Developing Web-Empowered Communications Strategies
By Terri Willard, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
May 2001
The Web is not a technical challenge to be solved, but a communications medium to be utilized. It is one element of broader communications strategies.
The organizations best positioned to take advantage of the capabilities of the Web are those that have:
- a clear mission and objectives;
- a basic communications strategy;
- staff trained in communications or journalism;
- experience with developing print publications ranging from press releases and newsletters to working papers and books;
- clearly-defined publishing procedures understood and accepted by all staff;
- clearly-defined responsibilities for planning, executing and marketing print or video products;
- clearly-defined procedures for responding to phone, fax and e-mail inquiries and requests; and
- experience with assessing the effectiveness of communication campaigns.
The skills and procedures developed through working with other communications media are transferable to Web communications. It is much easier to integrate the Web into an existing publishing culture than it is to try to develop both at the same time. Frequently, however, the creation of a Web site sparks the development of a broader communications strategy. The level of standardization and institutional rigour required by the Web may lead to the professionalization of all communications work undertaken by an organization.
Issues Index
|
