• "If we’re not customer driven, our cars won’t be either ". – Ford Executive.

• The end of marketing as we know it. Author: Sergio Zyman. Publisher: Harper Business. The former Chief Marketing Officer with Coca-Cola shows why old approaches to marketing have lost their fizz – and how to get a jump on the strategies that will work in the twenty-first century.

• www.dictionary.com for all you wordsmiths, a site to find every word imaginable. www.thesaurus.com is an associated site for use when you’re looking for that special word to communicate your ideas.

One of the most powerful internal communications tools I know of is a ‘staff newsletter’. It is a simple device that provides many benefits to the organisations that take the time to create them. Newsletters can become one of the key components for developing and sustaining a vibrant corporate culture.

SouthWest Airlines in the USA provides a great example of how beneficial a staff newsletter can be. Called ‘LUVlines’, delivery of each edition of their monthly newsletter is keenly waited for by all employees and their families.

Many companies make the mistake of regarding staff newsletters as simply a communication vehicle for management to tell staff what it is that management wants staff to know. This is not a staff newsletter; this is a management memo.

A staff newsletter needs to involve all staff, and equally important, the family of staff.

A successful newsletter starts with finding the right person, or people, to take responsibility for its creation and delivery. If the right people within the organisation can’t be found, then the responsibility rests with the business owner or CEO until such time as someone steps forward to take over. In addition, those responsible need to be given the necessary resources of time and money to make it happen.

It is important that those responsible for putting the newsletter together, have fun doing so. Creating a newsletter is an opportunity to let your creative juices flow. If compiling a monthly (I recommend monthly) newsletter is perceived as a drag and gets thrown together at the last possible moment, it simply won't work.

Whilst the format of the newsletter is of course entirely up to you, here are some suggestions that others have found helpful.

‘From the desk of …’ which is a note from the CEO. Strong leadership is fundamental to the success of any business and that leadership must start at the top. It is important to let staff know of all developments in terms of the company’s future.

‘Industry Update’ What’s happening within your industry. What your competitors are up to. Who has won what awards within your industry sector?

Inspirational stories or quotes from the past woven into the body of the newsletter always provide motivation and interest to readers.

As the publication is a ‘staff’ newsletter, it is important to include what’s happening with staff. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the photo of a staff member’s son or daughter receiving an award for their sporting, artistic or academic achievements. Children’s drawings are also a good idea.

Letters to the editor are a good way of allowing members of staff to publicly offer suggestions on how to grow the company or to voice their concerns about a particular issue.

Customer bouquets and brickbats. Let staff know what your customers are saying about you.

Newsletters also provide an opportunity for public acknowledgement of long service achievements and staff members deserving special recognition.

Of equal importance to the creation of a successful staff newsletter, is its distribution. It MUST BE MAILED home and addressed to the whole family. Newsletters can also be sent to clients and left on counter tops and in waiting rooms. Customers love to know what’s happening at your place. Newsletters are one of the best ways of letting them know.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

Previous newsletters available at www.grahamharvey.com.au/Articles/

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