The Communicator

A remarkable shift is about to change the way people use the internet. As more and more devices incorporate GPS technology and connect to the web, location-based information and services will quickly become the ‘killer app’ of the decade.

Web 3.0 or GPS 2.0?

For years, pundits and internet gurus have been debating the future of the web. To some, Web 3.0 is the culmination of semantic web browsing (see Wikipedia for more on the semantic web). To others, the next-gen web recognizes the rise of smart-technology, where our appliances spend more time online than we do.

However, it is the viewpoint of this humble publication that, once realized, Web 3.0 will bring together online data, personal preferences and – most importantly – physical location to provide audiences with a truly unique and tailored experience. 

Location, Location, Location

In theory, a location-based web will provide the consumer with highly targeted and personalized content based on their exact location. Companies and organizations will harness a location-based web to drive sales and to guide consumers to retail outlets, service locations and events.

Take, for example, the realty industry. By incorporating location data, a realtor’s website would interact with the consumer’s mobile device to display various levels of detail. On a macro-level, the site would direct the user to the ten closest homes that match their chosen criteria. Once at the desired property, the same technology would provide pertinent information about each room in the house, based on exact location and altitude.  A similar example would see retail banks directing members to branches, ABMs and after-hours support lines based on the user’s location and time of day.

Organizations that are able to deploy a location-based web will enjoy a huge advantage over their competitors, but success will necessitate a new perspective on the way information is accessed and displayed.

Here we go again…

Most organizations will find that the practical implementation of a location-based Web 3.0 will require the close cooperation of cross-functional teams led by IT, but including communications, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service.

For professional communicators, the development of Web 3.0 will mean an essential shift in the way we view our customers and their needs. Not least of all, corporate website copy that used to appeal to the broadest possible audience will take a fair amount of reorganizing and refocusing to truly take advantage of the enhanced customer segmentation delivered by Web 3.0 applications.

In the end, Web 3.0 will be far from just ‘another cool app’. It will create new communications channels, fundamentally transforming our communications strategies while offering unimagined opportunities to build valuable and relevant relationships with our audiences.

Web 3.0 – Location is everything (a.k.a. The Advent of GPS 2.0) is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we’ll look at issue #7: The Content Ownership Wars

This year, many organizations will take a cold, hard look at their social media strategies. Sobering up from the initial marketing euphoria that seems to accompany the popular adoption of all new mediums, marketing and communications departments will focus on realigning their social media objectives and budgets to achieve results, and real value.

This will require a fundamental shift in the overall expectations of social media from ‘selling’ to ‘engaging’. In many cases, this move can be supported by a repositioning of responsibilities, taking social media budgets and management out of disparate Sales & Marketing portfolios and placing them within the oversight of Organizational Communications.

This move will facilitate two outcomes – it will de-couple social media objectives from the achievement of bottom line sales figures, and it will shift the overall expectations of social media throughout the organization.

So as you review your social media strategy this year, try to help your organization focus on five key areas where social media will create actual value:

Corporate Reputation – This year, most organizations will go beyond simply managing their corporate profile on LinkedIn and Facebook. The most tepid will harness social networks as an extension of their existing communications outreach, but market leaders will put special focus on building transparent relationships with their key influencers and most vocal detractors.

Employee Engagement – While some organizations continue to bar employees from using social media networks at the office, many professional communicators have already recognized the opportunity in creating and monitoring employee networks to enhance and manage employee engagement (for more on this topic, see Time for E2E).

Corporate Social Responsibility – An area that is already seeing good returns with social media, CSR leaders will continue to leverage the power of social networks to build awareness and encourage participation in their community, environmental and social programs. Internal charitable events (food and blood drives, United Way challenges, etc.) will find their goals more achievable through the tactical use of social media.

Issues Management – We have all seen the speed by which issues can circulate around social media networks. More than ever, professional communicators will need to put more resources towards monitoring the ‘chatter’ on popular networking sites, all the while seeking opportunities to engage supporters, manage potential issues and debunk rumours before they gain momentum. 

Client Communications and Customer Service – Many organizations are finding great success in creating social networks to provide ‘after-sales’ support. Not only are they able to communicate important product updates quickly and efficiently to customers, they enjoy increased customer loyalty and higher levels of customer service. In some cases, Customer Service departments have been able to reduce their workload by encouraging customers to provide support to each other.

The good news is that social media is ready to return value if used  properly. The trick will be in setting realistic and achievable objectives, while wrestling supervision away from those who are just looking to make a quick buck.

Social media (finally) returns value is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we will look at Issue #8: The advent of GPS 2.0.

