Defence In Communications War

If the Australian Defence Force loosened its control over communications it would gain more control over its public image. 

I say this as the Australian Defence Academy is embroiled in a sex scandal which Australia's media is reporting in detail.This latest incident follows a litany of problems with the public image of Defence. These include claims of ongoing equipment cost blow-outs, inappropriate behavior by service personnel, poor maintenance and pay glitches suffered by frontline troops. 

Defence is known for keeping an iron grip on its media relations and communications with the public. This must frustrate the thousands of servicemen and women who perform creditably each day often in tough, tough circumstances. They really deserve to have their efforts recognized. 

Occasionally we learn about their work but mostly it is rare for Australians to meet a serviceman  or woman in the course of a normal year and hear or see what they do. 

I also know a lack of information from Defence has frustrated the generation of journalists I have worked with. 

Australians have a deep affection for their soldiers, sailors, airmen and women stemming from the legend of the ANZACs. So perhaps Defence would be better served sharing their stories in a open, transparent way with rest of us rather than only communicating  when faced with scandal.

Disclaimer: I served 30 plus in the Australian Army including as the Army's first Director of Public Affairs.

Selling A City

This past week I have been at the Australian Tourism Exchange. It is the annual gathering where international travel companies come to see what holiday experiences Australia offers global travelers.

Over 1500 Australian companies exhibit in the hope of attracting business. Their brochures are beautiful, their imagery is rich and they offer delegates first class hospitality To exhibit costs money, time and effort. It is an expensive undertaking.

I have been working with a smaller size exhibitor marketing Australia's national capital - Canberra - and its cultural attractions. We don't have the budget to match the efforts of big states and large corporate players. However I'd like to think we compensate by passion for our city and its tourism products And we use the ancient power of the story to sell the City.

While big bucks back the marketing that others do, our promotional efforts are fueled by people, passion and stories. Using that simple but proven mix we hope to strike through the clutter that must swamp international delegates.

It is international marketing on a modest budget: one delegate at a time, one story at a time, one conversion at a time.

Write Well And Win Attention

I was in the military for years so I grew up with a stiff, formal and jargon-laden writing style.

I had to change when I entered PR but it took years to bring a more relaxed tone to my writing.

Five things I learned along the way are:

•Always opt for simple language over formal structures and if given the choice select a 25 cent word over a $10 one every time. 25 cent words are the simple words we use in everyday conversation.

• Shorter sentences are punchier sentences. Keep sentences short and certainly to 25 words or less. Sentences with too many words drain the energy from readers.

• Write in the active rather than passive voice. This helps to convey a sense of urgency, impact and energy. Passive language tends to clog up communication.

• Each word and every sentence must justify its existence. Eliminate unnecessary language.

• Get an independent assessment of your writing. I routinely use the Flesch-Kincaid readability tool in Microsoft Word and the UK software, StyleWriter, to rate my writing. And often I will ask someone to review an important piece of work before I send it off.

We are under enormous time pressures these days, so clear writing is at a premium.

Get Content Get Customers: Book Review

Get Content Get Customers: Turn Prospects into Buyers with Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett

 

‘Content is king’ is an old marketing maxim.  According to US authors Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett, content is now the undisputed monarch when it comes to successful marketing.

With so much choice and so little difference between many product and service offerings, the best way to engage and keep customers is to give them valuable information that will enrich their experience with your organisation.

Internet-savy customers look everywhere for information before making their buying decisions.  Selling to them has become more difficult and traditional media channels are less influential.  Pulizzi and Barrett are urging companies to take advantage of new digital technologies to become their own publishing houses and deliver high quality editorial content to the people who matter most – clients and customers. In over 250 pages of delightfully simple to understand language they show the reader how to develop and follow through on a content marketing mindset.

A content-based approach starts with knowing what customers want, similar to traditional marketing.  Who are my customers and what do they need from my product now and in the long-term?  What and when is the best way to engage them are questions that demand better answers than merely reaching in the bottom drawer for another tired advertising schedule. In today’s environment it is totally about ‘them, not me and you.’

Pulizzi and Barrett identify how companies can deliver information straight to customers.  Their communications menu includes websites, on-line forums, social media, e-books, white papers, webcasts, digital magazines, blogs, podcasts, videos, road shows and face to face contact.  Corporate magazines and newsletters get a new lease of life under a content marketing strategy and the authors identify 15 tips to repurpose information from a traditional company magazine to increase the return on investment on each story.  

One of the book’s real strengths is the 15 case studies showing companies in different industries using content marketing to drive sales and increase market share. They include a couple of Australian examples, a rare find in US marketing books. It seems Melbourne-based, website developer Bitemark is using content marketing to create leads and drive sales and giant American manufacturer has strengthened ties to Australian customers through a print and on-line program that bridges business cultures.

Marketing instinctively know the importance of credible information.  Get Content Get Customers shows how to develop that information and deliver it directly to customers to get short and long-term impact.   

Get the book because this is a worthwhile read.

Media Pitching Musts

Contacting media outlets directly can dramatically increase the chance of getting your story reported. 

Consider making your next pitch persuasive by:

•Keeping it short and concise. The two essential elements in a pitch are what you are offering and why it will interest people. Ruthlessly eliminate anything else.

•Using urgency and relevancy. Connect your pitch to a deadline, well known upcoming event or tie it to a current trend. Alternatively position your story as a contrary or unexplored perspective on an issue currently being reported. 

•Providing one or two links to relevant on-line material to backup your pitch. Think about creating a specific web page, blogpost or video as supporting resources. 

• Whether pitching verbally or in writing indicate if you can provide an expert to interview, video or audio material, imagery, additional statistics or other information that will enrich your issue and bring your story to life. 

•Maintaining a "pitch bank" of pitches that earned coverage and those that were less effective. Over time this database will help you improve as well as develop better pitches faster. 

(Thanks to to recent article in PRSA's "Tactics" by Ryan Zuk for inspiring this post.)

Colonial Clock Makers Were Good Communicators

The Tasmanian city of Launceston has a clock tower that has stood at the downtown post office for over 100 years.

Each hour the clock strikes the time and is heard throughout the central business area. On the hour it starts with a simple, melodic chime followed by a single strike for each hour.

It is a simple system of communication that has worked well for more than a century. The chiming sound attracts attention and is consistent and dependable. It is also a reassuring and familiar element in Launceston's urban soundscape. You could literally set your watch by that clock tower.

Consistent, dependable, trusted, attention-getting. Those early colonial clock makers must have known quite a bit about the essentials of good communications.

The Simplicity Of An Idea

Design Forum Tasmania is a cultural institution in Launceston that presents the work of artists who work with the beautiful timbers from the island State.

On one of the gallery walls sculptor Peter Costello shares his thoughts on simplicity in art - a thought that applies equally to communication.

"I try and keep my work very simple. Each piece needs to be predicated by one idea only.

If it has two good ideas in the piece it is one good idea too many. It becomes too busy, uncentred so I work entirely on a single idea ... I believe almost any idea will do.

The success of it relies upon how you execute the idea. So in a sense there's almost no such thing as a bad idea."

Likewise the best ideas in marketing and PR are simple and uncomplicated.