You can’t do everything. As an executive in your business, you may want to, but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why you’ve hired a talented team to help! These professionals have a lot of expertise, and asking them to join conversations at the executive table can be an incredibly helpful practice. These types of high-level conversations often end with final decisions about strategy, courses of action, timelines and other major aspects of a business decision being determined. Once trickled down to the rest of the team, issues or concerns may be identified. By having key members of your communications team involved in these foundational meetings, you’ll be able to take advantage of their expertise and leave the planning meeting ahead of the game, without having to rework or revisit strategy.
Business Insider agrees, “When the implementers of strategy are part of the process, they can not only add perspective to the plan, but they are also immersed in its tradeoffs and nuances. When the unexpected arises – and it always does – implementers can make course corrections quickly and powerfully.” Here are a few ways in which your communications team will contribute to conversations at the executive table.
They’re social – When creating strategy, it’s a good idea to engage someone that has their finger on the pulse of the public sentiment of the brand and who is engaged in active social listening. It’s not often that a CEO is handling the day-to-day social media needs of their clients. Making sure the person who is responsible for this facet of the business can contribute to strategy conversions and provide insights is imperative.
A mind for media – You’ll also benefit from someone who can anticipate media reaction and propose ways to shape messaging and improve both press and public acceptance. Getting clients this type of valuable exposure is what we do as PR professionals, and making sure your media guru is involved in crafting the message will help increase the likelihood of positive press coverage.
The planner – Keeping things on track and running smoothly is half the battle. Make sure there is someone who can help craft both internal and external roll-out plans, as these timelines can often shape the overall strategy execution and make the initiative more palatable for both of these audiences.
The backup – While it may not be the main focus of a campaign, having a team member who knows how to add or augment strategy in ways that make things more newsworthy, buzzworthy, Instagram-able and memorable for the target audience is of incredible value. A strategic plan goes next level when it has secondary public perception benefits.
Numbers person – Enlist someone who can help evaluate things like tradeshow attendance investment, through the lens of media participation. What is the value-add of being interviewed by attending press while there? What about benefits of non-profit involvement or with the groups where you can make the most difference and also gain positive exposure? Your client will certainly want those numbers, so you’ll want them too!
Round up
Get everyone together and start planning strategy! It might be a big change from the way you normally plan, but we promise you’ll love the results. When you include key players from your communications team at the executive table, they’ll not only help you plan accurate strategy, but they’ll also be prepared for what’s coming next. This allows them to help shape the current plan to best compliment and support client initiatives instead of learning about changes at the last minute and scrambling to make updates.