There is a pundit prediction about US business that turns my stomach. We’ve all heard it by now, but, like global warming, it is better to just pretend it won’t impact us.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2010 this nation will face a potential labor shortage of more than 10 million skilled workers. How can that be? Thousands of IT, programming and customer services jobs have fled offshore to cities in India, China, Romania and Ukraine. American companies like Ford and United Airlines cannot seem to shed employees fast enough.
There are a couple of market factors at play. For starters, the pending retirement of millions of baby boomers will impact the overall size of the labor force. Then there is the crackdown on H1B Visas by the US government in our post 9/11 world.
The real culprit is a dramatic sea change in the types of skills that will be in high demand. Positions of commodity – those that can be accomplished at an acceptable level for the lowest possible cost – are forever gone from our shores.
Spare me the warm and fuzzy belief that US companies are committed to maintaining jobs in country. Corporate executives are measured on sales, profitability and valuation. If a 20-year-old Sri Lankan can do the job at a fraction of the cost, that’s where it is going.
The story is different for professions that require customer intimacy and deep market knowledge. Strategic planning, sales and business development, financial growth strategies and marketing…these are value jobs. And in a talent-light environment there is going to be quite a battle to recruit and retain high performers.
Public relations should be an integral part of your company’s HR strategy. Trust, credibility and awareness – the product of effective PR – have as much of a positive impact on existing and prospective employees as on a sales lead.
Here are a few ways Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) is helping its clients find, hire and keep high performers:
1. Define a value proposition for your employees. Is it the opportunity to work with cutting edge technologies? Build a market leader? Travel internationally? Have job security?
2. Incorporate this value proposition into the corporate messaging platform. A basic tenet of high powered public relations is consistent delivery of message over time. Get your corporate executives to talk about the value of employees whenever possible.
3. Make your senior HR executive a star. Many influential business and trade publications have “Careers” sections. Position your HR head as a thought leader to comment on industry trends.
4. Promote your corporate culture through awards programs for third-***** validation. The folks at systems integrator SRA International are appropriately boastful about their seven year run on Fortune’s “Best Companies to Work For” list.
At Strategic, we have a commitment to do everything possible to bring on board the highest quality PR professionals. Our business model is a different than most other PR firms so we don’t burn our staff out. And we have made infrastructure investments to provide our team with flexibility and work/life balance.
February 9, 2006, 4:52 pm
PR & Pending Labor Shortage
Posted by jeffM
Comments (0)
Send this
January 3, 2006, 3:22 pm
Hyped about Blogging
I am a year in to blogging and I can confirm one thing for you: the hype about it being over hyped is definitely legit.
Blogs will not transform the business world. They will not change how people find information about products and services. And they won’t dramatically sway how people form opinions and make buy decisions. In public relations and marketing, the business and trade media along with industry analysts are still where it’s at. They are the high impact market influencers. They are the ones who can propel a company’s visibility and credibility.
However, in no way am I prepared to brand blogging a big waste of time. On the contrary, there is value to be found in the blogosphere as long as your expectations are modest.
Here are a couple of the lessons learned we have picked up at Strategic since we formally introduced our blog practice this time last year:
1. Monitor the blogosphere on a weekly basis. Search engines like Technorati give you a good snapshot of the chatter and can also keep you in the know if anyone is writing about your company. At Strategic, we also have a list of must-read industry and technical blogs that a staffer reviews each week and distributes content of relevance to our senior staff.
2. Post comments as a means of increasing executive visibility. As a professional services firm, our strength is the quality of our executives. To validate their industry expertise, our vice presidents consistently share their views via blog comments. IIt lacks the impact of the media, but results can be produced more rapidly.
3. If you are going to blog, clearly define a mission and purpose. I quickly realized I did not have a lot of time to devote to the “Strategic Guy” blog. As such, I use it as a vehicle to promote Strategic’s thought leadership, rather than to provide daily comment on industry news or trends.
4. Merchandise your blogging as actionable sales content. This is a must-do for all public relations activities. Provide access to your blog(s) from the corporate Web site. Ask your sales team to forward blog comments to customers and prospects. I speak from experience on the value this can deliver. The “Strategic Guy” blog helped me land a position as the technology columnist for SmartCEO magazine.
Blogs will not transform the business world. They will not change how people find information about products and services. And they won’t dramatically sway how people form opinions and make buy decisions. In public relations and marketing, the business and trade media along with industry analysts are still where it’s at. They are the high impact market influencers. They are the ones who can propel a company’s visibility and credibility.
