A main constituent group these days for any company would be the press. The relationship that communicators at a company have with the press is vitally important. Social media tools such as online newsrooms, have made it easier for the press to get their stories about certain companies. In a blog posting from Steph Synoracki’s page entitled “Apple’s newsroom..a slice above the rest,” she discusses how Apple’s online newsroom may be one of the best in the country, has all the essentials that an online newsroom needs. Their site not only attracts the press but also interested customers and other stakeholders.
Apple’s Press Info page is quick and easy to use. It has a list of the most recent press releases, press contacts, images for the media to use, investor information, executive profiles and more. There is even a way to search their press release library. Subscribing to their RSS feed, would allow members of the press to receive information from Apple, even more quickly and easily. In an article entitled, “Dynamic Online Newsrooms Great Leadership Opportunity,” David Henderson discusses the differences in the Apple online newsroom and the Dell online newsroom. Henderson says that Apple does a great job of listing its contact information while Dell list only a general telephone number. This is especially disappointing, as I have mentioned in previous posts, Dell has really taken advantage of social media tools to attract their constituent groups into collaborating with them, however, it seems that their online newsroom is falling short of attracting the same from the press.
Henderson continues to discuss the difference between the two computer companies. Apple tends to overshadow Dell often, with its new products that the public seems to gobble up, but Apple’s communicators also take a different approach than Dell’s do, which he says is the main reason that Dell is not measuring up. He says that Dell is relying mostly on press releases and paid advertising while Apple is taking the next step in a growing market share and customer satisfaction. Apple’s success, therefore, is really dependent on their communicators, who are reaching out to customers and really using the new tools that are available to them. Finally, Henderson lists 5 ideas for creating useful media information pages. The fourth idea he lists is to be accessible. I feel that that is the most important for any company and any communicator because customers and other stake holder groups are expecting it. With web 2.0 and social media tools, constituents expect transparency and if you are not accessible, your company’s success will reflect that.
