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Searching for The Magic

the-magic
What do you call that object you use to change the channels when you’re watching television?

In our house, we call it the pointy-click, which caused huge hilarity among the teens’ friends when this was revealed. It turned out, of course, that they all used different names for it… one called it the flicker-flacker, another called it the box, and so on. Personally, I think ‘pointy-click’ is very apt.

It didn’t seem as though anyone used an ‘official’ name (which is, I suppose, the remote control device), and there wasn’t much consistency in usage either.

This made me think about the words you’re using on your corporate website, especially in navigation. There’s a lot of scope for misunderstanding, or simply lack of comprehension, with the result that the visitor doesn’t achieve their goal in visiting. This might be because:

  • you’re using internal language on an external-facing site, so the word isn’t understood
  • you’re using industry terminology without explanation, and again, the word isn’t understood
  • you’re using jargon or catchphrases that aren’t comprehensible to someone not a native speaker of your language or familiar with your culture
  • your website visitor uses a different word to describe something – like our pointy-click example
  • the visitor just doesn’t know the word you’re using, any word for the thing they want to find, or even what it is they’re looking for
  • the website search requires an exact match, so doesn’t find the not-quite-right word the visitor searches for

These all have different solutions, from re-evaluating your search function to minor rewrites of content to avoid, for instance, sporting references. To help educate the visitor, you could consider adding footnotes to explain acronyms or abbreviations; glossaries of technical terms; or even something like a ‘for the new investor’ section as Credit Suisse and Novartis (among others) do.

Incidentally, I asked around at work, and other terms for the remote were revealed, including the dit-dit, and the magic. Now I like that… ‘Who’s got the magic?’

Tomorrows World: Best Practice for Corporate Apps

tomorrows-worldTomorrow’s World was the BBC’s flagship science programme for decades, and – as I remember it – always predicted an exciting future. One of the 1979 editions included a prototype for a cordless telephone… others included an item on the office of the future, and on the first home computer terminal.

Here we are in that future, and yes, we have mobile phones and ‘home computers’. (No robots in my office yet though).

And the rate of change seems to be accelerating. Not only do we have mobile phones, we are increasingly using them to do what ‘home computers’ were designed for – and more. We didn’t have access to the internet on our phones in the 1970’s, you know… but now almost 40% of time spent online is spent using a mobile device and 17% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices.

Naturally, this has – or should have – an effect on your digital strategy. Given the prevalence of the personal computer over the last few years, corporate comms professionals have naturally been using the corporate website, together with email and other outreach options. But given the rate of change, in particular that towards mobile, what approach should you take now?

Communicate Magazine will be hosting an afternoon conference – Best Practice: Corporate Apps – to discuss just this. There’s a great line-up of speakers discussing case studies, thoughts on strategy, and views on the future, together with the chance to network, and a debate.

It will be on October 10, in the Barbican Centre, London. Do come if you can (find out more). It should be both interesting and useful; I’m particularly looking forward to the session on The New Best Practice. Naturally, there’s a hashtag – #BPCA13 – so if you really can’t make it, you can follow online.

I bet the tweetstream around the Tomorrow’s World episodes would have been interesting…

Is it Time to Kill off Your Content?

ghost-townIn the past, marketing always had something of a natural lifespan. Posters would be taken down, flyers would find their way to the bins and even the TV ad would start to become wearing. Content lifespan fitted quite naturally with the length of a recruitment campaign or a sales drive and even if things didn’t align perfectly, most marketing initiatives died a natural death.

The birth of the internet, however, means this isn’t the case any more. The vast memory reserves of our modern servers mean that the internet is a veritable dumping ground for old content, much of which is now superseded, inaccurate or just plain wrong! Is it time you killed off some content?

Old Web Pages

Your corporate web capital is too valuable to be lost in a maze of old pages, broken links and dead information. Every three months or so you should be testing your web layout as an outsider and making sure that trails make sense.

This is particularly important during big recruitment drives; graduates will be after serious swathes of information on different roles and positions and, ultimately, the big link to your application system. This should all be accessible without coming across a page stating last year’s vacancies or links to old departments; not only is it counter-productive to applicants, you could be at risk of giving away more information than you need to.

Expired Blog Copy

Blog articles are the essay of the twenty-first century, they should be to the point and succinct but are very often speculative; they’re a fine place to discuss market movements or new developments. At the time, this is great, but don’t leave yourself open to error once the news moves on!

You should also be wary of any SEO objectives your web team might have before cutting old web copy. Blogs are great places to target keywords and cutting articles might be seriously detrimental to your marketing team’s strategy! Don’t do it without prior permission.

