Fantasy football leagues are kicking off with great excitement. As stadiums continue to welcome back fans, offices are welcoming back more employees in person.
Despite an emotionally-charged environment over the past 18 months, companies continue innovating and employees continue adapting.
And while you may not be dealing with a marketing budget like the NFL, all companies should be asking themselves one question: are we really drafting our best PR players for primetime?
A company’s bench of experts is only as strong as what’s cultivated. Regardless of budget, many team players can help a company’s larger PR purposes.
You’ll find that most employees have something to contribute: generational insights, industry learnings or data-driven strategies. But it’s important to strategically utilize each player.
Here are three ways to move the ball from the “Red Zone” into the end zone.
The 10-Yard Line: Start with a Spokesperson Matrix
Within any organization, you’ll have a full complement of experts ready to tackle your field of expertise and with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences to draw from.
Unsure who knows what? Create a spokesperson matrix, which lists names, titles, years of experience and issues they can speak to knowledgeably.
A good way to organize this information is to create a fact sheet that maps the information for readily-available access to staff and potentially reporters.
The 5-Yard Line: Match the Matrix Against Content
A strong communications and marketing program thrives on a mix of owned and earned content. To help draw interest in your issues, products, or expertise, consider blogging. It’s free and not overwhelmingly time intensive, especially when split equally amongst colleagues.
Even better, many organizations can get away with creating and sharing only one post per week. Now it’s time to match your spokesperson matrix against a content calendar. Assign each potential spokesperson the responsibility of drafting an article that speaks to their area of expertise. Consider prompts like: what trends they’re noticing; what article made them stop and think; or, what type of work can they preview with audiences. For best results, pair groups to peer edit and continue the momentum.
The Goal Line: Amplify It Across Social
Companies used to discourage social media activity during work time hours, now they’re not only embracing it, but actually encouraging it. Social media is a perfect forum for companies to amplify both earned and owned wins like an interview, award, or new blog post. Consider creating a Slack channel, or email alias, that broadcasts when something relevant is posted to encourage employee participation via a like, share, or comment.
Empower employees to engage using channels they feel comfortable with – for many that will be LinkedIn, or Twitter. Likewise, you may encourage them to proactively follow reporters, influencers or other companies that are critical to your company’s mission.
Not every organization is prepared to launch a full-fledged marketing and communications program, but every organization can take these small and free steps to put their best resources to work and reach the end zone for a meaningful score.
If you’re ready to go for a touchdown in your communications strategy, Rally Point can help. We help our clients with social strategy, media relations, media training and more. For more information about how we can help your organization, please contact us and let’s talk.