It should be obvious at this point that we live in a time where consumers and audiences demand transparency from brands and organizations.
The idea of transparency and authenticity (check out our previous post: Meaningful Message vs. Pandering) is at the core of establishing and fostering relationships that keep your business or brand strong.
But, what’s not obvious is how to be transparent. What does being transparent even mean? How does it apply to your business? Who defines transparency?
It’s true that the concept of transparency is this nebulous thing that’s hard to define or understand in a way that helps you run a business.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the concept effectively.
The 5 W’s of Transparency
In a business setting, transparency is defined as a “lack of hidden agendas or conditions, accompanied by the availability of full information required of collaboration, cooperation, and collective decision making.”
That’s a lot of somewhat ambiguous words all piled together, so let’s break this down a little.
We all remember the five W’s from elementary school: who, what, when, where and why.
Answer all five of these and you’ve laid a good foundation for successfully understanding the idea. So that’s what we’re doing for the idea of transparency as it relates to your business or brand.
WHAT:
I know, “who” comes first in our list, but we need to understand a bit more about what transparency is first. I gave you the business definition of transparency above, but what is it in reality?
Let’s talk about what it’s not first. Transparency is not divulging every hidden secret of your company. It’s not publicly admitting to every transgression that every employee or leader has ever made.
These are individual actions, and calling them out on their own to your audiences won’t establish trust or answer the demand for transparency.
To be clear, I’m not saying hide any of these things. I’m simply saying that calling them out on their own without a larger effort won’t create the transparency you’re looking for or what your audiences demand
You can do these things, but it’s not really what’s being asked of you by your audiences. What they are demanding is more conceptual or strategic than that.
Think of it more conceptually or strategically than tactically.
Transparency is an idea that people need to feel a connection with. They need to believe that you are a good company that is not hiding things from them.
We get in to how to implement this idea later, but for now, think of it as not a single action or admission of wrongdoing, but a culture of being open, honest and authentic with how you operate your business.
People naturally put barriers up against things they don’t trust. And just like with interactions with other people, admitting to one offense doesn’t create a relationship.
In fact, it often has the opposite impact.
But, a common understanding of each other built out of trust, respect and openness creates the foundation for a meaningful relationship.
WHO:
So, who really needs to be transparent in an organization? Leaders, executives, front line workers, boards of directors?
A lot of people will say “everyone” needs to be transparent. And while that has merit, and I agree, I’m going to dive a bit deeper.
The entire organization needs to foster the idea of transparency across all of its operations and activities.
As we discussed earlier, we don’t want to put every operational, legal, marketing or business element of our organization in to the public space. But, we want everything we do within our business to be seen as transparent.
So, everyone does have a role to play in your brand transparency, but it’s a culture that needs to be fostered from the top. It’s an expectation that needs to be addressed at every level with accountability checkpoints established to ensure compliance.
And most importantly, it needs to really come to life with your communications efforts. This is where the idea of transparency lives and dies.
If you don’t communicate your transparency, are you really even transparent? The short answer is no!
WHEN:
When does your company need to be transparent?
Well, if you have to answer this with specific moments, you need to rethink how you’re looking at being transparent. Transparency is an ongoing activity.
As we said before, it’s a culture that’s created internally without starting or stopping points.
The one important thing to call out here is transparency during a crisis.
Yes, you need ongoing efforts to build your brand as a transparent and trustworthy organization that your audiences want to support.
But, once you’re in the middle of a crisis, transparency through consistent communication is crucial to successfully surviving that crisis.
Again, it’s not about pulling back the curtain on the nuts and bolts of what’s happening. It’s about a feeling that you are being forthcoming with information and open about what’s happening.
This is where it’s vital to have a crisis communications plan. Check out this previous post on Crisis Communications planning tips. (http://bit.ly/corona-crisis)
WHERE:
Where exactly do you need to be transparent?
