August 2018 - PressMatrix

Association communication – no room for boredom

As far as communication goes, clubs and associations often find themselves in a zone of diverging interests. The communication tasks range from representing member interests, through advertising for new members, to providing important information for decision makers in politics, business and society. Last but not least, there must also be attractive ad space to attract partners and pay tribute to sponsors. This balancing act must be overcome at the content level and in the format. A task that poses problems for many clubs. Why so?

Solving association communication digitally

DThe large part of association publications consists of association regulations, programs, charters, press releases, information leaflets as well as news and reactions to current events. Much of this has to be published on a regular basis for reasons of transparency.
The material can be published on ones own website or even in an app which the Bundesverband Deutscher Vereine (the umbrella association of German associations) wishes to see more frequently incorporated into association work as part of their digital transformation project.

>> “So too the bdvv. where transformation projects are currently underway. It’s now possible to simply apply for and acquire association membership online. A further step is the development of an internal community management in the direction of legally compliant and powerful applications that bypass social media and their messenger systems as well as the countless download options of association charters, forms, etc.“ <<

Source: bdvv, translated into Englisch

Contrary to how the Bundesverband present it, qualitative apps do not necessarily require a high level of investment – and with a good solution, the additional outlay and effort is easily manageable.
App solutions now offer opportunities to publish current news and statements directly, separately from the periodicals, in its own newsfeed. So members can be individually targeted and quickly reached.

In order to reach decision-makers from politics and business as well as to build up a community, cross-media publication and the use of social media is advisable.
Why the Bundesverband does not want to use social media for community management remains unclear.

Association communication bypassing social media?

This requirement is confusing – especially when it comes to advertising for new members, stimulating interest in ones own work, and promoting the exchange of ideas with those outside the association including opponents. Where else but on Facebook, Twitter and Co. can countless people access new content, process it mentally, and exchange views?

In order to successfully use the relevant channels for communication, it is first necessary to understand which addressees can be reached where, and how they interact on the specific channels.

Open for new formats

A spider-web tactic works well to create multi-faceted and targeted association communication. Different threads of content, which are connected but not identical, are scattered in different channels – according to the addressee profile – and ultimately lead centrally to ones own website, where more in-depth information and services are offered.

On social media, one can gain a sense of current topics and moods: What are the current concerns of my target group? What are they discussing, and what content and information can I give them to help them out and create more clarity? Background information in short, crisp formats is required and insights into the associations’ daily work. Using various targeting settings, posts can also be sent to specific target groups and interested parties.

With video, moving images, photos and live streams, a broad facet of the association’s work can be displayed very well. Here transparency – but also the ability to attract and hold attention – is primary. Suitable channels are YouTube and Instagram – which also appeal to a younger membership.

Messenger and forums invite you to talk about problems and questions and to establish a direct connection to the members in the form of a consultation. To keep the task manageable, such messenger services can also be restricted to members.

And then there is audio. A channel that is again on everyone’s lips and in terms of language assistants and increasingly hands-free usage certainly has bright prospects for the future.
This may sound costly and time-consuming, but many things can be tested and optimized gradually to find the right mix for your own association.

Conclusion: Learning by doing

The bdvv speaks of a central solution for several associations – this support can provide backing and momentum. But clubs can also do a lot for themselves. Our tip: simply try out a few things! Sort out your content. How do your addressees access their information and where are they to be found? Are there any influencers you can team up with? Such information coupled with your own experience opens up new digital communication opportunites.

Best practice example from the associations Info-day.

The SoVD association’s communication is a good example of creativity and the courage to try out something new.

Pressmatrix speaks with Veronica Sina from SoVD about the digital communication in associations. Find out more:

When: 25. September | 15:30 Uhr Where: Berlin, Humboldt Carré

Employee magazines: “mittendrin” for the employees

The ABC of employee magazines is not circulation, but commitment. Such magazines not only serve to inform employees, but also to give them a voice and a platform to exchange ideas with one another. That’s why it is also important to include employees in the production and let them have their say in the magazine, especially if they are spatially separated in individual branches.

With “meine bankpost [my bankpost]” magazine, Felix Winnands, Project Manager of Internal Communication and Events, sets out to strengthen the sense of community within the company, skillfully presenting the different branch locations in individual features – and preferably with videos.

PressMatrix: To start off can you briefly introduce us to the magazine “meine bankpost”?

Felix Winnands: “meine bankpost” is Postbank’s classic employee magazine. In principle we reach all Postbank employees via the print medium: from the head office through the administrative and back office units – e.g. account management – to IT. Above all – and this is essential – we reach each of the approximately 1000 branches in Germany and the approximately 600 consulting centres. The magazine is sent directly to each one.

