978-0133896787 Chapter 6 Part 1

6: Crafting Message for Digital Channels

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CHAPTER 6: CRAFTING MESSAGES FOR DIGITAL CHANNELS

CHAPTER SUMMARY

professionalism. Email can seem a bit “old school” in comparison to social networks and other

technologies, but it is still an important medium for business communication.

An important guideline for effectively using email and other digital channels is to engage in the

three-step process of planning, writing, and completing, even if it means taking only a few

minutes to do so prior to sending (or posting) your message. Businesses and other organizations

such as one-way teleconferences in which a speaker provides information without expecting to

engage in conversation with the listeners.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Digital Channels for Business Communication

Media Choices for Brief Messages

Compositional Modes for Digital Media

Creating Content for Social Media

Optimizing Content for Mobile Devices

Social Networks

Business Communication Uses of Social Networks

Strategies for Business Communication on Social Networks

Information and Media Sharing Sites

User-Generated Content Sites

Content Curation Sites

Community Q&A Sites

Email

Planning Email Messages

Writing Email Messages

Completing Email Messages

Instant Messaging and Text Messaging

Understanding the Benefits and Risks of IM

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Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful IM

Blogging and Microblogging

Understanding the Business Applications of Blogging

Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful Blogging

Microblogging

Podcasting

Chapter Review and Activities

TEACHING NOTES

Digital Channels for Business Communication

messages:

 Social networking

 Information and content sharing sites

 Email

 Instant messaging (IM)

 Text messaging

 Blogging and microblogging

 Podcasting

 When you want to make a formal impression

 When you are legally required to provide information in printed form

risk of miscommunication and unnecessary conflict.

You can succeed with written communication in virtually all electronic media by using one of

nine compositional modes:

 Conversations

 Comments and critiques

 Orientations

 Summaries

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successful content for social media:

 Remember that it’s a conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch.

 Write informally but not carelessly.

 Create concise, specific, and informative headlines.

 Get involved and stay involved.

 Be transparent and honest.

 Think before you post!

 Location-based services

 Gamification

 Augmented reality

 Wearable technology

Social Networks

 Public, general-purpose networks

 Public, specialized networks

 Private networks

Social networks are most beneficial when all participants give and receive information, advice,

Social networks are a great fit for many business communication needs. Here are some of the

key applications of social networks for internal and external business communication:

 Integrating company workforces

 Fostering collaboration

 Building communities

 Socializing brands and companies

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 Choose the best compositional mode for each message, purpose, and network.

 Offer valuable content to members of your online communities.

 Join existing conversations.

Information and Media Sharing Sites

Social networks allow members to share information and media items as part of the networking

experience, but a variety of systems have been designed specifically for sharing content. The

possibilities can be divided into three types:

 User-generated content (UGC) sites

 Content curation sites

 Community Q&A sites

To make user-generated content effective, make sure it is:

 Valuable: provide content that people want to see and to share with colleagues.

 Easy: make material easy to find, consume, and share.

efforts.

Content curation is an alternative to traditional newsfeeds—someone with expertise or interest in

a particular field collects and republishes material on a particular topic and makes it easy to

assemble attractive online magazines or portfolios on specific topics.

business communication.

Community Q&A sites allow visitors to answer questions posted by other visitors. Examples in

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Email

The indiscriminate use of email has lowered its appeal in the eyes of many professionals. Some

managers are making changes to reduce or even eliminate its use for internal communication.

However, email still has compelling advantages that will keep it in steady use in many

companies. Email is:

 Universal—everyone has it

 Read at the recipient’s leisure

Since sending an email is so easy, it is often overused and misused. Make sure every email you

send is absolutely necessary.

you’re writing about.

The casual style used for personal email is inappropriate for most business communication. The

expectations of writing quality for business email are higher than for personal email, and the

 Make sure your subject line is informative and compelling.

 Do more than just describe or classify your message—build interest with key words,

quotations, directions, or questions.

Email can present challenges when you need to express particular emotional nuances, whether

communication and for formal internal communication.

Take a few moments to revise and proofread your message before you send it.

Lean in favor of simplicity when it comes to producing your email messages. (A clean, easily

end of your message.