This is a great time to bring up something that is often overlooked when it comes to transparency, and communications in general – your internal audiences!
Being transparent with your teams and employees is just as important, if not more so, than being transparent with your external audiences.
I’ve seen many businesses lose control of situations because their internal teams aren’t communicated with and there isn’t transparency with what’s happening.
Your employees are the heart and soul of your company, and the idea of transparency starts with them. Foster that at and you’ll find it much easier to exude transparency with your external audiences.
For external audiences, you need to bring transparency to life with everything you do.
From in-person interactions and website content to digital and social channels, your brand needs to convey transparency. The best way to do this is through meaningful engagement.
Answer questions, respond to comments, and make time to connect with your audiences. I said it earlier, but transparency is as much of a feeling as it is an action. Make your audiences feel like you’re connecting with them in a meaningful way, and you’re that much closer to being seen as a transparent brand.
WHY:
Why do you need to be transparent? Hopefully this is pretty obvious at this point, but let’s bring it home.
The simple answer is survival. Transparency is expected, and demanded, from all of your audiences.
Consumers no longer allow things to “slide” when it comes to brands that (in return) expect their support, money and loyalty.
Employees want to work for a company that they trust and don’t mind putting their name alongside to their family, colleagues and friends.
Embracing a transparent culture helps ensure the support of your audiences, both internal and external, and the survival of your business.
The Forgotten W
Sometimes it’s included in the 5 W’s, but too often the “how” of the whole thing is left out. Now, I could spend hours talking about how to be transparent. Plus, the solution is different for each business and brand.
So, here are some tips on how you can be transparent as a business:
Embrace transparency as essential:
Since we’re all living through a global pandemic, I thought describing this as essential would really hit home. If you think of transparency as a “nice to have” but not essential, you’re not being transparent.
Make transparency mandatory and embrace this idea (and everything we’ve discussed above) as essential starting at the top, and you’re laying the foundation for success.
Engage with audiences and answer questions:
People want to be communicated with, not at. This means having a dialogue and creating open lines of communication. Yes, this applies to internal audiences as well as external stakeholders.
If you’re engaged on social media channels, take the time and allocate the resources to engage with those audiences. When comments are posted, respond and engage with them. If they ask a question, provide the answer.
Treat these audiences the same way you’d treat a friend that reaches out with a comment or question – the expectation is that you provide a response, so meet the expectation before it becomes a demand.
“No comment” is not acceptable:
There are a hundred ways to answer a question, even if you don’t have all of the information. We often see “no comment” during crisis situations, but the idea applies to all your communications channels.
If there’s an accusation or question, engage and answer the question. If you don’t have the answer, let them know you’re finding the answer. Whatever you do, don’t let it go unengaged and certainly don’t tell them “no comment”.
Have a crisis plan:
It’s a fact…every business or organization will face a crisis at some point. If nothing else, every business out there faced a crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic. That means you need a crisis plan that goes above and beyond your day-to-day communications efforts.
Planning for the unexpected means you’re always prepared, even for the unexpected. Do the work now and manage the crisis effectively when it gets here.
Let’s Get RADD
I’ve also been discussing how you can find success following the Coronavirus crisis through the RADD approach, which is Recognize, Adapt, Develop, and Deploy. Check out our previous posts to see how you can succeed with the RADD process:
– Get RADD And Plan For Success Following Coronavirus Crisis
– Prepare for Success and Get RADD, Part 1: Recognize
– Finding Success By Getting RADD, Part 2: Adapt
– Get RADD, Part 3: Develop Plans For Success
– Deploying Your RADD Communications Plan
Here are some additional resources for your crisis planning efforts as you adapt to your new worlds:
– There’s Still Time To Communicate During the Coronavirus Crisis
– Is Pitching Media A Good Idea During COVID-19?
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
And here are some additional blogs to help with your strategic communications planning:
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– 7 Tips for Successful Media Interviews
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
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