PMX: That’s a pretty broad audience. What concept and strategy do you follow in order to appeal to everyone?

FW: The concept that we have defined can be summed up with a catchphrase, mittendrin – in the middle of it all. In other words, the employee is center stage and we try to tell stories concerning everyday business at the company. We closely follow the corporate strategy as well as the employees’ experiences. The magazine does not tell stories about how the banking industry is doing overall. Instead, we tell you what is happening at Postbank and what the next strategical steps for Postbank are.

In this, the diverse target audience is in fact somewhat problematic, since we don’t have a separate magazine for the management level. In each issue there must therefore be topics for everyone – from the board to the employee at the counter.

PMX: That sounds like quite a balancing act. Does it work in practice?

FW: Of course! (laughs) Since the relaunch of the magazine in 2016, we have been focusing more on the concept of being mittendrin and on employee stories. This has led to a greater acceptance of the magazine on all levels and also to a greater awareness of it. I think we manage to hit the right balance.

As an employee magazine, we are also competing with the many offers that the employee uses privately. So it’s important to stay on a par with other media and technical developments.

PMX: Was there a concrete reason for the relaunch of the magazine? And what changes came with this relaunch?

FW: In 2016 the “bankpost” became “meine bankpost” in order to emphasize our own brand. This was mainly due to internal developments. But the magazine itself has been around for 27 years now, in which time it has undergone an incredible transformation.
It has evolved from the first issues in newspaper format through various layout levels to the present-day magazine format, which I think is very much in keeping with the times.

PMX: How is the content of the magazine put together? Is there an independent editor or do the employees themselves write for the magazine?

FW: We have an editorial staff who write high quality journalistic articles and we work with photographers who provide authentic and professional photos.
At the same time, employees also have their say in the magazine. For example, if a topic has been suggested by a senior manager, we ask them or a member of their staff to make a comment for the article. Of course, we also make use of the entire journalistic pallet from employee and departmental portraits through interviews with members of the managing board and executives to project reports and best practice solutions – basically any theme that is relevant to Postbank is relevant to us.

Occasionally we also try out something off the beaten track and present a topic as a photo story, like a kind of “Bravo photo story”. We’ve observed from the reactions that people are sometimes briefly irritated, but ultimately there’s an increased awareness of the topic.

Employee magazines convince with individual layouts

The magazine “meine bankpost” has been an integral part of Postbank’s corporate and employee communication for 27 years, helping to connect employees at all levels of the hierarchy and from all branches across Germany.
Since 2016, it has also been available in-house in the PressMatrix app for all iOS and Android devices and in the browserclient.

PMX: If the topics are proposed directly by staff members, you must have an avid readership.

FW: It’s a two-way process. There are the topics that we propose and then on the other hand employees and senior managers also want to present their projects and products. This can be the stimulus for a longer feature, where we accompany such projects across a series of several articles. It’s quite typical actually. For instance we are currently compiling regional portraits of our six sales regions.

PMX: In addition to the print edition, you also offer the magazine “meine bankpost” digitally. What was the reason for taking this step?

FW: As an employee magazine, we are also competing with the many offers that the employee uses privately. So it’s important to stay on a par with other media and technical developments. If we don’t wish to fall by the wayside, our internal communication cannot ignore the digital transformation in modern communication.

The app version of the “bankpost” is a small step along this path. So we offer employees in remote areas or who are on the go a lot the opportunity to read the magazine on their private mobile phone. “My bankpost” is always available earlier in the app version than the printed one. The clear principle behind this is that we always want to appear in digital form first – as is customary with Kiosk magazines.

PMX: What do employees think about the magazine and the app?

FW: The app is perceived as an additional offer because we continue to distribute the magazine in print. We have received very positive feedback on the app and can also see its acceptance in the concrete number of users. At the beginning, in particular, we experienced a very high growth rate in the double-digit range of about 10 to 15 percent. And the inquiries that come in show that there is definitely an interest and a need. We’ve also received good reviews and comments in the Google Play Store.

PMX: Does the app offer further advantages, for example compared to the in-house intranet?

FW: We consciously produce additional material for each issue so that there is an incentive to use the app. An example is the picture galleries, for which we use existing material from our shootings.
In addition, we produce videos for the app – always between two and four per issue – which are then sometimes informative and sometimes simply reflect the personal lives of the employees in their working environment. At the moment, the app is the most convenient way for us to bring videos to our employees. It also means that even if we have reports in the intranet with accompanying videos, we also occasionally refer to a video in the app.

