efforts. An effective reputation management strategy is much more than “spin.” The creation and implementation of good policy needs dedicated attention and support in the unpredictable climate of popular opinion.

The Possible Roles involved in reputation advisement:

• As an educator, the advisor communicates with employees and associates to make them better conduits for a policy that has been decided upon.  In order to avoid inconsistency of services or product, all people involved in implementing your service should be schooled in the philosophy of your business or social mission. This involves coordination with human resources and training of department heads as well as direct presentation to large groups.

• As a publicist, the advisor has editing, writing and speaking skills to distribute information through appropriate networks, whether through existing corporate newsletters and email systems, or media outlets. The publicist is familiar with social media and monitors interaction on strategic sites. The publicist can produce content, as well as inform others on proper responses to online forums.  The publicist has a close relationship with any formal spokesperson or media relations department for a large organization, acting as a liaison between management, media, and policy formation.

• As an analyst, the advisor suggests what information should be given to a particular group, be it employees, associates, or volunteers. The analyst assists in the timing and proper media for press releases. The analyst provides support and assembles research opportunities when adjustment of policy is necessary.

• As a researcher, the advisor is aware of trends in the social fabric regarding your endeavors. The researcher is aware of meaningful published work, and, if necessary, attends relevant summits and discussions by experts in the field. The researcher evaluates new ideas and innovations, making recommendations to you for discussion and review of policy.

• As a coordinator, the advisor makes certain that internal and external policy is consistent with your goals, and develops measuring techniques to monitor progress in accurately portraying your efforts to the public. The coordinator will be aware of budget compliance, and will be able to provide recommendations for necessary adjustments, whether in policy or implementation of existing policy.  

Give us a call, and clarify your position.

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The Importance of Organizational Culture When Choosing Marketing Specialists

Whenever you are interested in working with a marketing firm for purposes such as coming up with promotions, it’s often a good idea to make sure you work with one that has a solid organizational culture. According to the Harvard Business Review, organizational culture “plays a crucial role in shaping behavior in organizations.” When most people are interested in working with such organizations, they often don’t consider the culture and practices within the organization. Most of the time, they think about issues such as how much it will cost them to use the services.

However, remember when dealing with creative subjects such as advertising, you need to ensure everyone on the team will be on board and will have the same determination to help you succeed. Of course, you could easily find a marketing firm to work in helping you come up with a marketing solution, however, if they don’t have the right work ethic and culture, you are likely to end up not getting good value for the money in the long run.

There are some ways in which this can happen. For instance, you may find dealing with the employees of the firm is not as easy as it can be. You might find it more fun to interact with people with positive attitudes towards what they do, and this  usually happens when the firm promotes a supportive organizational culture. In addition, this can also have an effect on the quality of service you receive from them. For instance, if you work with a negative company, and find the staff is not committed to what they do, it means you might not receive value for your money. They may not be spurred to produce the best they can, and this can mean your company might end up getting service that are barely just good enough.

If you are interested in marketing and working with a third-party, it is vital you find a company with a sound work ethic. This way it will be easy for you to interact  and the ability to gain more than anticipated. If you are interested in this kind of service, all you need to do is contact us. We strive to make sure that our organizational culture is as nurturing as possible, and most of our past clients have found this to be one of our best traits.

What’s My Organizational Culture?

If you want your company to be successful, you must have a good understanding of your organizational culture. Culture is the common values, beliefs and most importantly the behaviors within your company. Culture is how your employees interact with one another, what they feel is important at work, or how effective your employees are at getting tasks completed. Generally, there are four categories of culture: networked, mercenary, fragmented, and communal. Different forms of organizational culture are for different environments and different types of companies. Understanding which culture best defines your organization will give insight into if your company is being the most effective it can be. A company’s culture can be buried, hidden and hard to examine but here are the definitions of each type of culture.

 1)      The networked culture values friendships, relationships and helping your coworkers when they need it. In this type of environment, people like and care about each other, they display empathy and are informal with one another. Conversations around the water cooler and break rooms are common and meetings typically start with asking how everyone is doing. Job responsibilities can get a bit blurry in this type of environment because everyone helps everyone, team meetings and decisions are important and no one likes to say no to their friend. Leaders thrive on being liked and appreciated and so often times the downside to a networking culture can be lack of productivity or lack of accountability.

 2)      The Mercenary culture is the opposite of a networked culture. In this type of environment, individuals are focused, determined and highly motivated to complete job tasks. A common driver within this environment is increasing revenue. These organizations expect more than 40-hour weeks, making things happen no matter what, hitting goals and work is about work. Often individuals who thrive within this environment are those who see networking as a way to obtain information, advice, or insight but not as a friendship. A highly positive aspect of this type of environment is the types of goals that are set. For example, the manager might set the goal to increase new memberships by 30 percent by a certain date. Goals are defined, clearly outlined and expectations are set in the beginning.

3)      The Fragmented culture is both low on the networking scale and the mercenary scale. People aren’t typically friends with their co-workers but often don’t have a drive to increase the company’s bottom dollar either. They work at a company but for themselves. In some instances, this type of environment, employees feel like they have freedom, flexibility and fairness. Common beliefs within this type of culture are to make you valuable and judging on the quality of work. Often companies with this type of culture are law firms, reporters, or academics.

 4)      The Communal culture is the culture that is most appealing to most managers but is one of the most challenging cultures to maintain. It’s a networked and a mercenary culture combined. Employees are friends but also want to be driven and successful. In this type of environment, friendships are abundant and so is productivity. Often in start-up companies this type of culture is prevalent because they’re small and they hire their friends who they know will work hard. Employees love working for the company and love their coworkers but they also are passionate about increasing company earnings and making things happen. Communal leaders tend to be inspirational, visionary and have a lot of charisma.

 There are several different characteristics that are used to examine your culture including how the office spaces are set up, how people communicate with one another, how effectively time is used and how people express themselves at work. There are several different tests that we can use to help you identify what culture your company is working within. Once you identify what type of culture your organization is, you get a better understanding of how to market and communicate your product and your services. Contact us today to have a cultural analysis completed.

Keys to Corporate Communication Strategies

One often neglected yet powerful management tool is a well-constructed corporate communication strategy. A single-minded organization with its focus on a shared group of specific goals thrives where organizations with an inconsistent message flounder in confusion. Communications is the only medium that enables employees to properly understand the company’s vision. 

A few key points to consider when crafting your corporate communication strategies: 

Mission: This is the primary purpose of the company to be achieved while maintaining the values or expectations of the stakeholders. Perhaps you want to provide a unique customer experience while delivering the best financial performance in your sector. 

Vision: Where do you see the company in the future? A market leader? A trendsetter? 

Objectives and Goals: List your specific aims. Improve your community? Increase profitability? 

Strategies: The methods that will be used to achieve the corporate objectives and goals. Create a liaison between the company and local community leaders. Keep lines of communication open. 

Corporate Identity: This is the overall image of your business or organization. Communication is an important part in establishing identity through multiple outlets such as advertising, public relations and social media, as well as, corporate behavior and ethics.

Your message should be consistent with enough variation to sustain motivation. This is especially important during times of change or financial stress. Corporate communication strategies that motivate your customer base to make a change in behavior or attitude will ultimately lead to greater business success. Contact TwoGirlsConsulting (2GC) today for a better bottom line tomorrow.