Let's get real

Not too long ago, most of us crossed an invisible line, moving into what futurist and author Peter Hinssen calls “the new normal.” It was the point at which technology became so seamlessly blended into our lives that we took it for granted. We were no longer amazed by the innovations. We were no longer impressed by the productivity tools. It was all simply part of our daily routine.

As part of this unconscious transition, we also changed the way we interacted with one another. Time and distance were no longer relevant factors. We could reach out to practically anyone in the world and create a personal connection.

All of these subtle changes have dramatically altered our expectations of communication. We know what’s possible because we use digital media every day. We’re sending relevant, personal, and engaging information to our friends and colleagues—and expect to receive the same.  

This creates a challenge for the 21^st century communicator: how do you keep it real and individualized when you’re sending a message to thousands of people?

The approach that falls flat is to keep your message generic enough for anyone. This serves to make it interesting to no one. A perfect example is the “UNT Official Message,” an email sent to students and faculty at the University of North Texas on an all-too-frequent basis. This week’s messages were titled “We’re off to a great academic year” and “Remember September 11^th,” so you can imagine how quickly they were discarded.

Finding a better way is a challenge, though, “when the target audience is constantly moving and, with the help of spam filters, frequently ducking,” says a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Everyone wants information delivered via a different channel, says the article, but putting messages everywhere can overwhelm students and create far too much work for staff.  

A good option, the article suggests, is to let your audience lead you in using different channels for different messages. This might mean promoting campus events on Facebook, posting news on a designated Twitter account and athletic scores on another, and reserving emails for major alerts. Blogs and websites can also add to the mix, making professors and administrators more approachable.

 “Blast e-mails are too impersonal,” says Kenneth Elmore, dean of students at Boston University. “People want to know you've thought about them," he says. Elmore’s “Dean’s Blog” is a creative missive that strikes a distinctively conversational tone about campus happenings, Elmore’s recommendations to student’s about campus life, and his thoughts on the direction of the university. It’s a fun read, which draws students to voluntarily turn in and pay attention. The blog site also has links to his Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages—different options for staying connected.

This strategy makes the messages seem intimate by revealing a personal side of the communicator. Students don’t see it as getting boring news from the school—they’re getting insider information from the cool Dean who posted his playlist last week.  

I know it works because I eagerly follow my own alma mater’s administrator, Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin, on his Twitter account @aggieprez. He’s a nerdy little guy who wears glasses and a signature bowtie, but the campus and alumni have embraced him because he lets that nerdy side show. His tweets are crazy-proud of the university. And he (or his staff) respond, re-tweet and actively engage—making us part of a personal conversation.

This paradigm shift is a big transition for mar-comm professionals like me, who’ve made a career from "mass" communication. But considering it objectively, I have to wonder why we haven’t been taking this approach all along. After all, it’s always been the human element that’s made our messages real.