PMX: What’s your experience – do employee magazines have a positive effect on the working atmosphere and strengthen the sense of community in the company?

FW: I believe that employee magazines still have an important role in internal communication – despite all the digitalization. They go some way to creating a community identity. Of course, it depends heavily on the editorial concept.
We tell stories in our magazine and don’t produce news reports. We present employees personally. And that, of course, creates a feeling of togetherness – of belonging to a community. Especially for those organized in a branch structure with in some cases only a few employees in one specific place, it is important that along with providing an information source we convey the feeling of community and show how all the units contribute to the big picture.
An employee newspaper can still help produce and maintain this bond to the company today.

Short Felix Winnand resumé:

For more than six years Felix Winnands has been responsible for the Postbank employee magazine “meine bankpost”. Following positions at Bayer, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutscher Bahn and the agency Medienfabrik (now “Territory”), he is now project manager for internal communication at Postbank. In addition to the printed magazine, he also takes care of the “bankpost” app” and is working on the introduction of a new employee app.
Postbank is a leading bank for private, business and corporate customers with over 20,000 employees and around 1,000 branches throughout Germany. Postbank is part of Deutsche Bank’s private and corporate banking business.

How you can offer your employee magazine as an app, find out here.

Snackable Content

The demands and needs for content, information and the formats we daily consume are continually changing with our mood and the situation or time. While we’re on the go, it isn’t unusual to while away time in social media or to search for the solution to a problem before examining it in more depth at home or work. These moments should be used – with snackable content for example.

What content is needed when?

The following scenario: You want to upskill for your job and gain some knowledge in a specific area. Nowadays you have recourse to long-distance universities offering a fixed curriculum, or you can acquire the knowledge yourself with a textbook or tutorial videos on YouTube, presentations on slideshares, contributions to Wikis and so on. There are an incredible number of opportunities for content providers and enterprises to showcase their content and ultimately attract customers and strengthen the brand.

Content can include e.g. tutorials, how-to videos, navigation aids, definitions and product ratings. The wide variety of content should be reflected in the format: videos, short texts, audio, graphics and analysis as pictures, presentations or even stories on social channels – everywhere the customer seeks it, they should find your content in suitable formats for the various devices that access it.

The format can determine whether the content is accessed

The classic magazine concept with content compiled according to topic is often inadequate and not ideal for everyday use, because it doesn’t offer content in formats that match a flexible range of usage contexts. A newspaper is unwieldy in a rush hour train journey; long title reports deserve more attention than they get under time pressure; long text explanations are not helpful when you are looking for quick advice on what step to take next. And articles that are always blocked by advertising banners are simply annoying.

Instead you should prepare content in a variety of versions and lengths, such as introductions, theories, a topic overview in a series of individual videos or a comprehensive report or documentary. Users like having the option to check out short formats and overviews. If they like the content, they will investigate the more detailed variants when the time is right.

Snackable content in the app …

Many magazine customers offer their readers individual articles to attract new subscribers and keep existing ones. The readers profit from the magazine’s high quality info compiled by the editors and all found within one single app, but they are also frequently supplied with new sources of inspiration.

Examples of magazines with their own news apps are Tanzschritt magazine, Fit for Fun magazine or magazines from the service sector such as Blaulicht, , a fire department magazine, or the magazine of the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg. All offer short reports in text and video formats, often with a maximum reading time of five minutes.
Reference is also made to further content to be found on the company’s own website, increasing the reach of this and drawing attention to attractive content space for advertisers.

The strategy is often simple, but effective. The content is offered free of charge to arouse interest and create a basis of trust, whether it be for one’s own content or for the company itself.

… and social media

Instant Articles have been an integral part of publisher and corporate content-strategies for a while now. Immediately available content, in part displayed randomly and in part according to the consumer’s usage habits, offers users a little variety in everyday life and is fun. Here, too, content is welcome that does not exceed a reading or consuming time of five minutes. The point is to arouse the customer’s intial interest in a topic or to position a brand name.

Corresponding content works well to interact with the community. Comments, likes and shares reflect the interests of the readers and are thus good indicators when developing new topics.

Serving new consumption habits

Snackable content, ie content prepared in an entertaining, situation-dependent form, corresponds to the consumer habits of today’s readers, who want to use short time windows effectively in order to make progress with something or just to relax and discover something new.
Keep these formats in mind when planning your future content, because content can often double over as a snack.

This could also be interesting: Mirco moments – efficiently using the moment of decision.