Is Your Communication Strategy "Ball" or "Goal" Focused?

Having worked as a communication consultant in Tanzanian circles for over 12 years now, I have witnessed first-hand the evolution of the industry to what it is now.

12 years ago, there weren't any Public Relations (PR) courses because no higher learning institutions offered it as a discipline.

Journalists and media-trained personnel thus occupied the PR scene, including yours truly - a background I happily share.

PR was therefore, more mechanical than tactical. This may have served its purpose for some then, but with the advent of new media and all the sophisticated communication infrastructure that comes with it, this “mechanical” approach has died a most timely death.

Which leads me to ask you: “Is your communication "ball" or "goal" focused?”

Communication that revolves around the number of hits and mentions a company gets in national newspapers, TV and radio is “ball" focused.

To use a football analogy (not that I am a fan, more about that later), being "ball" focused means you focus all your energy on chasing and kicking the ball. You are happy to do this, even if it is aimless, as long as you stay in the game.

In client briefs, I often ask: "How will the number of media hits help your organization achieve its strategic objectives?"

The thing is, communication must be tied to the organization's overarching strategy. Valuable communication is that which influences and spurs your audience to help you reach SMART business goals; such as revenue building, perception change, subscription increase, member recruitment, etcetera. Now this is being goal-focused!

Like I said, I am not into football... at all, not even during the World Cup (shoot me now!). With 3 sons (no daughters), you would think I would cultivate interest (long work in progress). Although I am not a football enthusiast, I know one thing about the game and that is: The aim of the game is to score. And to score one must aim the ball towards the goal.

Our management teams should stop pushing communicators for quantity of coverage and instead, encourage better strategies that will increase engagement with the right audiences!

Looking at the current business environment in Tanzania, communication has become very ball-driven; the number of hits, the number of mentions and the number of clip coverage. The philosophy has become, “the more the merrier!”

If your business objectives are not met when you get a mention, this would have been an erroneous and most costly approach to communication.

Sadly, this ball-focused communication is even more prevalent in the public and civil society organizations.There is so much communication out there; but what purpose does it serve? Does it drive the right action?

"Goal-focused” communication that is tied to it your organizational strategy does 3 things for you; it ensures that it first, reaches the right audience; second, communicates the right message; and third, drives appropriate action.

News releases, blogs, websites, articles, videos and all such content should draw your target segment into the consideration cycle and funnel them towards the right action.

When organizations’ communicators focus on the same goals as the rest of the strategic units, they will develop programs which will deliver desirable action and contribute towards the bottom-line. ROI anyone??

All the best aiming the ball in the goal.