Blog post

Planning your New Year Comms Resolutions?

A few things to consider to help you win in 2019

With everyone slowly coming back from a much-needed holiday break, it can be a great time to pause and reflect on how you’re going to make 2019 the best yet! Here’s a few things to consider to help get you started on the right foot.

Analyse your current plans

‘Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential‘ Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister

Without a plan, it’s impossible to truly understand where you can add value – or properly measure success and failures. Some useful points to reflect upon could include:

• How do I intend to achieve my goals in the next 5 years?
• What market am I in now, and how will this change in the next 5 years?
• How can I improve my competitive advantage?
• What resources are most valuable in my success?
• What external factors affect my competitive advantage?
• Which products and services are succeeding?
• Which products and services are not succeeding?
• Are we reviewing costs frequently?
• What management and IT systems do we currently have?
• Have we done a SWOT analysis of competitors?
• Where is our business going? How is it going to get there?
• How long will existing products meet our customer’s evolving needs?
• Are there any internal issues holding the business back?

Become crisis ready

Being crisis ready is to avoid the deer-in-the-headlights feeling, ensuring you are proactive rather than reactive. Decide whether or not you’re crisis ready by asking yourself:

• Do we regularly audit your company’s risks?
• Does the company have a plan to manage these risks?
• What is our strategy to restore company reputation should a crisis occur?
• Do we have access to reliable and comprehensive media monitoring?
• Is our team capable of managing a consumer issue that is published on social media?
• Are any of our employees trained as spokespeople for the media?
• Has our team practised scenarios for social media crises?

Media monitoring is vital in ensuring a company stays proactive and prepared, ensuring companies are informed of trends, influencers, communicators, what’s successful and what is not – when it matters.

In 2019, the impact of earned media will only continue to shift and companies need media monitoring more than ever to ensure they are data driven, proactive and responding to public opinion with speed.

Become socially savvy

Getting socially savvy includAnaes developing a digital marketing and communications plan, becoming active on social media, upgrading the company website regularly, welcoming online feedback and engaging with audiences.

The growth in popularity and connection between social media and earned media has meant that a strategic online presence is key to positively sway public opinion and impact a business reputation.

Make friends with technology

‘Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them’ Steve Jobs

Embracing and understanding the importance of technology in business is becoming increasingly important every day. Technology can assist in building efficiency, accuracy and competitiveness – so why wouldn’t you embrace it? Ignore it, and you might just get left behind.

Let us help your Comms team succeed in 2019, contact us to learn more!