Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.” – Robin Sharma
In any organization, managing change—whether it’s a reorganization, merger, acquisition, reduction in force, or the implementation of new technology—can be challenging. These transitions often have complex, far-reaching effects that require careful planning and execution. However, matrixed organizations face an added layer of difficulty. With employees reporting to multiple managers and working across various functions, even small shifts can feel monumental.
This blog provides strategies for successfully managing change in both functional and matrixed organizations. Whether your organization follows a functional structure with a clear chain of command or operates within the complexities of a matrixed environment with cross-functional teams and multiple reporting lines, these approaches will help you effectively manage change and ensure that initiatives deliver long-term benefits.
Start with a Strategic Plan
Successful change management begins with a well-developed strategic plan. This plan should clearly outline:
- Objectives: Define the goals of the change initiative and how it aligns with the organization’s broader mission.
- Tactics: Identify the specific actions that will be taken to achieve these objectives.
- Timeline: Establish a realistic timeline for the implementation of the change, including key milestones.
- Key Stakeholders: Determine who needs to be involved, and then establish their roles in the process. This includes decision-makers, team leaders, and influencers within the organization.
- Key Performance Indicators: Set measurable indicators to track the success of the change initiative. These KPIs might include employee engagement levels, the speed of implementation, adoption rates of new processes or technology, and overall performance improvements. Regularly reviewing these metrics helps ensure the change is on track and provides opportunities to make adjustments as needed.
- Optimize: As the change initiative progresses, continuously assess and optimize the strategy. Gather feedback from stakeholders, analyze KPIs, and adjust tactics to improve outcomes. Optimization ensures that the change process remains effective, adaptable, and aligned with the organization’s evolving needs.
Secure Buy-In from Decision Makers
Once the strategic plan is in place, it’s essential to secure buy-in from key decision-makers (e.g., executives). This involves presenting the plan, explaining its benefits, and addressing concerns. Gaining their support early is crucial, as they will play a vital role in driving change and influencing others.
Leverage Influencers
Identify and leverage influencers within the organization to help spread the word and gain traction. Although decision-makers may be leveraged as influencers, influencers can also be broader and include stakeholders who aren’t key decision makers (e.g., managers). These individuals can serve as change advocates, helping to explain it to their peers, address concerns, and build support. When influencers are on board, their endorsement can boost the initiative’s success.
Maintain Open Communication
Keeping open lines of communication with stakeholders across departments helps maintain alignment and secures their influence. Engaging stakeholders early and regularly ensures that they understand the objectives, are aligned with the tactics, and are prepared to help spread the word.
Establish a Cadence of Communication
A deliberate communication cadence is essential for managing change effectively. Notifying stakeholders in a structured, top-down manner helps ensure that everyone receives the same information at the right time. Regular updates keep stakeholders informed, reduce uncertainty, and reinforce the change message.
Deploy Strategic Communications
Strategic communications should be deployed using various channels—email, meetings, intranet, etc.—while ensuring that key messages remain consistent. Using multiple channels helps reach different audiences within the organization and reinforces the change message.
Gather Feedback
Collecting feedback throughout the process is essential for understanding what’s working and identifying areas that need improvement. Regularly soliciting input from employees can help you track the effectiveness of your strategies and uncover early issues. Consider using tools such as:
- Surveys: Distribute surveys to gather feedback on how employees are adapting to the change, their concerns, and suggestions for improvement.
- Focus Groups: Organize small group discussions to dive deeper into specific issues and gather more detailed insights.
- Pulse Checks: Implement quick, frequent surveys or check-ins to monitor employee sentiment and engagement throughout the transition.
By gathering and analyzing this feedback, you can make informed adjustments to your approach, ensuring the change initiative stays on course and continues to meet the organization’s needs.
Conclusion
Successfully managing change in any organization requires a combination of strategic planning, clear communication, and continuous adaptation. By developing a detailed plan that includes objectives, KPIs, and a timeline, securing buy-in from decision-makers, and maintaining open communication with stakeholders, you lay a solid foundation for success. Leveraging influencers and gathering feedback further ensures that the change process is inclusive and responsive to the needs of the organization.
Change can be challenging. But with the right approach, it becomes an opportunity for growth and innovation. By focusing on collaboration, alignment, and continuous improvement, organizations can navigate even the most complex transitions and emerge stronger and more resilient.
