1. Care sunt top 5 abilitati digitale pe care tinerii profesionisti in comunicare ar trebui sa le caute in prezent?Industria comunicarii este intr-o permanenta schimbare si adaptare la mediul digital, asadar iata cateva abilitati/specializari pe care le vad esentiale pentru practicienii sai:
- Analiza datelor: abilitatea si necesitatea de a masura rezultatele din mediul digital sunt mai puternice ca oricand. Pe masura ce inteleg cum sa gandeasca si sa interpreteze datele, comunicatorii trebuie sa poata descifra interdependentele si intelege tendintele rezultate in urma analizarii datelor.
- Zona vizuala: in mod traditional, comunicatorii au fost antrenati pentru interviuri, profile, comunicare cu angajatii, comunicate de presa – toate acestea gravitand in jurul scrisului. Era digitala le cere sa fie « povestitori » mai iscusiti intr-o paleta extinsa de de medii, iar asta include zona vizuala. Video-urile, pozele, infograficele si altele asemanatoare sunt necesare in universul mobil digital.
- Codificare: o intelegere aprofundata a zonei tehnice este utila. E drept, comunicatorul nu trebuie sa stie neaparat sa construiasca un cod (desi cunoasterea de baza a HTML-ului este de ajutor), insa ar trebui sa inteleaga elementele de baza ale codificarii, ale constructiei de site-uri si aplicatii, ca sa poata face recomandari.
- Social: fara indoiala, elementele care tin de zona de « socializare » sunt esentiale in peisajul digital de azi. Dar dincolo de a intelege cum sa utilizezi platformele, este util sa intelegem ce oferte comerciale au brandurile la dispozitie, cum functioneaza promotiile platite si cum sa construim un program eficient care mai degraba sa includa componenta sociala inca de la inceput decat sa o adauge la final, dupa ce intregul plan a fost dezvoltat.
- Strategie: pare un termen relativ vag, insa strategia este elementul cheie daca vrei sa ai succes. Comunicatorii ar trebui sa cunoasca in profunzime fortele care domina piata, competitia, celelate segmente ale afacerii in afara de marketing si comunicare, pentru a le putea aborda unitar.
2. Ce discipline digitale crezi ca sunt un « must » si ar trebui, de exemplu, sa fie incluse in programa academica a univeristatilor cu profile de comunicare?
Pornind de la enumerarea de mai sus, as spune fara sa stau pe ganduri ca zona de analytics si strategie ar trebuie sa faca parte din programa scolara. Studentii vor avea nevoie sa inteleaga si sa interpreteze date pentru a putea vorbi mai departe despre strategie, audiente, storytelling, iar un curs care sa ii introduca in universul cifrelor ar fi esential.
3. Cum crezi ca va arata jobul unui community manager/social media manager peste 10 ani? Care vor fi principalele schimbari?
Daca nu cumva s-a intamplat asta deja, ar trebui sa fie o integrare mai stransa intre zona de actiune a community manager-ului si serviciul de relatii cu clientii, departamentul dezvoltare de produse si celelalte zone ale afacerii care ar putea beneficia de pe urma feedback-ului comunitatii. Una este sa planifici continutul si sa il partajezi in cadrul comunitatilor, alta sa parcurgi circuitul complet, transmitand mai departe feedbackul in cadrul organizatiei.
4. Care este cea mai recenta campanie digitala care ti-a atras atentia si de ce?
In State, campania ALS #IceBucketChallenge a fost un succes major. A inceput in Boston cu scopul de a solidariza cu cauza unui jucator de fotbal care sufera de scleroza amiotrofica laterala (“Lou Gerhig’s Disease”), prin etichetarea participantilor de catre prieteni care indemnau la “baia” cu cuburi de gheata pentru a dona astfel $10 pentru cercetare. Pana acum, campania a strans $31 milioane si a facut inconjurul internetului. Simplitatea, abilitatea de a se viraliza si natura haioasa au contribuit la succesul sau, care a vizat o cauza nobila.
5. Care sunt principalele tale surse de informare zilnica in materie de stiri digitale? Ce ai recomanda comunicatorilor sa citeasca pentru a fi conectati la cele mai recente vesti din lumea digitala ?
