This post isn’t supposed to sound smug. It’s not about Helpful, but the good things that come from brave clients who approach their digital capability with intent.
What makes for a Brave Client?
- They commission scoping projects rather than list requirements.
- They have genuine problems to solve, but they’re willing to try different approaches to a solution.
- They’re generous with their time and enthusiasm, as well as their budget.
- Most importantly, they’re doing something sustainable. Helping their organisations build confidence, skills and opportunities to communicate online, for the long run.
It’s all too easy for companies to choose the do nothing option, or simply outsource and hope for the best. Because no one has time, “we tried it before” or “it’s too risky”.
Right now we are working with Brave Clients. They’re doing something sustainable around skills development and it feels to us like a genuine partnership. Their teams are learning new and sometimes tough skills. Building confidence, because they want to; they know they need to. Not because we sold them ego, fear or greed.
Among our Brave Clients are an energy company so vast and successful that they could happily outsource social media and not suffer the consequences. However they really care about their staff development, the quality of their communications and understanding the opportunities that simple, effective online campaigns can bring. Their willingness to pilot a different approach, blend a variety of learning techniques and focus on greater practical skills and less theory, is admirable.
Whomever we work for, I am always painfully aware that our approach can uncover internal politics, tricky relationships and surprising levels of inexperience. Not so this Brave Client. There’s trust and confidence, and that’s what helps us to really understand the needs of their team, and feel confident reporting on these in an honest and open way.
Brave Client number 2, a military organisation, has every right to be sensitive about their work. However, they have enough care for their 33,000 staff to recognise that these people must have their voice on social media. They recognise that it is this voice that resonates most loudly with potential recruits, supporters and other services.
More than that, the people we work with most closely at Brave Client number 2 are willing to take this message to Very Important People. They’re willing to re-shape job responsibilities, put digital communications front and centre and recognise that this is a long game.