No one involved in business is immune from the overwhelming effects of this communication revolution. Increasingly, day by day, social media, technology and increased access to information put us all on a communication super highway where our individual communication skills are continually tested and they determine whether we sink or succeed. Our lives have become intrinsically connected to the web and digital devices.
The social media itself is becoming increasingly more decentralised, forming a "honeycomb" interactive pattern where employees have become socially enabled and have access to a company's social networks. What is emerging is that social media is fast becoming integrated into the whole organisation. Ownership is becoming wider spread and social media is becoming a tool for corporate conversation, and not merely a marketing, PR and client service channel.
There are indeed great risks in socialising your business. It requires relinquishing control of your brand story, and trusting non-traditional marketers to represent your brand. Progressive companies are becoming proactive and are making sure that their employees are trained up to be cyber-brand ambassadors.
For HR and communications departments it is presently becoming increasingly vital to empower and train up all employees to skill them to communicate the different key brand messages of the company while still promoting company values and core marketing messages.
On an even more serious note, companies will, in the near future, also be starting to rethink their hiring criteria, insisting on excellent digital communication and writing skills to make sure their employees shine on cyber stages. Companies and organisations will be requiring their employees to have almost journalistic skills with the ability to create well-written content and curate stories around their brand.
As a cyber-communicator you need to think of newsworthy content. You need to offer value and pinpoint client-specific needs. You need to think of all your possible cyber audiences and not just the media.
The emerging world of cyber communication will continue to confuse and terrify many cyber citizens over the next few years as we transit out of our old traditional ways of communicating. One thing is for certain: the digital age will compel all cyber citizens to upgrade their communication skills if they want to survive, be hired and succeed.
As a communication guru I have had to evolve and learn the intricacies of digital communication in order to succeed and lead in my field. You, dear reader, actually have the easy part: just one click will put you in touch with a digital communication training coach who can teach you the digital communication skills you need to succeed.
