3 Ways to Promote Organizational Shift from Adversarial to Dialogic Strategy in Digital Communications

 

3 Ways to Promote Organizational Shift

from Adversarial to Dialogic Strategy in Digital Communications

 

Organizational communications strategy is often characterized by control – an organization’s ability to control the narrative of how the audience views a company, its people, its products or services, its community, its brands. But recently, with the marketing power that social media has facilitated for organizations and businesses, a need for a different approach and way of thinking has become a new requirement to engage internal and external audiences while increasing and maintaining stakeholder support. This new strategy is called dialogic communications.

 

Social interaction is seen by organizations as a cultural phenomenon, as if to say, we – the organization – already know what you want, to the consumer audience. This is because there is a lack of academic knowledge on how engagement on social media jump started a change in the future of corporate communications by phasing out the importance of adversarial communications. Organizations may complain about challenges in adjusting to the change, but it seems as though the discussion of challenges outlines its own solutions:

 

1.     Dialogic communications strategy requires total stakeholder approach, meaning engagement.

Companies and organizations obviously believe in the importance and power of using social media to connect with target audiences. It’s important not to discount the voice of the people. Ask for their feedback. Address their issues. Answer their questions.

2.     Consistency is key.

Someone should have the responsibility of coordinating consistent social media interaction with the audiences. No one wants to follow a dead page. Actually, your dead social media page is more likely to run off your target audience and gives competitors an advantage if you can’t maintain the audience’s attention with engaging content.

 

3.     Promote buy-in across the board.

A dialogic communications business strategy can only be successful if there is an organization-wide commitment from the C-Suite down to the after-hours custodial staff. If the employees don’t believe in and utilize the long-term goal, how can you expect the external audiences to seriously consider it?

 

If a company or organization is able to adjust underlying management styles and communications climate, while also seeking to fill the knowledge gap on how to implement and manage dialogic communications practices in the current digital age, it will be unstoppable. The bottom line is successful companies adopt an integrated communications strategy. This means the strategy is an interconnected system in which stakeholder support is gained, promoting long-term success through the merging of internal marketing, corporate identity and corporate image.