Untangling Online Strategies and Web 2.0

All of the PR people, including major agencies, who are now struggling to figure out online strategies might want to hear Jeanette Gibson. She is the visionary Director of New Media at Cisco Systems in San Jose, CA. I spoke with her recently to get her thoughts about how organizations can use the Web for competitive advantage into the future.

While full detail will be in my upcoming book, The Media Savvy Leader, I wanted to share some highlights on how an executive can take charge of his or her organization’s online strategy, using the tools of Web 2.0:

• Consider your organization’s culture – What is acceptable, and what is your tolerance for risk? Any New Media program involves a sense of recognizing that you are no longer fully in control, a big challenge for many executives.

• Accept that we all are doing business in a new world – The landscape has changed. Doing business today requires a sense of transparency and new ways of engaging customers, employees, stakeholders and other important audiences.

• Adapt technology to extend your distinct needs – Business-to-business, business-to-consumers, not-for-profits, government, NGOs … customize online communications and the tools of Web 2.0 to achieve your own unique voice and brand image.

• Listen, watch and monitor what’s out there online about your organization – Recognize that what might be said about your organization on a social networking site, such as Facebook, might impact everything from recruiting new employees to brand image.

• Examine how your organization packages information – In the past, an organization might have just issued a press release. Today’s communication trends require a careful look at messages, what kind of medium can be used to enhance messages, how can the information be brought to life visually and how can online technology be used to tell a more appealing story to a broader spectrum of audiences.

• Actively practice storytelling to bring your organization’s messages and communications to life. For example, the headline of a Cisco news release reads, “Cisco Gathers Global Leaders to Explore How Technology Can Transform Approach to Environmental Concerns, Sustainable and Economic Development.” The headline by itself is captivating, positions the company as a leader and is a readymade story for the media and that can be communicated effectively via nearly any tool of Web 2.0. For this event, the company’s communications includes a Webcast, blogging, podcasts, visuals and corporate Web site support, together with the more traditional PR approaches.