Whoa. Yikes. Those are the words you should say if you’re a communicator not included in the conversations Vahouny mentions in the article below. Or, worse yet, you could be a brand who doesn’t believe your communications team cares about all the parts of your business.
It would be a farce and a sham to run the content for a brand and not understand the data, the metrics, the reason why every line item matters. Or, similarly, it would be a shame not to be captivated by it.
This article struck me as odd, as someone who analyzes the data for our clients and the businesses we support. But, when I thought back to agencies I supported prior to Seedling, it wasn’t on my mind at all. I was on the “communications team” and either skirted through meetings without catching the hard details or I wasn’t included in the conversation. It’s been over a decade, but either way, it’s truly a world away from how we approach our client work now.
So, this is something I’d challenge my colleagues at other organizations with, and my friends at companies with outside PR teams. Are you included in these conversations? Or, are you including the right people, all the right people, so your messaging is clear and consistent and efficient? It’s worth the discussion.
Communication isn’t something pretty to throw on top your business plan, it’s an integral part of it. It’s one of the major gears propelling the wheels. Without it, eventually things will fall apart. So, keep your team tight, but informed. Make sure to include all the people who contribute to the success of your brand in the big conversations. You never know, it could be someone you haven’t been including who could offer a perspective that no one has brought up before, simply because they see things differently.