Is your communications department over-staffed? Or even correctly staffed?
I didn’t think so. Very few are. As a result, you probably spend too much time putting out fires and don’t have time to work strategically.
So just imagine how a communications department of one feels (unless that’s you, then you know).
Despite working in decent-sized companies, one-person communications departments are over-loaded with multiple, often conflicting directives, and are still expected to deliver.
Below is my humble attempt to help these heroes deliver the results that are expected of them, while still maintaining some sanity.
Focus on the Employer Brand
The best thing you can do is promote what a great place to work your company is. Assuming, of course, that’s true.
That’s because a strong employer brand can do a lot of heavylifting.
- It helps attract and retain top talent, which leads to better customer experiences.
- It shows that your company is different.
- It’s based on organic, human stories, which helps create an emotional connection with your audiences.
- It builds trust and affinity among customers and stakeholders who want to be associated with a company that treats people well.
- It stands out from the usual, feature-benefit messaging.
It has to be grounded in reality, but if you can create astrong employer brand, everything else gets easier.
Repeat & Repurpose
A lot of what communicators do to serve one audience can be repurposed to serve other audiences.
Those big PR wins that get stakeholders excited can be tweaked for internal communications to remind employees why their work matters.
Those employee profiles on the internal newsletter can be reworked to external audiences to strengthen the employer brand (see above).
And unless the content is time-specific (and sometimes even if it is), it should be repeated in some form or another multiple times in the future. Because that’s how you get through to your audiences.
But most importantly, this allows you to achieve more with a single piece of content. And that saves time.
Prioritize High-Impact Communications
Some communications isn’t really intended to serve the audience. It serves the company, so you can say you provided the information.
It’s what I like to call CYA content. Things like manuals, warnings, tech sheets, benefits information.
Important stuff, but too technical or voluminous to have any chance of making an impact on the audience. It’s not worthy of your skills as a communicator.
If tasked with this kind of communication, do what you need to do to get it done quickly and off your desk.
But when it comes time to inspire, motivate, and persuade your audience, that’s where you need to bring your talents to bear.
You’re a communicator. Your purpose is to form connections with human beings. That takes talent, skill, and time.
And that’s where you need to focus your efforts.
Whether you’re a department of one, or one of the many under-staffed communications departments, I hope these strategies help.
There are other approaches, of course. What works for one company might not work for another.
What are the strategies you use to maximize results with limited time, people, or resources? Comment below.
Can I help you? Let’s have a 15-minute chat to find out!