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27
Jul

Study: Strategic issues for communication management until 2015

The European Association of Communication Directors just published its annual report

It provides insight into communication and PR professionals (survey from 2200 communication professionals from 42 countries in Europe), and has titled it:

 

 

Challenges and Competencies for Strategic Communication

Why am I covering this report?

The reason I am covering this report is because

  • It show the biggest challenges for marketers and communicators today.
  • Because it comes from a descent source
  • Because it has data from previous years that allows to spot trends.

Key take-away’s from the European Communication Monitor 2012

  • Most important strategic issues: Need to address more audiences with limited resources
  • Ethical challenges: Six out of ten PR professionals faced moral problems within the last 12 months
  • Barriers to professionalization: 84% state that top management lacks understanding of communications
  • Integrating and coordinating communications: Shaping multiple identities is more relevant today
  • Practice of strategic communication: Operational work takes 37% of a typical week
  • Social media: Large gap between perceived importance and real implementation in most organisations
  • Development and qualifications: Management and business knowledge needed, but training is missing

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1
Jul

How do you act as B2B company in social networks?

One of the first questions that almost immediately pop-up when you as a B2B company start using social networks in your marketing and communication is : how do we act on these social networks ?

Keep it human

Don’t start a Google+ page that is managed by “administrator” or “Your Company Name”. Instead, posts should be done in the name of real employees of your company.

 

Cut the crap

If you were to engage in social media, here is some behavior that you most probably not want to do, like the metaphor I used before where I see social networks as a cocktail party:

  • Do you go into the middle of room during the party, and shout “BUY MY PRODUCTS”?
  • Do you let them know that you had great fun during a tradeshow presence?

 

I really do not care that my B2B contacts or B2B suppliers, who you are trying to market and sell to me, had great fun at a tradeshow they participated to. Really, your customers don’t care.

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