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Before you send your message, pause and verify what you’re doing.

Instant Messages and Text Messages

Business-grade IM systems feature the following components:

 Basic chat

 Presence awareness (the ability to see quickly which people are at their desk and

available to IM)

 Remote display of documents

 Marketing

 Customer service

 Security

 Crisis management

 Process monitoring

 Rapid response to urgent messages

 Lower cost than phone calls and email

Potential drawbacks of using IM:

 Security problems

 Need for user authentication

 Incompatibility between competing IM systems

 Spim

Although instant messages are often conceived, written, and sent within a matter of seconds, the

principles of the three-step process still apply, particularly when communicating with customers

and other important audiences:

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 Writing instant messages: As with email, the appropriate writing style for business IM is

free.

To use IM effectively, pay attention to some important behavioral issues:

 Potential for constant interruptions

 Ease of accidentally mixing personal and business messages

Regardless of the system you’re using, you can make IM more efficient and effective by heeding

these tips:

 Be courteous; avoid interrupting someone and send an email or other type of message

instead.

 Follow all security guidelines.

Blogging and Microblogging

Blogs are online journals that are much easier to personalize and update than a conventional

 Communicating with personal style and an authentic voice

 Delivering new information quickly

 Anchoring the social media presence: a central hub that the company or individual owns

and controls make an ideal social media hub

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journalists

 Recruiting: telling potential employees about the benefits of working at a firm

 Crisis communication: providing up-to-the-minute information during emergencies,

correcting misinformation, or responding to rumors

contributions

 Employee engagement: encouraging communication across all levels of a company

 Customer education: help current and potential customers understand and use your

products and services

 Word-of-mouth marketing: make a point of providing links to other blogs and websites

that interest customers

The planning step is particularly important when launching a blog:

 Pay attention to your audience, your purpose, and your scope.

 Carefully consider the information you are including. (Others could link to it months or

years from now.)

style.

 Successful blog content also needs to be interesting, valuable to readers, and as brief as

possible.

Completing messages for blogs is quite easy:

 Proofread to correct any errors.

 Post using your blogging system’s tools.

A microblog is a variation on blogging in which messages are sharply restricted to specific

character counts.

information.

Like regular blogging, microblogging is a popular medium for business communication. It is

useful for the following:

 Providing company updates

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 Announcing headlines of new blog posts

 Providing customer service

When you’re microblogging for business communication, make sure messages are part of your

Podcasting

teleconferences and training.

While not as easy as blogging, podcasting is a fairly simple process for any business with basic

computer systems.

The three-step writing process works well for podcasting:

information, and organize your material.

 Be sure to include previews, transitions, and reviews.

 Consider integrating your podcasting efforts with a related blog.

for a wider public audience.

The process for recording and distributing podcasts can vary depending on such factors as the

production quality you need to achieve and whether you plan to record in a studio setting or on

the go.

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OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE

proper form for the situation assigned.

Most students will already be frequent email users with preconceived ideas of what is acceptable

communication. However, habits developed from writing chatty, lengthy email messages for

friends or family are unacceptable when writing business email. Overcoming existing habits will

require focused discussion of email messages that present the writer as a competent employee of

Students often don’t take the time to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in email

messages. In addition, many other business email issues will be new to them. They may not

know how to set up electronic signature files to be attached to outgoing messages. Plus, they may

not be familiar with providing personalization through salutations and closing lines. Stress issues

such as keeping paragraphs short, limiting email to one topic and one screen, and organizing the

Many students will not know about the cc or bcc fields in an email template. Be sure to explain

when each is used. Students often think that they should put their own name in the cc field

because they will be keeping an electronic copy.

Not all homes have Internet access; therefore, some students may not be experienced in sending

Students may have learned different formats for business letters in other classes or even in

elementary or secondary school. You may hear comments such as, “You mean that what I

learned in the fifth grade isn’t right?” or “I’ve been doing letters like this ever since high school.”

Before students write any messages related to this chapter, hold a brief class discussion. Ask

students to identify who their audience is and the form the communication should take (letter,

memo, email). Require students to analyze the purpose of the letter and probable reader reaction.