HR Professionals: Growing Your Audience Matters
When it comes to learning, I’m a big believer that we seek out opportunities to listen/read/do things that don’t always fit into the mold of our current role. Years ago, when I worked at an airline, I was assigned to a task force responsible for researching what happened to luggage when it went missing. It was interesting and I learned a lot, in addition to helping the organization solve a vexing problem.
Which is why I wanted to share with you the book “Reach: Create the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book or Cause” by Becky Robinson. Becky is a friend, and I was thrilled that she sent me one of the first copies. The focus of this book is exactly what the title says. It’s about building and growing an audience.
This is important to HR. Here’s why.
Recruiting and Recruitment Marketing. As I was reading the book, I kept saying to myself…this would be great for recruiters! Oh, and this would be perfect for recruitment marketing campaigns and employment branding. If you’re building a talent pool or a talent bank, then knowing how to grow an audience is important. For example, finding ways to use social media to broadcast regular messaging about the company. And when you’re busy, strategies for quickly updating and repurposing content would be very helpful.
Marketing Your Consulting Business. Over the past few years, a growing number of people have decided to venture into the consulting world. That’s great. I love consulting. I have great clients and get to work on interesting projects. But I also have to market my work. “Reach” allows new entrepreneurs to start building their audience. Established consultants will find some valuable reminders and maybe even some new marketing strategies.
Volunteerism and Activism. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is part of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) HR competency model. We’ve talked in the past about how candidates, employees, and customers want to know that organizations support their values. I could see it being important for HR to communicate the company’s position on issues to their audience. I could also see the company asking their audience (i.e., customers and employees) for support as well.
To me, “Reach” is one of those books that can offer some creative inspiration in many different situations. I think that’s great and so applicable right now. We need resources that can be as flexible as we’re being asked to be. If you’re looking for a book that can give you some communication and messaging ideas, check “Reach” out.
Sometimes, the best resources come from experts outside of our industry. That doesn’t mean to abandon HR resources. It means we should be open to using a variety of resources to make our HR strategies stronger.
Image of Sharlyn Lauby speaking at SHRM Annual Conference in Washington, DC
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