Recycled Information

Pages frequently go out of date, but that doesn’t always mean you have to axe information altogether. Sensitive editing of keywords, particular phrases and dates often means you can use the same basic frameworks more than once.

Again, you’ll need to consult your SEO team on this as duplicating pages can harm your website’s potential. Equally, you shouldn’t be too quick to copy and paste information; it will be spotted by discerning readers and might look careless if it’s not properly re-edited to suit the tone of a different format.

Developing a model to update content systematically is important and keeping track of your online presence is essential. If you don’t know what content is still lurking in the depths of the internet, you don’t know what applicants, clients or customers could find!

How to Avoid 6 Common Annual Report Mistakes

I invited Richard Ketchen to write a post for us about creating annual reports. Richard advises on stakeholder communication, with a particular interest in the annual report, so I thought you’d find his suggestions helpful.

Over to you, Richard…

Common annual report mistakes, and how to avoid them

pile of annual reportsFacts, figures and fluff. You’ll find all three in an annual report. Readers expect a little of each. For companies, though, finding the right balance is the key. Why? Because with more and more information sources available to investors and other stakeholders, the editorial quality of the annual report is increasingly important.

Originally a periodic and soon-forgotten filing with shareholders, the report now lives 24/7 online, where it reaches an extended audience for years. So it should say what you want it to say, and be as readable online as it is in print.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas for preventing or resolving some common editorial mistakes in annual reports.

1. Removing all personality

If there’s one section that’s likely to be read by all readers, it’s the shareholder letter, especially if it’s the CEO’s letter. The first few sentences can set the tone for the entire report, while the remainder of the letter can add a distinct voice and life to an otherwise dreary dialogue. Unfortunately, by the time final copy emerges from the usual gauntlet of executive and committee reviews, it may have lost any hint of personality.

A better approach

Every CEO has a distinct “voice.” Finding it is up to the writer, whether that writer is the CEO or a ghostwriter. Keeping it is up to the CEO and the owner of the annual report. Don’t give in to the nitpickers. Make sure the shareholder letter reflects the personality of the CEO and the company, not the person hired to write it or those who review it.

2. Failing to answer the “so-what” question

Despite the growing frequency of integrating sustainability, operational and financial reporting into the annual report, there’s still a lot of “box ticking” to meet reporting requirements and not enough thinking about the relevance of some narrative. Indeed, one of the most difficult decisions that arises in annual report production is what to leave out. There’s rarely a shortage of material. Much of it, however, is of questionable value to the reader. More importantly, too much narrative makes it difficult for the reader to read and understand the report.

A better approach

Don’t assume your topic is important just because you think it is, and don’t assume everyone automatically recognizes its relevance. Always ask, so what? Be clear about establishing why your topic is important and why your readers should care.

3. Failing to target messaging

Changes in the audience for the annual report and how that audience consumes information, plus the rising focus on governance and sustainability, have brought welcome changes to corporate reporting and broadened the audience. Employees, retirees, suppliers, partners, community members, analysts and investment advisors are now part of a growing list of stakeholders interested in at least some of the report’s content. Each of these audiences is seeking different information, something that’s often overlooked.

A better approach

You can’t speak to everybody, but you must speak convincingly to your most important audiences. Consider their relationship to your company, their degree of interaction with the organization and their relationship to business strategy. Then, tailor your messaging to the audiences you value most.

4. Expecting the entire report to be read

Of course the report will be read, just not word for word. Most readers are pressed for time, so they skim and scan the copy. Plus, the front end of the report may be taken less seriously than the financials because it is often fluff-ridden. That not only discourages readers, but also adds unnecessary length.

A better approach

Focus on the needs of a reader with limited time and attention, who doesn’t have time to dwell on every word. Write and layout the content in reader-friendly formats. Use best practice in information design – and plain language – to make the report easier to read and understand. Short sentences, vertical lists, headings and subheadings (even in the shareholder letter), boxed or highlighted text, memorable and informative quotations and captions, all help. Make sure charts are easy to understand and avoid repeating that information.

5. Failing to explain the basics

You don’t need to provide a full history of your company or describe production processes or markets in exhaustive detail. But you do need to provide insight into how the company creates value. Unfortunately, not all companies provide this information, or enough of it, to help readers understand how value is created.

A better approach

Be sure your report answers the following questions: Why does the company exist? What is the vision or objective? What is the strategy? How does the company make money? Answers to questions like these are important to stakeholders, but there may be resistance among management to providing full details. You’ll improve the effectiveness of the annual report if you overcome them.

6. Not measuring effectiveness

Like many forms of communication, measuring the effectiveness of an annual report isn’t always straightforward. If your annual report really matters, though, you must set communication objectives and measure its effectiveness.

