Defense contractors are recognizing the value of engaging in social media. Online magazines and blogs — until recently considered second rate — are now becoming critical reading matter. Traditional media continue to lose readers and viewers at a rapid rate. Thanks to the vast proliferation of blogs, wikis and YouTube, anyone can now become an instant news crew.
That’s why success as defense communicators, civilian contractors and military leaders — depends upon the ability to keep up with, and even stay a step ahead of, a growing cadre of tech-savvy journalists and bloggers. We have to know not only what they want, but how and when they want it delivered.
The National Defense University recently acknowledged the importance of social networking as a vital tool for maintaining relationships throughout both the Defense Department and its partners, including both contractors and the media. Fears of cyber-attacks, the university found, should not deter the use of social networking tools.
Boosting the public’s literacy on military weapons systems has been made easier by the introduction of sophisticated personal technologies. Explaining the need for continual upgrades to military technology is simpler now that the public has become accustomed to successive generations of personal computers with new features and capabilities. Military technology that once seemed abstract is more readily understood in today’s marketplace, such as GPS systems.
Still, maintaining public support is a tougher challenge today. An abundance of on- and off-line media outlets means that the public is, at once, more informed and more critical of defense spending, especially during an economic downturn.
This is where social networking comes in.
Defense communicators are expanding their reach beyond the industry, military, trade and business publications. There are various blogs that aggregate stories from other sources and originate their own. Easy access to defense-oriented blogs has created a growing international audience for military issues, with expert commentary from civilians and military personnel, alike. As their influence grows, social networks will become increasingly used by defense communicators. Indeed, an Israel Defense Force official recently held a press conference on Twitter.
But Twitter will be used for many more purposes in the future. Communicators can use it to monitor discussions about their companies or services. They can use Twitter to set up interviews with executives or answer requests from reporters who are researching information for stories.
The best part of social media is the way they foster engagement and dialogue. Though the audience may be varied, it consists of people with strong interests. They, in turn, can influence others whose attention to defense issues is more casual. Social networks tend to take an informal and sometimes downright irreverent tone. Defense communicators must be prepared to join the conversation.
Blogs over time will become ever more influential. Beyond the independent blogs that have developed their own followings, established newspapers and magazines are adding blogs to their websites because readers want a continuous flow of news and ideas. Communicators must pay attention to what is being said, and be ready to offer comments, facts and rebuttals. The better blogs are self-correcting. They will amend a post, for example, when a mistake is pointed out.
They will also add new material from well-informed contributors who elaborate on the initial post.
There is also the matter of ill-informed observations. Anyone who has read a blog, or even the comments sections following articles on newspaper websites, knows that “trolls” can weigh in quickly. As a general rule, unless the idea seems to be gaining traction, let others do the responding. By creating forums for corporate positioning messages, for instance, third parties can serve as valuable torch bearers to further educate the publics and influencers that need to be reached.
Some companies already support individual employee blogs under the corporate brand name. Others may also post on blog hosting sites such as Topix. The services are slowly working out blogging policy for active duty personnel. These blogs, however, are still constrained by the demands of military secrecy and the political sensitivity of the issues, so considerable effort will be needed to maintain the freewheeling tone that attracts readers.
They also require monitoring. Trolls will find them quickly and be among the first to incite scrutiny by more traditional media outlets. Nevertheless, corporate blogs can be effective tools. MySpace, YouTube or Facebook may also be used for delivery of highly targeted messages.
More sophisticated online techniques to get the message out, such as targeted data mining, will grow as communicators deliver pinpoint messaging to strategically selected audiences, avoiding the waste that comes with mass delivery.
Communicators must become as conversant with the non-traditional social networking media as with the customary print and broadcast outlets if they are to explain how their technologies help the forces deal with these new threats.
To succeed, defense communicators will have to appeal to an audience that is both more sophisticated about technology and interested in military matters, but still has gaps in understanding defense issues. Closing them will be the vital role of the defense communicators of tomorrow.
Maintaining a balance between secrecy and engagement with social media is a challenge that increasingly faces all corporations, particularly those in the defense industry.
David J. Albritton is vice president of communications at ITT Defense Electronics & Services.