However, in no way am I prepared to brand blogging a big waste of time. On the contrary, there is value to be found in the blogosphere as long as your expectations are modest.
Here are a couple of the lessons learned we have picked up at Strategic since we formally introduced our blog practice this time last year:
1. Monitor the blogosphere on a weekly basis. Search engines like Technorati give you a good snapshot of the chatter and can also keep you in the know if anyone is writing about your company. At Strategic, we also have a list of must-read industry and technical blogs that a staffer reviews each week and distributes content of relevance to our senior staff.
2. Post comments as a means of increasing executive visibility. As a professional services firm, our strength is the quality of our executives. To validate their industry expertise, our vice presidents consistently share their views via blog comments. IIt lacks the impact of the media, but results can be produced more rapidly.
3. If you are going to blog, clearly define a mission and purpose. I quickly realized I did not have a lot of time to devote to the “Strategic Guy” blog. As such, I use it as a vehicle to promote Strategic’s thought leadership, rather than to provide daily comment on industry news or trends.
4. Merchandise your blogging as actionable sales content. This is a must-do for all public relations activities. Provide access to your blog(s) from the corporate Web site. Ask your sales team to forward blog comments to customers and prospects. I speak from experience on the value this can deliver. The “Strategic Guy” blog helped me land a position as the technology columnist for SmartCEO magazine.
Posted by jeffM
Comments (0)
Send this
November 7, 2005, 4:34 pm
Changing Markets and a NYC Burial
If you plan on dying in New York City you better pack a bag. Cemeteries have filled up and the precious few remaining lots are priced out of reach for most. New Yorkers headed for the great beyond now must literally make a trip across the river to New Jersey.
The situation is just as dire for the cemetery operators because they make their money from lot sales and burial fees. Once the no vacancy sign goes up the revenue dries, but the cost to maintain the grounds remains.
One entrepreneurial cemetery in Brooklyn has taken to hosting concerts, lectures and history tours to generate revenue. Their president/CEO told National Public Radio the goal is to reposition the cemetery as a tourist destination – a combination park, museum and sculpture garden.
Changing market conditions force companies to adapt, regardless of the industry. On November 1st Microsoft introduced hosted Web service offerings called Windows Live and Office Live in an effort to stay in step with a market embracing the “software as a service” model.
Bill Gates candidly explained to John Markoff of the New York Times, “Every five years or so we look at our strategy and make these big bets.”
Assessing the impact of a changing market environment is typically the domain of C-level executives. But, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be. Corporate communications, marketing, PR, sales and channel pros are on the front lines. We are intimately involved with customers, prospects, partners, investors, analysts and media. We often see the warnings of a new competitor, a disruptive technology or evolving customer preferences.
Let’s act on that market insight. At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we make it a practice of constantly evaluating our clients’ industry, their competitors and the trends shaping customer buy decisions. It’s a big part of our context-based approach to public relations and business development.
By aligning PR/communications, sales and channel development with corporate strategy (rather than merely execution of the growth plan), we position ourselves as mission-critical to the long-term success of the business. And that will keep us from making that trip across the river when budgets get tight.
The situation is just as dire for the cemetery operators because they make their money from lot sales and burial fees. Once the no vacancy sign goes up the revenue dries, but the cost to maintain the grounds remains.
One entrepreneurial cemetery in Brooklyn has taken to hosting concerts, lectures and history tours to generate revenue. Their president/CEO told National Public Radio the goal is to reposition the cemetery as a tourist destination – a combination park, museum and sculpture garden.
Changing market conditions force companies to adapt, regardless of the industry. On November 1st Microsoft introduced hosted Web service offerings called Windows Live and Office Live in an effort to stay in step with a market embracing the “software as a service” model.
Bill Gates candidly explained to John Markoff of the New York Times, “Every five years or so we look at our strategy and make these big bets.”
Assessing the impact of a changing market environment is typically the domain of C-level executives. But, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be. Corporate communications, marketing, PR, sales and channel pros are on the front lines. We are intimately involved with customers, prospects, partners, investors, analysts and media. We often see the warnings of a new competitor, a disruptive technology or evolving customer preferences.
Let’s act on that market insight. At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we make it a practice of constantly evaluating our clients’ industry, their competitors and the trends shaping customer buy decisions. It’s a big part of our context-based approach to public relations and business development.
By aligning PR/communications, sales and channel development with corporate strategy (rather than merely execution of the growth plan), we position ourselves as mission-critical to the long-term success of the business. And that will keep us from making that trip across the river when budgets get tight.