A large part of a PR professional’s role is managing the review of content: press releases, pitches, plans, contributed articles, thought leadership pieces, scripts, speeches, and more. Given this, an efficient and effective review cycle is essential for ensuring that work is completed accurately and on time.
A well-structured review cycle can be the difference between a smooth workflow and a stressful scramble. Here are best practices to help manage review cycles and keep your team on track.
- Define Clear Objectives and Expectations. Before starting any review cycle, establish clear goals and expectations for the process. Consider the purpose of the review and its desired outcomes. For instance, are you looking for stakeholders to review technical details, are you looking for grammar edits, or are you more interested in style and tone? By making this clear upfront and communicating these objectives to reviewers, they will understand what they need to look for and can focus feedback accordingly.
- Set Realistic Timelines. One of the most common challenges in review cycles is managing timelines. You should consider the correct sequence for reviews and build in sufficient time to incorporate edits. Realistic deadlines allow adequate time for thorough reviews but keep the process moving forward.
- Limit the Number of Reviewers. Too many cooks in the kitchen can slow the review process and result in conflicting feedback. Each reviewer’s role should be essential to the project—subject matter experts or key decision makers. While it’s tempting to get as many perspectives as possible, limiting the number of reviewers will streamline the process and produce better feedback. At the same time, if someone’s feedback is vital to the quality of the product, make sure you engage them early and allow enough time to incorporate their feedback.
- Provide Reviewers with Clear Instructions. Every reviewer should know exactly what they are reviewing and what kind of feedback is expected. Are they reviewing for technical accuracy, overall structure, or something else? Clear instructions help prevent vague or unhelpful comments and focus feedback on what truly matters.
- Develop a System for Tracking Content. Some people use technology to track progress, but I prefer to keep things visual with colored stickies. For example, when managing 20 distinct pieces of content for one of our clients, I use a sticky note for each piece. On each note, I jot down where we are in the process, the stage of review, who has reviewed it, and what feedback still needs to be incorporated. It’s a simple but effective way to maintain a clear overview of progress at-a-glance and ensure that no details slip through the cracks.
- Establish a Feedback Loop. Once feedback has been provided, it’s important to create a feedback loop. Reviewers should be told how their feedback was implemented or, if it wasn’t, why it was not. This reinforces the importance of their contributions and ensures that any miscommunications or misunderstandings can be addressed before the final product is delivered.
- Prioritize and Triage Feedback. Not all feedback is created equal. Some suggestions may not be feasible given the objectives of the content, so it’s important to prioritize feedback. Look for feedback that aligns with the primary decision makers’ objectives. If reviewers disagree, make sure a designated decision-maker steps in to resolve the conflict.
A well-executed review cycle can significantly enhance the quality of work while also improving efficiency and reducing frustration for your team. By setting clear expectations, managing timelines, leveraging technology, and fostering open communication, you can create a streamlined review process that leads to better outcomes for everyone involved. Embrace these best practices, and you’ll find that managing review cycles becomes a far smoother and more productive endeavor.
In today’s hyper-connected world, information moves at lightning speed. A seemingly minor issue can quickly escalate into a full-blown crisis, potentially damaging a company’s reputation and bottom line. As a result, businesses are placing a greater emphasis on crisis preparedness, with public relations teams at the forefront of developing robust crisis communication plans. These plans are essential for navigating turbulent times, mitigating damage, and ultimately protecting a company’s brand.
The Importance of Crisis Preparedness
Crisis preparedness is not just about reacting to a crisis when it occurs; it’s about planning ahead. Companies that are unprepared for a crisis risk not only financial losses but also long-term reputational damage. In the age of social media, where news—both true and false—spreads rapidly, a company’s response to a crisis can have lasting implications.
PR teams play a critical role in this preparedness. They anticipate potential risks, develop strategies to address them, and ensure that the company is ready to communicate effectively under pressure. A well-prepared PR team can mean the difference between a crisis that is managed and contained, and one that spirals out of control.
Developing a Robust Crisis Communication Plan
A crisis communication plan is a detailed guide that outlines how a company will communicate during a crisis. This plan identifies key stakeholders, determines messaging strategies, assigns roles and responsibilities, and establishes protocols for internal and external communication.
