January is the time for a fast review of 2023 strategic planning. Ready, set, go!
- Is the current plan updated for current market conditions and news cycles?
- Are there imminent threats that need to be addressed internally or externally?
- What’s new that employees need to know?
- External communications channels—are they active? Who’s in charge?
- Every company’s story changes. How has yours?
The answers should come quick. If they didn’t:
Prepare to Address Today’s Market. CEOs and company representatives who can nail an interview leave a clear picture of who they and their company are. That takes training and practice because all business leaders must be able to take on hard-hitting questions from reporters. Message and media training prepares CEOs to successfully engage with reporters and become go-to sources ready to answer the tough questions.
Develop/Refresh The Crisis Communications Plan. Most strategic plans are inadequate for what to do in a crisis. We’ve all seen how quickly a reputation can change — victim of a few tweets or a single unguarded remark. Fair or not, every boss’ job is to protect and manage reputation. A crisis communications plan can be as simple as the steps a business takes to assess and react to a situation, or as sophisticated as drafting potential holding statements and conducting simulations. Giving potential risks a number is important to the bottom line. Have your entire team take OWC’s risk assessment to gain visibility around issues you may not know exist and to engage in deeper discussions to improve operations and morale and avoid pitfalls.
Proactively Plan to Stand Out with Media. In 2022, reporters and editors faced threats of newspaper closures, workplace burnout, layoffs, revolving beats and new pressure for click-bait headlines. In today’s state of the media, these challenges make finding a spot in news stories twice as hard. Businesses must take a stance, stay on social media and provide visual content to get reporters’ attention. The smartest way to keep up is a plan with calendars and visuals prepared a least a month ahead.
Empower Employees. With buzzwords like “quiet quitting” and “the great resignation,” smart business leaders are leaning into their internal communications plans to keep employees happy and lines of communication open and transparent. Employees are a company’s most valuable asset and improving employee retention has become more important than ever. Investing in company culture is good for your reputation and is proof of commitment to core values.
Protect your Cyber Reputation. Most companies have experienced some form of a cyber-attack, which is why businesses need to prepare for online reputational threats that strike without warning. It’s critical to build a team prepared for rapid response with a deep arsenal of capabilities that identify the source of the attacks, remove damaging items from the first page of online searches and provide a solution to repair and protect reputation.
Strategic communications planning makes for a happy New Year. Contact us today for help with planning.
So, Happy New Year!
IN THE NEWS
Abiomed featured on TODAY.com
OWC secured coverage on TODAY.com for Abiomed patient Jamie Waddell and her story of heart failure due to COVID-19. Waddell was treated with the Impella, a tiny heart pump that allowed her heart to rest and recover. See the full story here.
The Nilson Report spotlights new CompoSecure cards
OWC secured coverage for its client CompoSecure, a leader in metal payment card manufacturing, in The Nilson Report. The article featured the company’s newest metal card offerings for 2023, such as the Lux Glass Card and Dynamic CVV Card. Read the full story here.
Going beyond traditional media coverage
It is important to go beyond just traditional media sources to alternative sources for news, such as blogs, social channels and podcasts. OWC secured a blog post on Porch.com for its client Alen, a 16-year leader in High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purification solutions, featuring expert advice to create a healthy home environment (see here.) The Arculus cryptocurrency cold storage solution was part of an unboxing video on YouTube with Cointelegraph reporter Rachel Wolfson (watch here.)
