In a weak economy, there is a tendency for many businesses of all sizes to "cocoon," to turn in on themselves and cut or reduce any or all external activities.
Some cocooning may be beneficial, especially if management takes some of the "down time" to reflect on ways to improve business by analyzing issues and policies affecting stakeholders, including employees, identifying vulnerabilities that may threaten growth, and recommending ways to enhance the organization’s brand and reputation.
After this reflection and analysis is concluded, it is time to reset ways to work with clients to implement communications strategies and tactics to improve business practices by highlighting opportunities, addressing problems, and suggesting ways to improve future effectiveness.
Now is the time to audit all communications and improve their effectiveness. Here are some questions to ask:
How am I benefiting from my peer networking?
How can we improve and perhaps shorten our sales presentations?
How are we tracking and utilizing our business referrals?
How can we improve the effectiveness of our media advertising?
How can we better benefit from our civic involvements?
How can we improve our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in the communities we serve?
If we go forward with the premise that PR is "Performance Recognized," what are we doing to take better advantage of our public relations efforts to get recognition for this performance?
And last, but not least, what are we doing about getting better engaged in social media? How are Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Skype, You Tube, Delicious, etc., playing into your communications strategies?
These are all cost-effective and innovative ways of broadening your communications scope, while, at the same time, getting you out of your business cocoon.
We hope you are now convinced that "cocooning" is not a good business posture in this, or any economy.
Alan Gaudynski is a veteran public relations consultant in Pewaukee.