Here are the essential components of an effective crisis communication plan:
- Risk Assessment and Scenario Planning: The first step is to identify potential risks that could impact the company. PR teams must work with other departments to assess these risks and develop scenarios for how they might unfold. This allows the team to create tailored response strategies for different types of crises, whether they involve product recalls, legal issues, data breaches, or public health concerns.
- Crisis Response Team: A designated crisis response team is crucial for effective crisis management. This team typically includes PR professionals, legal advisors, senior executives, and other relevant personnel. Each member of the team should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure a coordinated and timely response.
- Messaging and Communication Channels: Crafting the right message is vital during a crisis. Messaging should be clear, consistent, and honest, addressing the concerns of all stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, and the public. It’s also important to choose the appropriate communication channels. Today, this often means a combination of press releases, social media updates, emails, and direct communication with key stakeholders.
- Monitoring and Adaptation: During a crisis, the situation can change rapidly. PR teams must continuously monitor the crisis, track public sentiment, and be prepared to adapt their strategies. This includes staying on top of media coverage, social media conversations, and any developments that could impact the company.
- Post-Crisis Review and Learning: Once the crisis has been resolved, it’s essential to conduct a thorough review of the response. This involves evaluating what worked well, what could have been done better, and how the company can improve its crisis preparedness for the future. Learning from each crisis helps the organization become more resilient over time.
The Role of Transparency and Accountability
One of the most important aspects of crisis communication is transparency. In a crisis, companies must be honest and forthcoming with information, even if the news is unfavorable. Attempts to withhold information or mislead the public can exacerbate the situation and lead to a loss of trust. Transparency, combined with a willingness to take responsibility and address the issue head-on, is key to rebuilding trust and credibility.
Accountability is also crucial. Companies must not only acknowledge the crisis but also take concrete actions to resolve the issue and prevent it from happening again. This might involve issuing public apologies, compensating affected parties, or changing policies and procedures.
Crisis Preparedness Starts Now
In an era of rapid information dissemination, crisis preparedness and response are more important than ever. PR teams play a pivotal role in helping companies navigate crises by developing comprehensive communication plans, ensuring transparency, and maintaining public trust. By prioritizing crisis preparedness, companies can protect their reputation, minimize damage, and emerge stronger from challenging situations. In the modern business environment, the ability to manage a crisis effectively is not just a PR function—it’s a critical component of overall business strategy.
On LinkedIn, monitoring activity from customers, partners, and competitors is crucial to understanding your industry’s landscape and growing your network.
Companies use information from LinkedIn feeds for business development, competitor analysis, and communication strategies. Engaging with other accounts’ posts, for example, can also boost your company’s profile and enhance relationships.
In my last blog post, “How to Interact with Customer Accounts on LinkedIn for Business Growth,” I explored leveraging your business’s LinkedIn profile to increase your organization’s presence.
That post said that company pages could not follow other LinkedIn accounts. Since then, however, LinkedIn has updated its platform to allow companies to follow other business accounts as well as their employees. This blog post provides background information on this new LinkedIn feature and how to start using it.
New Company-Following Feature Overview
LinkedIn’s new feature allows businesses to monitor and engage with accounts more efficiently. After following companies via your business account, the companies you follow are then displayed under “Feed” on your business account’s toolbox on the homepage. Before, you had to manually monitor your customer and partner feeds. Now, the activity of accounts you follow are displayed in one place.
Access to this feature is limited to page admins who manage their company’s LinkedIn page. It’s important to note that you can only follow business accounts and your company’s employee accounts, not personal accounts of other LinkedIn users.
Impact on Business Engagement
The collective feed allows page admins to see content published by customers, partners, and competitors. With one feed, admins can quickly view and interact with posts, allowing for timely responses and up-to-date assessments of activity. As discussed in my previous post, engaging with customer accounts fosters lasting relationships and increases your organization’s presence.
The feed is organized into two views: “Following” and “Employee Posts.” The “Following” section shows posts from businesses your account follows, while “Employee Posts” displays what your company’s team members are posting.
Responding to employee posts promptly builds rapport and demonstrates a supportive company culture. It also makes tracking employee posts easier, ensuring no one is left out when engaging with posts.
Getting Started
Now that we’ve covered the importance and background of this new feature, let’s review how to set up and use the tool.
