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In today’s 24 hour news environment it’s easy to slip into a reactive communications mode, responding to events that are happening external to the organization rather than driving the conversation. This can take the form of a reaction to the stock market, industry news, or political shifts or announcements. Offering commentary on these types of events is fine, and it can help the organization communicate its key messages, but it’s just half of the story. Companies should always be looking for proactive ways to further their message – ways to make news rather than respond to it.

The right mix of proactive and reactive communications will ensure that key messages are constantly being communicated.

A few ways you can work towards this are:

1. Have clearly defined key messages. See our previous post on key messages.

2. Look for relevant events, sponsorship opportunities, community involvement, speaking engagements, etc. that fit your key messages and are consistent with your brand. While exploring opportunities to tell your organization’s stories, think of visuals such as pictures, infographics and video to help to drive the same story/message through different communications channels.

3. View your communications efforts as a way to create dialogue. Simply broadcasting your information without any attempts to interact or create value for your audience could backfire.

Besides your people, your stories can be your greatest assets. Use them to build interest, relationships and dialogue as well as providing content for social media channels.

Thanks for visiting the CaptainComm blog. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about proactive communications. Now go create some dialogue and buzz about your business. If you have any questions or would like more details, feel free to leave us a comment.