Am multe surse, incluzand aici lista de persoane pe care le urmaresc pe Twitter, insa cateva dintre site-urile pe care intru in mod constant sunt:
Daca l-ati indragit inca din aceste randuri pe Scott, va inviti sa il urmariti pe blogul sau, pe pagina de Facebook sau pe contul de Twitter. De asemenea, daca aveti curiozitati pe care ati vrea sa i le adresati, sunt bucuroasa sa i le semnalez. Enjoy!
Sursa foto: www.facebook.com/scott.monty
***
English version
5 questions for Scott Monty, Executive Vice President, Strategy, SHIFT Communications
I had the honour to meet Scott Monty 2 years ago, when I participated at The 2nd PR and Social Media Summit organized by Ragan Communications in Amsterdam. It was an extremely exciting moment for me, given that I was about to hear speaking the one that had served me as case study for my dissertation. Scott, who was at that moment Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager at Ford Motors Company, irremediably overreached me since our very first interaction: I, eager to get an autograph from him on my paper and to exchange some impressions, and him, impressed for being already a topic on the students’ agenda. We stroke up a friendship which is however affected by the distance. But Scott remained polite, open and kind, just exactly how I met him, and immediately accepted to draft some answers for the interview in this article when I kindly asked him. So, ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with great joy, exclusively for the Romanian readers, 5 Q&As about this digital world which seems more and more difficult to systematize, but which Scott Monty tried to explain away for all the curious out there:
1. What are the top 5 digital skills that young communicators should look after nowadays?
As the communications industry continues to change and to adapt to digital environments, these are the key skills/specialties that I see as key to communicators:
- Analytics: The ability and necessity to measure results in a digital environment is stronger than ever. By understanding how to think about and interpret data, communicators need to be able to draw inferences and understand trends by analysing the data.
- Visuals: Traditionally, communicators have been trained in writing. Interviews, profiles, employee updates, press releases – all are based on writing. The digital age requires that the communicator be a better storyteller in a variety of media, and that includes visuals. Video, photos, infographics and the like are necessary in a mobile and digital world.
- Coding: A strong understanding of the technical side of the profession is helpful. While the communicator doesn’t necessarily need to know how to code (although some basic HTML is certainly helpful), they should understand the basic elements of coding and building sites and apps so that they can make recommendations and u
- Social: Without a doubt, social is a key element in anything digital today. But more than understanding how to use the platforms, it is helpful to understand the offerings to brands, how paid promotions fit in, and how to build an effective program that includes social from the beginning, rather than adding it on after the plan is fully developed.
- Strategy: It’s a rather vague term, but strategy is a key element to being successful. Communicators should have a keen knowledge of market forces, competition, the parts of a business other than communications or marketing, and how they all come together.
2. What digital topics do you think that are a “must” and should be introduced in the academic curricula in the universities for communication students?
Looking at the topics above, I would say a course in analytics and statistics that is shared with a business school. They’ll need to understand and interpret data to inform strategy, audience, storytelling and more, and a course that introduces them to the numbers would be essential.
3. How do you think that a community manager / social media manager job will look like in the next 10 years? Which are going to be the main changes?
If it hasn’t already happened, there should be a tighter integration between the community manager and customer service, product development and other areas of the business that can benefit from the feedback of the community. It’s one thing to plan content and share across communities; it’s quite another to make that a loop and feed it back into the organization.
4. Which is the latest digital campaign that drove your attention/ you consider successful and why?
In the United States, the ALS #IceBucketChallenge was a major success. It began in Boston to show solidarity toward a college football player who is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“Lou Gerhig’s Disease”), with participants being tagged by friends to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads and donate $10 to ALS research, or to simply donate $100. To date, the campaign has raised over $31 million and has taken the internet by storm. Its simplicity, ability to be repeated, and fun nature have contributed to its success, as has its good cause.
5. Which are your main daily sources for information when it comes about digital news? What would you recommend young communicators to read in order to stay up-to-date?
I have a lot of sources, including people in my Twitter lists, but some of the sites I visit regularly include:
If you already like Scott for his lines here, be my guests and follow him on his blog, his Facebook page or Twitter account. Also, if you have curiosities to address him, I would be more than glad to notify him! Enjoy!