- Ensure Admin Access: Make sure you are an admin on your company’s LinkedIn account. If not, you won’t have access to this feature.
- Go to Your Company’s Homepage: On the left side of the homepage, you will see menu options. Click “Feed.”
- Manage Following: Select “Manage Following,” then search for and select the accounts you want to follow, such as customers, partners, competitors, and industry publications.
- View Activity: Once you follow these accounts, their activity will display under “Following” in the feed. Employee activity will automatically display under “Employee Posts.”
- Interact with Posts: Begin liking, commenting, and sharing content. To learn more about effective LinkedIn interactions, refer to my previous post.
- Adjust Following: You can follow and unfollow accounts at any time.
LinkedIn’s new company-following feature helps users enhance their business’s engagement and visibility on the platform. This more organized and streamlined way of monitoring accounts will encourage LinkedIn admins to interact more effectively with their network.
Ever feel like media relations is the art of hitting a moving target? You’re not alone. With the media landscape evolving at breakneck speed, PR professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain and build relationships with journalists. Recent mass layoffs at major publications like The Wall Street Journal have only added to the volatility.
Despite these challenges, one thing never changes: the power of a compelling story. In this blog, we’ll explore how to navigate these industry disruptions, maintain existing relationships, and build new ones—all while emphasizing the importance of storytelling.
The Current Landscape: Frequent Changes and Movements
- Increased Job Turnover. Journalists are on the move now more than ever. According to the Pew Research Center, newsroom employment has declined by 26% since 2008. Frequent turnover means that just as you’re getting to know a journalist, they might leave for a new position or even a different industry. It’s a constant game of catch-up, which makes keeping your media contact list current a challenge.
- Impact of Industry Disruption. Digital transformation, economic pressures, and the shift to online media have reshaped journalism and media. Layoffs, mergers, and closures of traditional news outlets are now the norm. One day, your go-to journalist might be reporting on tech. The next, they might be covering lifestyle or leaving journalism entirely. This shift requires PR professionals to be agile, and to adjust their outreach accordingly.
- Challenges for PR Professionals. Staying on top of these changes isn’t easy. Tracking journalist movements and maintaining an accurate contact list can feel like a full-time job. Plus, building new relationships as old ones fade away adds an extra layer of complexity to media outreach. But don’t worry—there are strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Strategies to Navigate Industry Changes
- Monitoring and Researching Journalists. To stay informed about who’s where, leverage tools like Muck Rack, Cision, and LinkedIn. These platforms can help you track journalists’ current positions and movements. Setting up Google Alerts for key contacts and industry news is another way to get real-time updates on job changes and trends. Regularly reviewing and updating your media contact list will keep your outreach relevant and effective.
- Maintaining Existing Relationships. Even with the chaos, nurturing existing relationships is key. Regular check-ins and personalized outreach go a long way. Share valuable content and insights with journalists, even when you’re not pitching a story. This could be exclusive industry reports, expert commentary, or unique story angles that align with their interests. By consistently offering value, you build a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship.
- Building New Relationships. Networking is crucial in the ever-changing media landscape. Attend industry events and conferences, both virtual and in-person, to connect with journalists and expand your contacts. Engage with journalists on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, where they often share their work and interests. Participate in Twitter chats, comment on their articles, and share their work to foster connections and stay on their radars.
The Importance of Compelling Stories
- Quality Over Quantity. At the heart of successful media relations is the story itself. No matter how strong your relationships are, a compelling story is what ultimately lands editorial coverage. Editors want stories that are relevant, timely, and interesting to readers. Understanding what resonates with the audience of each publication is crucial.
- Identifying Newsworthy Content. Crafting stories that offer unique insights, data, or perspectives sets you apart. Highlight how your client’s innovation is solving a pressing problem or share exclusive data that provides new understanding. For example, if you’re working with a cybersecurity company, you might pitch a story on how they’re safeguarding election processes against cyber threats. Here’s how you might frame it:
“With the upcoming election, concerns about election security are at an all-time high. Our company, XYZ Cybersecurity, is at the forefront of protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring the integrity of digital communications. We’ve recently partnered with several local governments to safeguard their election processes against cyber threats. Our CEO is available to discuss how businesses and governments can prepare for and mitigate cyber risks during this crucial election period.”
