What Great Communications Professionals Know

Earlier this month, LinkedIn hosted its first-ever CommsConnect. More than 175 senior communications professionals from across the U.S and Canada joined our inaugural event in San Francisco to discuss trends, learn how to create a strong internal and external communications strategy through LinkedIn, and hear from industry influencers like Katie Couric, Suzy Welch, Sallie Krawcheck, and Adam Lashinsky.

The best part for me was how the energy level and high-quality conversations went beyond even my high expectations. CommsConnect turned into a reunion of sorts and a high-level meeting of the minds with thought-provoking -- and at times brutally honest conversations (both at the event and in social media) -- about the critical issues facing our ever-changing communications landscape.

Below are my key takeways from the event for those seeking to shape a strong communications strategy today:

• “Authenticity is key” - Betty Liu, Anchor of "In the Loop" at Bloomberg Television. Authenticity was front and center in almost every panel. Lack of authenticity is why some CEOs don’t do well in interviews and why some branded content is perceived as propaganda. A good interviewee or piece of content should be authentic and have something to say - not something to sell.
  
  
  
• "Your brand is the story your employees tell" - Dan Roth, Executive Editor, LinkedIn. Today, what your employees choose to share online — industry knowledge, skills, group participation — is a big part of your company's brand story. They are valuable influencers, and leveraging them is the best way to build your talent brand and recruit better candidates.

• “Telling people what to share on social media is a mistake. Make suggestions and give guardrails” - Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn. As hard as we try not to, communications professionals must resist the urge to control the message in the digital era. The name of the game today is to help guide employees and make them shine online. Do this by providing clear guidelines and encouragement.

• “The best communications people have the ear of executives and the CEO” - Betty Liu, Jeff Weiner and others. A strong corporate brand needs to be built within the fabric of the company, the products and the employees -- and it starts at the executive level. Top communications professionals are plugged into the executive inner circle and readily available to deliver on requests.

• "Too much information and not enough understanding” - Katie Couric, Global News Anchor, Yahoo! News. Couric shared that she also feels overwhelmed by the high quantity and low quality of media today, especially on television. She now hosts short news programs on Yahoo! where she is given creative space to tell in-depth stories to a higher quality online audience.

• Branded content can come off as propaganda - Adam Lashinsky, Senior Editor, Fortune Magazine. The role of branded content in the publishing world was, not surprisingly, the most hotly debated issue at CommsConnect. Alex Jutkowitz, Managing Partner at Group SJR, came to its defense, explaining that branded content today falls on a spectrum with heavyweight content (purely about the company) on one end and lightweight content (purely to entertain and engage the audience) on the other. Middleweight content, a bargain between the two extremes, is the daily content brands produce to “give you some knowledge, and you’re going to know exactly where it’s coming from.”

• "If you build it, they won't come” - Dan Roth. This is a fundamental truth many people choose to ignore. If you want your content to be seen and talked about, forget starting a microsite or a new blog -- publish it where the audience already is.

Lastly, as it turns out, everyone loves a good "When Harry Met Sally" story, as we learned when my boss, Jeff Weiner, told the crowd how he hired me over a breakfast meeting.

The digital communications space is rapidly changing, with new players and platforms emerging every day. Today, the most important untapped resource for brand engagement is your employees and colleagues. Learn more about leveraging them to help tell your brand story here.