Monday's Sustainability Communications Lunch was an
enthusiastic debate on the participants’ communications highlights from 2012
and goals for 2013. The group is made up
of communicators from businesses, trade associations and NGOs working on
sustainability-related issues. So what
did we learn?
We looked at how to keep the momentum going both
internally and externally from communications around events, for example
launches of reports and initiatives. We
all know that it can be tough to keep the buy-in after the launch. And yet these launches can be used as hooks
on an ongoing basis, for member relations, the media and wider stakeholders.
One member of the group sends a questionnaire after big
events as well as targeted follow-up with calls to action for top tier
contacts. Building a community can be a
challenge, but once it’s done, it can be a credible and interactive tool. Members of trade associations and other
stakeholders can serve as effective multipliers.
The main challenge seems to be to persuade and engage
co-workers and stakeholders. Justifying
the time spent in interacting on social media, for instance, might be
difficult, but the general consensus is that there is real Return on Investment
(RoI). The members of the group who are
active on social media spend up to one hour a day blogging, tweeting and using
Facebook. Monitoring and presenting
metrics can be an excellent way to make your case and show the value, although
social media is about more than numbers.
One of the first elements of a communications plan is to
define the audience. Communications tools
should also be adapted to their targets and audiences. While NGOs are making the most of Facebook,
companies or other organisations find it harder and might prefer to build their
profile on LinkedIn or Twitter, at least at first. Using Twitter around press release launches,
for example by sending a list of approved tweets for translation into the
language of the local office is one way an NGO at the Lunch is helping spread
the word.
We all have a story to tell. Playing with the right blocks to build that
story, being present and consistent and approaching from the right angle are approaches
that will always pay off in the long run.
This was the 11th Sustainability Communications
Lunch. If you would like to suggest a
theme for future Lunches, please send us your ideas. The next Lunch will be on Monday 25 February
(to be confirmed). Keep an eye on our Facebook
page and our Twitter @Sustconsult
for more details or contact lunch@sustainabilityconsult.com.
Blog by Ana I
Catarino and Kathryn Sheridan
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