Are You Engaged?

By Alison Cox, Vice President, Corporate

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you’ll notice a recurring theme among otherwise diverse topics – engaging your audiences. It’s not just a matter of knowing who you want to talk to, but understanding their issues and being willing to enter into discussions about those shared concerns. This isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking idea. Public relations has always been about communicating with diverse audiences, not just broadcasting information at them.

At Edelman, we have an approach to public relations that we call Public Engagement. Public Engagement acknowledges and embraces the evolution of society, changes in stakeholder behavior and adapts to the technological innovations that are changing the ways that we communicate with one another. Specifically, Public Engagement is about advancing shared interests in world of cross-influence.

Having said that, it’s important to point out that Public Engagement is about having conversations – listening to what others have to say, considering their positions and providing thoughtful commentary that moves the overall discussion forward. It’s about finding common ground – the shared interest – with audiences who, on the surface, may not seem to have the same goals. It’s about finding solutions through partnerships and dialogue.

One key thing to note about Public Engagement programs – they are always evolving and adapting based on what they hear from stakeholder audiences. These programs are transparent about the company’s interests or agenda, but still allow others to share opposing views. This can be challenging in online environments, particularly when dissenting opinions are being aired on your Facebook page or in a branded forum.

A quick Google search will turn up numerous high profile examples of companies that responded to online criticism by disabling comments, deleting posts or banning participants. It doesn't have to be that way. For a global trade association, Edelman created an advisory council made up of prominent bloggers and podcasters in the association's industry. Participants included advocates, affiliated blogs – and the association’s two most vocal detractors. There were no parameters or restrictions on what participants could say, nor did the association attempt to use the council members as a broadcast channel for its own news and views. By encouraging open dialogue and discussion about shared interests and concerns, the association eventually won over the detractors, who not only became less critical of the association’s policies, but at times, became advocates in their own right.

If you are still building your 2011 communications plan – and particularly if you believe your plan is finished, I would challenge you to consider whether or not you’re engaging in two-way conversation with your stakeholder audiences. You’ve thought about what you want to tell them, but how will you listen to what they have to say? If you have a corporate presence on social networking sites or in online communities, have you empowered your community ambassadors to do more broadcast information?

Are you engaged?