One way to gauge the impact of your corporate messages is to analyze the vehicles you use to get them out - the Internet, internal newsletters, annual reports and the like. Unfortunately, some companies and organizations (we won't name names) get stuck in overdrive and develop materials that are more superfluous than they are informative.
In marketing, examining the necessity of your message is referred to as "testing for redundancy," says consultant Toba Cohen, president of CB Communications, Chicago. Cohen gave workshop at the 19th Annual Medical Communications and Health Reporting Conference in Washington, D.C. last week tips on how to separate the communications chaff from the wheat.
To decide whether you're developing overlapping communications materials in various areas of your organization, answer these questions:
- What communication projects and products do you currently create in the Department of Communication?
- Which of these would stand a test of redundancy? Should you still be doing each as a stand-alone product or effort?
- What communication goes out to target audiences from other areas of your organization?
- Which of these would stand a test of redundancy?
- Do outside vendors have access to your target audience lists?
- Do you test their communications materials?
Once you've done your audit, look at how many staffers work on the various materials/publications. Determine how much you are spending. Identify the graphic/design needs of each vehicle. Know who's receiving the information. Chart how long it takes to get the project out of the door. Identify where there is message overlap.
"Do you have a clear idea of what is going out from your department to various audiences?," added Cohen. "Do you know what is going out from other areas of the organization? Do outsiders have access to any of your target audiences? To your audiences, anything that comes from [you] is an item of communication."
(Cohen, 773/373-8150)