A better approach

Take stock of your annual report with a reader survey or by asking for feedback directly from key stakeholders. Benchmarking your report against peer groups or annual report awards, such as the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ corporate reporting awards, can also be effective. Whatever you do, be sure you receive honest feedback.

Fresh thinking and change are required to prevent the annual report from becoming a repository of boilerplate and historical information that is of little value to stakeholders. However, the annual report is a work-in-progress, so don’t try to change everything in one year.

Thanks, Richard!

Richard Ketchen helps clients plan, write and produce communication that informs and engages audiences. His more than 20 years of experience includes work with start-ups and multinationals in a variety of industries and on award-winning annual reports. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Richard can be reached through his website.

Exploring Corporate Stewardship

Patagonia: corporate stewardship

Patagonia, Inc. sells high-end outdoor clothes. That’s their bread and butter. But they don’t just do clothes like any normal company. No, Patagonia is a clothes retailer with an explorer’s impulse, an environmentalist’s conscience, a traveller’s spirit and a web designer’s digital nous.

That last trait is very important – Patagonia has a cutting edge website. It’s through Patagonia’s website that we have come to understand that it’s a trendy, up-to-date corporate that has a story, a personality, character, beliefs and fundamental convictions. Yes, through their website we get a company that has managed to humanise itself.

Their website has a load of standout qualities. The opening page is wonderful; first impressions are great and the feeling of open expanse that the interactive background gives you really draws the browser in. As you start to move around the site the ease of navigation and accessibility really boosts the online experience.

By having such a lively and interactive website – one that tells a story and projects a distinct personality – Patagonia connects on a personal level with browsers and customers. And by projecting personal values Patagonia can expect to draw out brand admiration, brand affinity, loyalty, a sense of rapport and therefore, fingers crossed, extended business relations.

On the dashboard Patagonia does all the usual stuff very well: it has a fantastic blog (it’s fresh, topical, very user friendly and customer-centric); they have a great interactive video section; a sports specific section; a tab for all the clothing and finally a tab dedicated to its social and environmental activism.

Patagonia’s environmental activism is something that really sets Patagonia apart from other businesses. Naturally Patagonia dedicates a lot of web time and space to explaining the work that it does to preserve and restore the natural environment for future generations. The company has been involved in a great number of initiatives since its inception and one of its central environmental efforts has been its commitment, since 1985, to donate 1% of all company sales to preserve the environment.

Then in 2002 Patagonia started a programme called “1% For The Planet” which encouraged other companies to do the same; to donate a percentage of sales towards the preservation of the earth for posterity. Since then Patagonia has been at the vanguard of an alliance of businesses that have been working actively to promote the earth’s natural habitat.

By doing this Patagonia has not only set out its stall as an admirable company among consumers and commentators but in a competitive business environment Patagonia has consistently pushed the envelope of corporate best practice. And by committing itself unreservedly to the betterment of the environment Patagonia has earmarked itself as a steward for the industry.

Digital Champions and the Digital Divide

rural CheshireThe county I live in, Cheshire—a large county in the north of the UK—has ambitious plans: aiming for 100% coverage of superfast broadband by 2015.

For some of you, who live in big cities or in other countries, this won’t seem much. Apparently 50% or more of European households already have a connection of over 100 Mbps, and the EU definition of superfast is only 30 Mbps.

But Cheshire is a rural county: 60% is classified as rural, and the settlements are small and dispersed. That is, a lot of us live in tiny villages that are scattered across the green countryside. Yes, that is an image of Cheshire countryside to the right.

For two-thirds of the geographical area of the county it is simply not viable for telecommunications companies to roll out superfast broadband without financial subsidies.

A challenge, in these straitened times.

I went to a Connecting Cheshire Digital Champions event last week, representing the tiny village I live in, and was struck by two things that follow from the statistics they shared:

  • Your web visitor is struggling to see your pages

    Over 5% of Cheshire inhabitants can only get a maximum broadband speed of less than 2 Mbps

    And yet the size of web pages continues to grow. The average web page is now 1 MB. Even if your rural visitor could actually achieve the maximum of 2 Mbps, it takes a significant time to download your 1 MB page.

  • And there is still a potential audience you haven’t reached online

    15% of Cheshire inhabitants have never used the internet.

    How easy is it for someone who is unfamiliar with internet convention to understand and use your website? This group may well include some of your stakeholders, such as shareholders; a rush to e-communications is not going to serve a group who don’t use the internet, or whose connection isn’t good.

One more thing: you’re not alright, Jack

There is a digital divide. And it is one that affects most of us, even if you are lucky enough to live and work in a high-speed area. Because if there are consumers and businesses that can’t make equal use of the internet, those are potential customers, clients, shareholders and job-seekers of yours that would struggle to find your business online.

It’s not just Cheshire.