It's a safe bet at the start of 2009 your budget had a section dedicated to communication. With the rapid decline of the economy, however, it's possible you have become sidetracked. This happens, especially with how quickly things are moving, and though you may want to cut aspects of your budget altogether, it is difficult to succeed without all of your pistons firing. Below are some communication strategies every business must maintain to survive the recession.
 
Team communication
The recession has a lot of people stressing out about their jobs. Employee fear is often the result of a breakdown in internal communication. As a result, many workers turn to increased networking and job searching because they feel their current job is in jeopardy. This not only decreases productivity, it also makes for a stressful work environment. Communicate with your employees often and be open and honest about the state of the business.
 
But don't stop there. Although communication from the top down is important, open dialogue among co-workers is vital to a company's success. At Arment Dietrich, we discovered we were bogged down by technology in our internal communication practices. In an effort to give our own communication a recharge, we implemented an internal e-mail ban. Read about it on our blog, FADS, to see how it all started.
 
Reaching out to media
Part of media relations is, simply put, getting on the phone and proactively building relationships with reporters. And it isn't easy. Reporters are constantly inundated with news releases and story leads. Trying to build a relationship with a reporter and highlighting your point of difference often feels like an uphill battle, and takes a significant time investment. But, once you find a reporter to go to bat for you, and build the relationship, the coverage they provide on your company is worth its weight in gold.
 
Trying new ways to reach your audiences
Social media is taking over communication these days, and if you haven't tried it yet, now is the perfect time to start finessing your online awareness. Many reporters contribute to blogs and have their own Twitter handles (check out our last eNewsletter on how to get started on Twitter). Start reading their posts and follow them through various social media channels to understand their interests. Put in the effort, and show you're serious about building a relationship.

 

Another social media approach to reach your audiences is new ways is building an online presence. Check out Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and see where your company fits. We use all three, and recently launched the Arment Dietrich, Inc. Fan Page on Facebook (check it out!), but recommend two initial strategies. If you're a business-to-business company, start with LinkedIn and Twitter. If your customers are consumers, start with Twitter and Facebook. Regardless, 93 percent of Americans expect companies they deal with to have a social media presence. It's time to get on the bandwagon.
 
Reciprocal relations
Many other companies preach no ink is bad ink. We wouldn't go that far. After all, we are not in the business of rebuilding celebrity careers; we're in the business of helping companies cultivate their brands and develop reputations. In keeping with that philosophy, it is important to remember what NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr once said, "If you don't exist in the media, for all practical purposes, you don't exist."
 
In tough times, it is easy to board up the doors, lock the windows, and wait for the storm to blow over. No company wants to talk about its struggles, but the media game is a two-way street. If you expect reporters to write about your successes, you're going to have to participate in their interviews even when you don't have a lot of positive things to say. Stay on point with your key messages, concede that things may be tough, but find ways to be positive about what the future can bring and how you're moving forward
 
B2B communication
The success of your business often depends on the partnerships you build. A great way to build business relationships is to position yourself as an expert in your industry at every opportunity. Connect with clients, trade publications, and editors to get on speaking circuits and to write articles to show your clients you are open for business.
 
The rotten economy has thrown everyone a curveball. It's time to get back to basics and the basics are good! What you do now and how you continue to adapt to the changing economic environment is going to determine whether you come out ahead. As with the good times, success in difficult times always starts with solid, consistent, and open communication.