Chapter 7 Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media

Chapter 7: Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media Understand professional email standards, use, structure, format, and tone Understand how businesses use blogs to connect with internal and external audiences and professional blogging best practices

Blogging and Social Media Use in Business l Advantages for businesses l l l Reach a far-flung, vast audience Readers leave comments Keep customers, employees, and public informed with up-to-date info and to interact with these groups l l l 53% of Internet users (or 39% of the U. S. population) read blogs Spontaneous consumer feedback is faster and less expensive than focus groups and surveys Mirror the company’s culture l Provides job seekers opportunity to learn about company and people who work there

Companies Blog to: l l l Create virtual communities Build brands Develop relationships l l l l Public relations Customer relations Crisis communication Market research Viral marketing Internal communication Online communities Recruiting

Company Blogs: Public Relations and Customer Relations l Primary use is to provide up-to-date company information to the press and public l Examples: l l Bill Marriott, CEO – Marriott on the Move Blog General Electric – Edison’s Desk addresses industry insiders and interested public (1 of 7 for the company) Best Buy Unboxed – 1 of 5 niche blogs targeting various special interest groups and actively solicits customer input Engaging customers/tapping into their collective wisdom is called crowdsourcing

Company Blogs: Crisis Communication l Natural forum for late/fast breaking news l l Soothes public’s emotional reaction with a human voice of reason Example: l Correct industry rumors, misinformation, “fake news” l l Hewlett-Packard social media strategist averted crisis before a video was released on You. Tube tagging HP computer software as racist Provide company’s pro-active efforts l HP strategist thanked video creators, addressed the software design flaw, and promised a remedy

Company Blogs: Market Research and Viral Marketing l Blogs are invaluable sources to get customers' opinions and feedback l Example: Starbucks' Idea blog shares product ideas with customers and solicits their feedback l l Helps company innovate/product development Social media marketers can: l l Collect data from customers, which is much cheaper than conducting surveys, focus groups Create a buzz among groups of people, small networks l Nickelodeon did at Comic-Con with new TV show “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

Company/Brand Blogs: Online Communities l Attract loyal following of core participants who want to stay informed about company: l Events, news, product updates l Participants can provide new ideas Marketing is subtle Provides a unique experience to fans Reinforces brand loyalty Example: Coca-Cola Conversations l Prof. Scanlon’s favorites: l l l Diary of a Quilter - http: //www. diaryofaquilter. com/ Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mysteries Newsletter - cleocoyle@cleocoylerecipes. com

Company Blogs: Internal Comm. and Recruiting l l l Helps virtual teams share updates on projects Replaces hard-copy publications Can create a sense of community; encourage employees to participate Can provide job seekers an insight into the company culture/philosophy and the people who work there Companies must follow Professional Blog Guidelines l See p 224, Fig. 7. 11

Small Group Activity l l Get into groups of 3 or 4 Nuts About Southwest l l l Compare Southwest’s blog to other airlines’ blogs (e. g. , Delta, United, Frontier) l l See p 238 - Activity 7. 12 Look at company blog (e. g. , words, symbols, clothing) to learn about its culture and philosophy What words, symbols, clothing are similar? different? Report out

Company Blogging: 8 Best Practices l l Your posts will be scrutinized; therefore, you need make the best impression (especially since you are representing the company) See pp 225 – 227 for the 8 tips and details See p 225, Fig. 7. 12 for applying the journalistic style to blogs See p 227, Fig. 7. 13 for a student blog article that illustrates the best practices

Writing Assignment Scenarios l Biz Blog (MU’s HRM Blog) l l l Simon Sinek on Millennials in the Workplace l Ø http: //learn. marymount. edu/hrmblog/vive-lafrance? utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm _content=43155876&_hsenc=p 2 ANqtz 8 r. JWp. O 2 w. Ya. Cxp. Ji 5 g. M_88 h. ITkb. GTf. XFWPxg. Dn. UQFV VGS_t. CFSDe. Uki. Aq. ICtn 7 UChg. Wz. E 9 SIYc 4 MV 7 oi. Wsa. RJMTFGIUg&_hsmi=43155876 Also, read the Times magazine article that’s contained in the blog https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=h. ER 0 Qp 6 QJNU Go to Canvas Assignments page for an explanation of this week’s writing assignment