Day: December 8, 2013

Is all your company communication treated the same?

by Stanley Learybusiness / video
Are you a good steward of your communication budget for your company? What am I asking?
First, we need to understand what stewardship is all about. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially:  the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”

This week’s headlines and spreading all over the web, “Corporate profits almost double the historical norm.” Check out this article by Jay Bookmen on it here.

When things are going well, and you are not pinching pennies, you are most prone to wasteful spending.

Be strategic and plan out your corporate communications. Do this using the pyramid above. Every corporation has main objectives for the year, and other things still need to be done but are always behind those key initiatives.

A Level 

In your top category, put those things that are the most important. Now, this is where you will dedicate more time, space, and budget to communicating this than all the other items. For example, you would have this lead or be in every newsletter you send out. You will make videos here because you know you will use those over and over again. You commit to writing about this in different ways. It may even be a special place on your company’s main webpage.

B Level

These are items that, had it not been for those in A Level, would be. You commit to only communicating regularly on these topics, maybe once a month in the newsletter rather than the weekly newsletter. You will make fewer videos on this because they will not get used as often.

C Level

This level means that you are committed to the topic and may do a quarterly story or project to keep this in the company’s mind.

You still may do a few pieces that do not fit in A, B, or C, but those are more of a one-off and not committing the resources at a level to tax the budget. You may also have departments coming to you for help, but if they don’t fit into the plan, you may turn them away, explaining how they are not part of what the company has decided as a priority. Maybe they fund that themselves.

Possible Scenario

Your company is rolling out a new product. You decide to produce a video for the company’s internal people to get everyone on board. In addition, you choose to use this piece in the annual, quarterly, and department meetings. Due to the wide use of the project and its importance, you want to be sure it is a high-impact piece. In addition, the production quality is essential for large screens.

Contrast this to one of the many C Level projects that go up on your company website every week and come down after a week. Do you commit the same production level to something with a short life span?

Gold, Silver, or Bronze

Many companies like a certain quality of video when producing what amounts to a small Hollywood Film. The problem is they are making this quality all the time when the simple newscast quality we see each night on the six o’clock news would work as acceptable and perfect for communicating our message.

Consider in your communications about creating levels of product and when using them for your tiered communication strategy. For example, you may have a newscast, documentary, and Hollywood-produced videos all used in the A Level. However, you may only have documentary and newscast quality in the B Level. You may be okay with using a newscast quality or non at all for the C Level.

Being a good steward is putting the right resources to accomplish the goal. Don’t overdo it, even if it is A Level.

Just because you have the money, don’t always spend it all. Instead, pay what you need and no more.

Are you filling holes in an organization or using holes to fill the organization?

by Stanley Learybusiness / strategic communications / visual storytelling
Pastor Emanuel Yameogo is in front of the church he pastors in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, Africa.

Many photographers enjoy traveling the world for an NGO in exchange for access to subjects. But, unfortunately, you can get hooked on doing this for the wrong reasons. Getting one more country stamped on your passport can feel good to even those doing it for all the right reasons, but be sure this is not the motivation to see the world.

I just had someone post this on a social media forum I contribute to and enjoy. I posted this as a response and believed too many photographers with big hearts and giving to organizations often do more harm than good in the big picture for those organizations.

San Antonio Catholic Church in Tikul, Yucatan, Mexico
“NGOs/NPOs have a budget for marketing. Do not let them tell you they have no budget.”

Sadly this is not true in all cases. While there are many reasons they have no or inadequate budget for marketing, there is one that many of us contribute.

Altruism is one of the biggest problems with these organizations. Many media professionals, out of wanting to help, have hurt many of these organizations over time.
A giving photographer isn’t able to give to their charity $20,000 but chooses to give of their time for what would amount to a $20,000 gift. So Volunteers are how many organizations can do more with less.
Let’s say that for the next 20 years, this photographer gives a week of their time doing projects from multimedia, still, photography, and maybe some writing to help with marketing materials for this organization.
Jacob Tarnagda [left] and Jay Shafto walk through Jacob’s courtyard. Jacob is a leader in the church in Soumagou, Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Sadly the photographer died one year for whatever reason. Slowly this organization is losing traction. Their marketing is not as good as it was. They cannot find a veteran photographer like the one they had before. So now they rely on college students and amateurs who give up their time.
Sometimes they stop doing any photography. That was something someone gave to the NGO but not something they needed in the minds of the NGO.
While the photographer was alive and giving, the organization flourished, but once they were gone, they started to wither.
Street scene in Tikul, Yucatan, Mexico.
Please don’t be that photographer.
Be altruistic and give up your time just like the photographer did all those years. However, this is how you can be different and help the organization.
Take the time to have conversations with the leadership. Then, sit them down and get them to understand the actual costs, and encourage them to start creating a marketing budget. Then, get them to put it into the budget they vote on each year.
Your gifting of time can cover the costs while you are able, but by this being on the visible budget, you will be helping the organization slowly create a budget.
I would help them, over time, realistically put together a budget just like each of us who are independent have to do for our budgets. Then, maybe get them to slowly hire a few independent media specialists to help your projects be better.
Night street scene in  Tikal, Yucatan, Mexico.
Besides creating a physical budget for the organization, help them know how to use entry-level communications people. Help them to understand the importance of strategic creatives and how they can mentor the newbies.
Maybe you help them by training students and having them work with you on these projects for internship credit. Be sure, if you do this, that you are communicating the importance of the seasoned pro. Let them know how this is saving them money in the long run. Show how new fresh perspectives of the students can also help them grow. Just be sure they understand the importance of strategic communications rather than just photos and videos being created to have something “visual.”
Here is the hanger used for the ministry story point in the bush village of Sabtenga, Burkina Faso, West Africa.
You need to help the organizations understand the difference between filling holes and using holes to serve the organization.