Strategy Matters brings you news, tips and strategies for effective communications from Strategic Communications, LLC. We're committed to bringing you success through strategy. www.stratcommunications.com |
 Don't Be Afraid of Strategic Planning
As the name of my firm suggests, I have a bias toward strategy. I cringe when I get a request to "do something" that may or may not be the result of a thought-out process about why that something may make sense and, more importantly, why it may make more sense than some other something. I like to plan. I like starting with a specific objective and a target audience I hope to influence in some way, asking good questions, reviewing pertinent data, and putting together a plan designed to achieve maximum results with minimal resources (time, effort and money).
Through years of experience participating in strategic planning activities and, most recently, in researching strategic planning for my soon-to-be-released book (above), I've learned that most people aren't like me (this probably isn't the only area in which they're not like me, but that's a topic for another day...). Most people don't like to plan. They view it as a waste of time and not as a time and resource-saving activity.
Strategic planning truly doesn't have to be a waste of time. I've recently conducted two separate strategic marketing planning sessions for clients that we accomplished in only four hours. Granted, there was a bit of time involved in gathering together background materials, but this is still not an unreasonable time commitment. The time and money that companies can save by not doing the "wrong" things and focusing on the "right" things is well worth the effort.
Granted I'm biased, but for those of you interested in at least considering the value of strategic planning, buy my book (couldn't resist that shameless plug). Seriously, it's a very practical, DIY-based book -- and we also have a number of free white papers that offer tips on strategic planning that you can find on our web site.
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Smart SEO -- Not as Complex as it Seems
If you have a web site, you know about SEO and, chances are you think it's a very complex topic. It doesn't have to be. My advice -- and the advice of the SEO experts I talk to frequently -- is, as with many things, to "keep it simple."
The basic premise of SEO is that you want people to find your site when they do a search for products and services that reflect what you have to offer. Successful SEO becomes, basically, the process of matching the terms and phrases potential clients may look for with the terms and phrases that are on your site. The search engines will do the rest.
While most people tend to worry about the technical aspects of SEO, I've found that they would be better served by worrying about the communication aspects. Two recent blogs focus on some specific strategies -- and simple to implement tips -- that you can easily put to work for you to increase the number of people who find you online. | |
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Social Media for Hiring
While the answer to the question of whether or not "social media works" is one that must be answered on a case-by-case basis, there is one potential use that can hold real, bottom-line, dollar-saving results for many organizations. This is the use of social media for hiring. As more and more people flock to the Internet for everything from researching health care providers, to purchasing products, to looking for jobs, recruiters and HR professionals are finding it to be a rich source of qualified candidates.
In fact, previously popular tools like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com are taking a hit as both job seekers and those with jobs to offer are looking to Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter.
In a 2010 study, Pew Research found that 41 percent of all Americans have searched online for jobs, up from 17 percent in 2000.
To use these tools effectively, the sames rules apply as when using social media for marketing:
- Know your audience and go where they are.
- Establish a presence that is focused specifically on your objective (in this case finding qualified applicants).
- Provide valuable information (in addition to simply posting jobs consider offering job search tips and guidance, "inside information" about your company, etc.).
- Keep it up-to-date and stay active.
- Recognize social media as just one more source of applicants, not a replacement. Drive social media-generated applicants to your web site's "jobs" page.
- Beware the dangers -- in the hiring realm this can mean using social media to research candidates' backgrounds. Unless done appropriately, it can land you in legal hot water.
Learn more here. | |
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Facilitation Tips for Strategic Planning
A key role in the strategic planning process is that of the facilitator. Planning benefits from a wide range of inputs and the ability to capture those inputs and frame them into actionable, agreed-upon, strategies and tactics. It can be a bit like "herding cats." This white paper offers some simple techniques that can help.
Contact us for a free copy.
Strategy Matters! linda@stratcommunications.com | | Offer Expires: 4/1/11 |
Watch for this new book from Strategic Communications:
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