This works because it’s relevant, timely, and addresses a current concern. It’s also short and to the point something we know that journalists appreciate.
- Aligning Editorial Goals. Understanding the editorial focus of your target publications is key. Tailor your pitches to meet their specific needs. If a publication is focusing on sustainability, highlight your client’s efforts in this area. Aligning your story with the publication’s goals increases the chances of it getting picked up.
Embracing Change in Media Relations
Adapting to the changing media landscape requires maintaining existing relationships, building new ones, and focusing on story quality. By staying informed of industry changes, offering valuable content, and crafting compelling stories, PR professionals can navigate disruptions. Remember, a strong story will always find its place, regardless of your relationship with the journalist. Keep your pitches relevant, timely, and interesting, and you’ll always have an edge.
In the rapidly evolving world of cloud computing, BitTitan stands out as a trailblazer. Established in 2007, BitTitan specializes in providing automated cloud migration and managed services automation solutions. With its flagship product, MigrationWiz, the company empowers businesses of all sizes to seamlessly transition to the cloud, enhancing productivity and operational efficiency.
After a successful Q1, BitTitan continued to build momentum in Q2 with numerous announcements and thought leadership opportunities.
Announcements
AD Migration
In April, BitTitan launched its MigrationWiz Active Directory (AD) migration solution. The solution simplifies transferring identities and organizational unit (OU) structures between AD environments. These include user accounts, groups, and other related objects. The feature allows IT professionals to not only migrate AD objects, but to easily transition to other workload migrations such as mailboxes or shared files. This means easier migrations and greater data fidelity.
Without disruptions in work or access during the migration process, end users can now automate migrations within MigrationWiz for a continuous transition of AD data and configurations to a new or existing on-premises AD environment. This sets the stage for synchronization to Entra ID, formally known as Azure AD.
As a cost-effective solution compared to manual migration processes, the MigrationWiz AD migration tool minimizes downtime so users can access their data as soon as possible. In addition, it provides a seamless migration process that preserves data integrity while reducing the risk of errors and need for manual intervention.
Aaron Wadsworth
In June, BitTitian announced Aaron Wadsworth as its new general manager. Wadsworth joined BitTitan in 2020 as senior manager of business development. His strategic vision and operational acumen quickly propelled him to the role of director, enterprise sales – Americas region in 2022. Now as general manager, Wadsworth is poised to drive BitTitan’s mission forward.
BitTitan remains committed to empowering IT service professionals with cutting-edge tools and solutions that simplify and accelerate the migration and management of cloud services. As general manager, Wadsworth will play a pivotal role in expanding industry partnerships and increasing BitTitan’s global footprint.
Contributed Articles and Interviews
From interviews to articles, Q2 brought numerous thought leadership opportunities for the BitTitan team.
Interviews
Mark Rochester, a consultant for BitTitan, participated in a podcast interview with CloudTweaks where he discussed the company’s new AD migration features.
Working With Distributors
Senior Director of Global Channel Sales Lon Clark published three articles on the benefits of working with distributors. These articles explained how MSPs can unleash untapped potential by working with distributors, including adapting to diverse client needs and navigating market growth and consolidation.
- BetaNews, “Navigating growth: How distributors empower MSPs in today’s business landscape,” April 8, 2024
- CloudTweaks, “Fueling MSP Growth: The Power Of Distributor Collaboration,” April 8, 2024
- VMblog, “Unleashing MSP Potential: The Impact of Distributors on Growth and Efficiency,” April 9, 2024
AD Migrations During M&As
Finally, Shane Daugherty, a technical services specialist team manager, wrote about the importance of AD migrations during mergers and acquisitions. In these articles, he highlighted why AD migrations must be front and center, not only because of their importance to business functions but also because of the inherent complexity involved in such migrations.
- CloudTweaks, “Navigating M&A Waters: The Core Role Of Active Directory Migrations,” April 12, 2024
- Network Computing, “How to Streamline Your M&A Process with Active Directory Migration,” May 2, 2024
Looking Ahead
With a successful Q2 behind them, BitTitan is poised for continued growth and innovation. The company remains committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower IT professionals and organizations to thrive in the cloud era. As businesses navigate the complexities of digital transformation, BitTitan’s expertise and robust product offerings will help shape the future of IT services.