Military communications: maximum disclosure, minimum delay

This will be the last blog post for a while, and before I step away for some time, I just wanted to reiterate one of the most important things you will hear as a military communicator: maximum disclosure, minimum delay.

Unlike marketers in the civilian world, military communicators in public affairs don’t worry about profits or increasing sales. We care about sharing pertinent information to our internal and external audience in a timely fashion.

Who is our internal audience? The internal audience you will be reporting to is the military community and Department of Defense civilian employees. You should also consider the families of service members when looking to create content for the internal audience.

The external audience you will be concerned with are civilians, or non-military citizens. Both target audiences are important in their own ways, but the content you are creating and the message behind that content will determine which one is your target audience.

Because the American people are taxpayers and fund the military, it is our duty as military communicators to report timely and accurate information to the public. This means you could find yourself writing an urgent press release or posting photographs on social media from the scene of an event.

Regardless, public affairs in the military are all about adventure and telling stories. You have the unique ability to be a fly on the wall for various different missions in your respective branch of service.

So, enjoy it, and share the stories you are able to tell.