The world of online advertising is changing at a rapid pace it seems these days. Technology to do so is also growing.
Today, marketers can even use geolocation technology
to strategically place ads to consumers based on their location. Some of the
highest performing ads on social media are
taking advantage of geolocation to reach their audiences.
Marketers may also use what is known as “gorilla marketing,”
which is a strategy designed to connect directly with the customers and ideally
have a lasting impression on them.
But what about in the military as communicators in the
realm of public affairs? Are we in marketing? Are we in sales? Do we need to worry
about reaching quotas and marketing in general?
The answer is mainly no.
Military communicators are not here to make anyone buy
anything. Our chief goal is to inform the internal and external audiences of the
military. When we inform our audiences, we do so in a timely manner with maximum
disclosure, minimum delay (that is a saying you will hear a lot should you join
the military to become a communicator!).
The Department of Defense, which is considered your
internal audience, has their own guidelines on social media
that you must abide by while serving as a military communicator. Because of this,
your goal is to not intentionally sell any products or services to either your internal
audience or your external audience.
Instead, we are communicators that simply release information
to our audiences, and we use social media as a tool to do so.
However, you may find yourself in a headquarters
position as a military communicator with the goal of recruiting new service
members. With a grim
outlook on military recruitment these days, every branch is exuding major efforts
to ramp up the recruitment numbers so each branch can be properly staffed in
order to augment their mission readiness.
Should you find yourself in one of these marketing-like
roles with recruitment offices in the military, you will be developing messages
that “sell” your branch. How do you achieve this? Public affairs specialists
craft imagery or write stories or shoot video that display the fun and exciting
sides of the job. Its that simple.
Social media is your friend when looking at messaging
for military recruitment. If you have ever checked out a military recruitment
social media page for a branch of service (such as GoArmy on Instagram), you will see
how they produce content that highlights fun and exciting elements of joining
that branch. They even advertise major recruitment bonuses when members sign up.
That is something right there that stands out and will likely garner clicks and
eyes on the content.
But recruitment is just one facet of military
communications and public affairs; it may also be the only area of the job that
is the most marketing-like.
Message development is crucial for other facets of the
job, such as if you end up being assigned to a public affairs office. While some
military communicators hold niche roles like photographers or graphic
designers, others work in public affairs.
Should you find yourself working in public affairs,
you will be exposed to message development on a regular basis.
Message development in a military public affairs unit
will require an effective response, which may sometimes start with a press
release or media advisory.
A press release is designed to build credibility with
the public and the news media. It is our responsibility as military communicators
to release the information to the public with minimum delay. We are also trying
to satisfy mass appeal by releasing a press release. If there is a crisis happening
involving your branch of service, the readers will be interested, and they will
want to know what happened.
Media advisories are designed to attract media to
attend an event. They will contain an SEO headline, a 25 to 30-word introduction,
and a conclusion. Additionally, they will include a who, what, when, where, and
why.
An effective response informs and helps educate the
public. This education aids in understanding and support for who you are as a
branch and what you do. You also need to provide a theme in your messaging. A
theme is a unifying idea or intention that supports the narrative. Examples in
the military include core values, responsibility, defenses, or any of the
missions that make up a unit or installation’s purpose. In an accident or incident,
themes typically include safety, accountability, justice, or dedication.
We have touched on command message in this blog
several times, and we have to touch on it again when talking about message
development. A command message is one sentence that succinctly captures a key
point that your unit or entire branch wants to convey. The command message is
also directly tied to a theme. An effective command message represents the
views of an organization. A message should fall within the parameters of being
memorable, short, relevant, and positive.
When developing an effective response, you need to determine
what is newsworthy. You must keep the essentials of news in mind when crafting a
message. Tying the message into an element of news makes it more likely to be
used in the media’s products.
The command message you present to the public must also
be understandable. An effective command message has to be understood by the
intended audience and tailored to your audience. It also must be relevant just
like any news article has to be. Command messages should be immediately usable.
As military communicators, you may also have to create
briefing cards. These briefing cards are given to the subject matter expert
from your unit, which typically will be a higher-up officer (in some cases a higher-up
enlisted member). Regardless, the briefing cards are prepared in case public
communication is required. The cards include a background information, an end
state message, a public statement, the theme, and command messages.
Public statements are a short opening statement that summarizes
key releasable information. They provide the organization’s position on a
subject. Public statements also identify who, what, when, where, why, and how. They
incorporate theme, messages, and talking points into a short and conversational
narrative.
As you can tell by now, military communications are
far more political than sales-like. Once you can grasp these ideas behind
crafting military messages, you will be able to effectively reach both your
internal and external audiences.
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