Employee engagement has never been so critical. Across the board, workers are feeling a deep sense of insecurity and anxiety. Those lucky enough to have kept their jobs have witnessed friends, neighbours and colleagues lose theirs, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

Employers are in a similarly tough spot. Unsure about the shape of the short-term economy, most organizations are now focused on increasing productivity at the lowest possible cost. Around the world, economic pundits are predicting a ‘jobless’ recovery.  

The result is that organizations are expecting to realize much of their short-term productivity gains from their current employee base.  So if you kept your job last year, expect to be working harder than ever before.

The obvious challenge for executives now lies in re-engaging a shell-shocked employee base.  

Professional communicators can – and should – take a lead role in responding to that challenge.

While short-term gains in engagement will be hard to measure in relation to bottom-line economic output, there are a few high-value areas where communicators can start to see some quick returns.

• Go see your people – consider taking your executives on a ‘road-show’ to visit your employees at their posts. Far from a staged town-hall event or video broadcast, your executives need to be seen on the factory floor or in the lunch room. Take advantage of the face time to remind employees how important their individual contribution is to achieving the company’s goals.
• Re-launch employee programs – most organizations already do a decent job at investing in employee programs and training, but often fall far short when it comes to driving actual participation. Whether they use them or not, employers should highlight these programs to their employees as evidence of the company’s investment and long-term commitment to their staff.
• Band together for a cause – after the economic, environmental and social upheaval of the past few years, there are unlimited good causes to support. Build employee morale and a sense of unity by pulling together for an issue that everyone can feel good about.

Many internal communications professionals have already recognized this change and started 2010 with a renewed focus on rebuilding employee engagement. Those that haven’t will need to quickly bury the ‘hunker down’ mindset of the recession and take a much more proactive role in driving productivity.

Re-engaging employees to drive productivity is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we will look at Issue #9: Social media (finally) returns value.

Have you seen our new site? www.communicationsunlimited.ca.

By all accounts, 2009 was a challenging year, and one that many were happy to see come to an end.

As we launch into the first week of the new decade, we believe we are headed for a year of steady recovery and gradual value creation. We see professional communicators playing a critical role, harnessing new technologies and squeezing value out of old assets to engage and inspire their audiences, while at the same time maintaining tight budgets and reduced headcounts. 

Looking to the year ahead, we would like to offer what we believe to be the Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010: 

10.  Re-engaging employees to drive productivity: after the bloodletting and losses of the past two years, employees will require a renewed focus. Organizations that get this right will retain the best talent and drive overall productivity without increasing headcount.

9.  Social media (finally) returns value: but it may not be where you were expecting it to be. Innovative organizations are taking a fresh look at how they use social media and Web 2.0, and many are being forced to realign their expectations at the same time.

8.  The advent of GPS 2.0: as mobile technology gets smarter, and online map sites start to integrate customer reviews into their search results, communicators will want to take a keen interest in dealing with unfavourable feedback as quickly and efficiently as possible.

7.  Content ownership wars: regardless of whether Rupert Murdoch is ultimately successful in suing online content providers or not, the issue of content ownership will start to change the way communicators approach media relations outreach and challenge who they count as their top tier outlets. 

6.  Taking corporate reputation off life support: it wasn’t just the recipients of government bail-outs that took a hit to their reputation last year. Many organizations will need to put substantial work into rebuilding trust with both the market and their customers.

5.  Process becomes king: while communicators tend to shun process for creativity, great value will be realized – particularly in large or complex organizations – by creating and formalizing processes that reduce waste and streamline the delivery of day-to-day communications functions.

4.  Devices challenge accessibility: as a new generation of content readers such as Kindle and iPhone increase in popularity, communicators will seek out new ways to distribute their content and integrate a wider variety of accessibility options into their outreach. 

3.  Websites that work: like it or not, websites take work to return results. Many organizations that have taken an ad-hoc approach to maintaining their websites will need to dedicate substantial time to refocusing their online strategies to create real value.

2.  PR defeats advertising: paid circulation is dropping, publications are closing down and online banner ads are failing to show results. This year will mark a turning point in corporate budgeting, where PR budgets increase at the expense of advertising.

1.  A permanent seat at the table: likely the most important development of the coming year will be the increased voice that communicators will have at the executive table. Having shown our value and grit over the past twelve months, professional communicators can expect to get more frequent calls from the CEO’s office this year. 

Over the next ten weeks, we’ll take a closer look at each of these issues and explore potential solutions, best practices and themes that are certain to be critical for professional communicators in 2010. Coming up next week: Re-engaging employees to drive productivity. 

We’re proud to unveil our new and improved website for 2010. Visit us at www.communicationsunlimited.ca and tell us what you think.

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