I have been thinking about my career journey lately and how I have moved and shimmed through different spaces of the media and communications landscape – and man – it all adds up. And the golden thread of it all – I would define as becoming a storyteller.
Although in professional terms the better description is “strategic communication professional” yet in all the roles I have occupied the same question would arise: “What is the story” or “What is the key message we are trying to land”. Whether I was in the newsroom writing an article about a protest in Soweto, or in the marketing department of an accounting software company developing a social media campaign for a new product launch.
The tools we use to get the story to the target audience have changed over the more than ten years I have had in the game. What I mean is that – it is no longer just about painting stories with just words, relying on just print and a one-way form of communication. Now, one must think about, long-form written articles, short-form posts for social media, images, video, sound, and third-party voices in the form of earned and paid-for advocates. In addition to the story, we are telling – there is also the follow-up story in terms of responses to the reaction – all of this is public – therefore it must all align.
It’s been fascinating evolving with this industry which I am passionate about – watching as we navigate new ways of working: some moving faster and others being more cautious. It takes courage to jump on the new thing and it also takes courage to be still in the rush and not feel under pressure to just act because everybody is doing something.
I am reflecting on this as I am back in the world of Public Relations (PR) after spending years focusing mostly on social media management (both on reputation management and marketing). In my time back – none of the plans I have developed have been created in a silo. Collaboration between marketing, social, website owners, events teams, and greater business has been a visible driving force in telling our stories to drive different objectives.
This is wonderful to experience because as a strategic communication professional – all I have ever wanted to see become reality is the breaking down of walls and seeing the different roles within the communication landscape work closely together. In the world we now play in – it is no longer fruitful for any of us to work in silos and not think of each other’s roles when putting together a campaign. Whether you see yourself as a specialist or generalist – we need each other to be able to tell the right stories for our brands.
In an era where our audience is easily distracted and we are all competing for their attention – there must be continuity in messaging wherever they engage with us; thought leadership articles, billboards, TV/Radio ads, online activity, and events. And even how we respond to reputation risk (read crisis communication). So, if you are a young marketer, social media manager, or public relations specialist – remember – collaboration with your colleagues is not just a tick-box exercise but a key ingredient for a successful campaign. It is also a learning moment to understand how others work – it might open your mind to the possibility of a career shift. In my case, I have worked in journalism, social media marketing, social media advertising, social media PR, Public Relations, Reputation Management, Online Reputation Management, Content Development, External Communications, and Strategic Communications (a lovely way of blending all those roles).
Tokiso Molefe 