Table of contents
The demands are increasing – not just since Corona
Old structures + new tools = patchwork
Don’t demand more and more with the same resources
rethinking processes
Taking the excitement out of the equation
Do not shift the responsibility for digital presence onto employees
… but strengthen individual responsibility
Make work easier responsibly with the right tools
Architecture instead of wild growth
"A fool with a tool ..."
Targeted support for employee brand ambassadors
The optimum remains a utopia, and yet …
This is not a guide to digital self-care or personal life/social media balance. It is about how to develop professional strategies in the company to protect employees (not only) in corporate communications from digital overload.
Digital accessibility is not optional in professional corporate communications. How quickly and in a way that is appropriate for the target group a company responds to the needs of users determines purchases and customer loyalty. This presents all employees with major challenges: someone actually has to be available around the clock. The number of different channels that users choose to make contact is increasing - and they do not always correspond to the methods that the company itself would prefer. They often change and are therefore often difficult to keep track of or only very difficult to monitor.
The demands are increasing – not just since Corona
The demands on availability and responsiveness are also increasing in internal team collaboration. Anyone who wants to build a personal brand, create visibility for their own company or position themselves and exchange ideas on certain topics in these times is dependent on social media. This applies to the self-employed as well as to many employees cryptocurrency data at all specialist and management levels. In addition, there is personal, private communication, which has also changed and accelerated significantly in recent years: WhatsApp and other messengers, but also good old email and private social media accounts demand a lot of attention during working hours and leisure time.
I wrote the previous sentences at the end of 2019 in an article for UPLOAD magazine entitled: " How do I protect myself from digital burnout? " The latent and often manifest digital overload is not a phenomenon that only emerged during the Corona crisis. But since spring 2020, almost all of us have been challenged even more. This applies even to those who were already very digitally savvy. But it is even more true for those who are forced to take a steep learning curve when it comes to digital communication, digital collaboration and social media.
Old structures + new tools = patchwork
But the communication departments in companies are even more challenged. Even "before Corona", more was often demanded than could be sustained in the long term. Now, attempts are often made to implement new things using old structures. The result is often more like a patchwork of tools than a sensible system. This means that, despite apparent help, everyone involved is more burdened than less, without anything improving as a result - quite the opposite.
Much of what I advise below is something I actually said in the same way two, three or even five years ago. But with the current challenges on the one hand and the ever-growing flood of offers and information on the other, it is even more relevant.