CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: CAN YOU

HEAR ME NOW?

In business it’s only natural that within an

organization employees consistently

communicate with their managers, while

externally, salespeople regularly communicate with their customers.

However, as an organization grows, it

also becomes increasingly important

that the company consistently

communicate with all of its stakeholders—

internally as well as externally–as well as the

media, which often serves as the conduit for communication between business and the public.

For the senior management of any business, the task of

successfully communicating—both

internally and externally—has always been

somewhat of a challenge, albeit a

necessary part of ‘doing business.’ Entrepreneurs

are, by their nature, often more focused on

building their businesses, rather than sharing their corporate

stories.

It’s also ironic, but true, that in this Information Age–where the available tools for communication have never been easier to access and utilize–successful ‘Corporate Communications’ has actually become

more challenging.

The fact is that in the Internet age–where

even your cell phone can provide limitless amounts of news and

information at a moment’s notice–

people are constantly inundated with

information from a seemingly endless number of sources.

Breaking through that informational ‘din’,

and actually connecting with your target audience, is

indeed a challenge for all business leaders, and one that requires

considerable effort and commitment.

For example: in the case of our company, Sackett National Holdings (SNH), successful communications has never been more important. This year, we’re experiencing unprecedented growth, and as a result, we’ve also been hiring a considerable number of new employees to keep up with that expansion. That

is, of course, good news.

Still, it’s increasingly important that we ensure

that all of our employees—both existing and new hires

—are kept abreast of our diverse and growing

business. As we strive to ensure that all of our

employees understand the current state of our

company–and the direction it’s headed going forward—

internal corporate communications has

become an even more important priority for our

Senior Management team.

One of the benefits of having a ‘tech savvy’ company such as SNH

is that we are well suited to utilize

technology to benefit not only our clients, but our own internal

communication efforts as well.

Still, like many growing and diverse companies, one of the challenges

we face in achieving our internal communications

objectives is basic geography. Our

corporate headquarters is located in Las Vegas, but we also have a large office in San Diego, as well as offices in Ohio and Kansas City; in a

less-technological age, that geographic

disparity would present significant logistical

problems for our communication efforts.

Enter the benefits of technology. As a method of bridging the geographic distance between our regional offices, and ensuring ‘consistent and clear’ corporate communications—our company recently began providing employees a “CEO Communication” webcast; initially broadcast live, and then posted online for several days in case any employees were unavailable during the original webcast, this video

allows me—in my capacity as Chief Executive Officer–to speak directly to all SNH employees, and deliver the good news about our company’s growth and success.

In that same broadcast, we also made a point of

singling out several employees for their

exceptional work, and thanking them for their efforts on behalf of the company. In addition to

sharing information about our company’s

growth, we also included some lighter fare, such

as photos from company gatherings as well as

contests offering employees prizes.

And while internal webcasts are most useful as a means of updating and connecting with staff, I also believe that

maintaining the ‘human touch’ is an important element in our internal

corporate communication efforts. To that end, we recently held company

‘Town Hall’-type meetings in San Diego and Las Vegas—providing employees with a chance to hear directly from Senior Management about the status of our company, as well as fielding corporate

questions from those in attendance.

I was very pleased to find that, in response to an internal survey, 94 percent of our employees said they welcomed the ‘Town Hall’ events, and hoped we would conduct many more on a regular basis; while happy with that result, I wasn’t the least bit surprised, because I recognize the inherent and

natural desire of employees to be kept ‘up to speed’ with what’s happening at their place of employment.

Concurrent to our internal communications efforts, our company is also expanding our efforts to reach out to external stakeholders—including current and potential customers—to share information about

both our organization, and the innovative products and services we offer.

With double-digit growth, rapid expansion and unique and innovative products to

proffer, we’re proud of SNH’s corporate ‘story’, and

are committed to the communication efforts

required to share our story often, and with as many stakeholders as possible.

In the business world, most commerce can be divided into one of two categories: business-to-business (B2B)

as well as business-to-consumer (B2C). At SNH, we’re fortunate to have

subsidiaries that are industry leaders in both

B2B as well as B2C businesses.

While there may be some minor differences in the way a company

approaches communication for a B2B versus B2C audience, it’s

imperative that the corporate messaging for

both be clear and consistent—and fully

aligned with an organization’s internal communications; the

several hundred employees who work for

our company are our strongest ‘brand’ ambassadors, and

ensuring they are fully engaged with our

company’s progress is key to our success.

When devising a corporate communications plan, it’s important to keep in mind that throughout all of history, there’s never been a time when information was more readily available–everywhere and all of

the time.

Given that reality, one of the most formidable challenges facing organizations—and those charged with running them—is to commit the time, effort and resources required to ensuring successful

corporate communications; by doing so, you will also ensure that your company’s story gets heard, and doesn’t fall between the constant ‘clicks’ of the Information Age.