After presenting at the Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) Conference in Orlando, FL in June, I had the opportunity to have a lot of great discussions around timeliness of social media posts, news releases, and over all messaging.
I can’t say this enough:
“THE NEWS IS NOW!”
Nobody wants to miss learning about community news or events happening, whether it’s a crisis, or an everyday occurrence that people could or should be notified about in a timely manner. This speaks to transparency and openness from the agency posting or reporting information in a timely manner, which leads to future credibility for your agency, and how you the community views you as a trusted source for reliable information.
Of course, this conversation takes us back to policy concerns: who posts, how often, and how overall social media and messaging are overseen. It is worrisome to hear folks feel unprepared, especially if they are in those communications roles, or feel their agency could be unprepared for a crisis.
I understand checks and balances, but a policy should not hinder communicating to your audience in a timely matter. This also reverts to one of my original posts about controlling rumors. If you aren’t “in front” of an issue, then someone else will be, and you could find yourself doing damage control.
This boils down to great training, not only for communications professionals, but leadership as well. I’m here to help and have a proven track record with general communication planning and crisis communication. The time is NOW, the news is NOW. Reach out to Your Town Media Training for help with policy concerns, communication concerns, or basic crisis communication staples you might not be thinking about.
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