‘Putting order’ in the communication of organizations
Lately, there are many customers and potentials who call us because they ‘need to put order’ in the communication of their organizations. But what exactly does it mean to put “order”? Is it to be organized, efficient and consistent? Or rather eliminate all that is unnecessary?
If anyone knows about order, it is the guru Marie Kondo. So, assuming that each organization has a different reality and needs, and as if we were the Kondo of the organizations, we have adapted her methods to the business environment:
ORDER DEPENDS ON OUR PURPOSE
The order, Kondo says, depends on the personal values and the type of life one wants to lead. The same goes for organizations. The purpose and values of the company help us determine what is important and what is not. It only makes sense to maintain what contributes to achieving our corporate purpose; the rest is expendable. Moreover, we must eliminate unnecessary information because it creates chaos and confusion about what we want to be. If our company is dedicated to making children’s products, does it make sense for your cause to be about older people? Or that a food brand is involved in a mobility project? All causes are good, but are they related to who we are and our purpose? The order in the organization could create COHERENCE.
DELETE TO AVOID THE BOUNCE EFFECT
Marie Kondo calls that false sense of order that comes from when we’re dedicated to putting everything unnecessary into boxes and cupboards the ‘bounce effect’. They’re hidden, but they’re still there. Hence the first step should be to get rid of them, since ‘accumulating’ does not contribute to order. Let’s take an example in the area of communication: social networks and internal communication channels. Is it really necessary to have a corporate profile on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, plus an intranet, a monthly newsletter, a weekly email alert, and a corporate app? Many organizations create profiles on these social networks because ‘we have to’ or because ‘if you’re not present, you’re dead’.
Really? Does it make sense to be on Instagram when our product targets a larger audience? Are we able to generate interesting content for all channels? Have we analyzed how many times you can deliver the same topic without actually saying anything new? Saturation conveys chaos and disinterest. At this point, the slogan should be “better little, but relevant”.
ORGANIZE BY CATEGORIES, NOT LOCATIONS
Or in the case of organizations, we would say… not by department. It’s important to see which ALL tools and channels your organization uses to convey your messages and engage with strategic audiences. It doesn’t matter if that channel is managed by HR, Marketing or Communication, because what you are looking for is to avoid excess information. Let’s make a list of all the tools we have in place, discuss which public areas we’re targeting and if they make sense. And, above all, we measure the results to see if they are actually effective.
DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
In the personal and domestic field, we must ask ourselves whether each of the elements we store makes us happy. In the environment of organizations, the question that we ask ourselves would be “Are you proud?” The people who call us to put order into their communication are also ‘victims’ of the over information that causes chaos. Their perception, the feeling generated by the different tools (little interest, repetition, saturation, indifference…) is probably the feeling that is generated by the rest of the audience. Hence it is important not to make the mistake of communicating unnecessary information but to generate content that may have a real interest.
You could write a book with specific examples and statistics. But if one thing we have learned throughout our experience, and even at the risk of seeming like a no-brainer, it is that consistency and relevance are the criteria that should guide this longed-for order in the communication of organizations.
