Internal Marketing Conversations

Maybe it will not be a best seller; there is beauty and power in a well crafted thought. That's exactly how I feel about today's post at Marketing Profs:Daily Fix, because the marketing conversation starts inside. There is one part of organizational life that has been abandoned like a sinking ship, shamefully so. Yet is is the lifeblood of your products and services. If any attempts exist at communications inside corporate America they are by and large left over from other times and harried check marks on a long "to do" list.

It should not be this way. Now that we have collaborative tools that are easy to set up -- wikis and blogs come to mind -- it is still mind boggling how we continue to expend considerable time and funds in trying to control the conversation inside the company walls. Hasn't anyone noticed how the entity may be the only part left inside? Employees are already out there, using their skills and talent on volunteer activities, networking, and expanding on their interests.

Today, I make a case for internal blogs and here is why:

• They can provide transparency to processes and content/project discussions without lengthy meetings. Let's say the marketing team posts regularly on their projects and solicits input, which is then stored in one place. There are good content management tools for this sort of thing too. Does your company invest in those? What is the ramp up time for your team?
• They can help you find pockets of energy inside your organizations and sometimes in the most unlikely places. Who would have known that so and so who's been in accounting for 15 years had such a flair for telling stories about the company?
• Blogging has an immediacy and urgency that in many corporate chains of command have gone lost through elaborate approval chains. Ideas come fast, and when execution comes slow, the disconnect can be great.
• Most importantly, when you treat employees with respect and maturity, that's what you get back tenfold. Those are the basis for trust.

Internal blogs are tools where conversations that matter can take place. [bonus link to Shel Holtz on internal blogs]

Comments

[Connie Bensen]

This extends so far beyond blogging. It's all about communication & avoiding that disconnect. Presently I'm trying to figure out Sharepoint & hoping that as Community Mgr I'll be able to foster discussions there.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Connie:

My colleague is a SharePoint expert, maybe I can put you in touch. We're implementing both internal and external sites using this tool in the coming months.

Yes, the challenge is not so much to start these initiatives. Sustainability is key to realize the value of those connections as it accrues over time. Thank you so much for visiting!