Who, what, when, why and the way? Journalism students learn to reply these inquiries to ensure a very powerful information is conveyed first in an article.
Depending on their backgrounds, marketers may not be acquainted with this structure. Even as someone who studied journalism, I’m guilty of forgetting my roots. We all get busy trying to advertise this product or that service. And in all that busyness, with different voices expressing their opinions about what must be said, focus can be lost.
But working as a marketing consultant for the previous few years, I’ve been reminded concerning the importance of questions — particularly the FAQ document. It’s a strategic asset, the start line for a lot of, if not all, projects. Let’s take a look at some FAQs to provide help to use this tool to your advantage.
Why are FAQs so vital?
FAQs are instrumental in developing key messages that can guide internal and external communications. Think of FAQs as a most important guide. They provide all the important thing points and explain what the corporate desires to say and why it will be important. They create alignment and consistency amongst the chief team. This should then spread to each department within the organization. T
When should FAQs be developed?
A FAQ can be included in any communications or marketing plan to assist develop and/or solidify key messages. They are essential tools when managing:
- Mergers and acquisitions.
- A crisis, from a cyberattack to layoffs.
- Company news/press releases.
- New services or products launches.
- A company rebrand.
Dig deeper: What’s the role of marketing in a crisis?
Should FAQs be shared with all audiences?
No. A FAQ is a strategic tool to make sure alignment between communications and/or marketing and executive functions regarding a selected project or situation. It should only be shared with the suitable groups.
Here are some you may use around M&A activity:
- General FAQs for any audience, including media.
- FAQs for workers of the acquiring company.
- FAQs for workers of the goal company.
- FAQs for purchasers of the acquiring company.
- FAQs for purchasers of the goal company.
- FAQs for partners of the acquiring company.
- FAQs for partners of the goal company.
Executives and department managers normally receive a master document with every set of FAQs. This prepares them to cope with questions from any internal or external audience.
Employees of the acquiring and goal firms get the overall FAQs and people touching on what they should know. The FAQs should be as transparent as possible in answering questions and reflect the unique nuances of every audience.
Who should be involved in developing FAQs?
The project or situation will dictate who develops FAQs. Someone in communications or marketing normally serves because the document owner and involves the suitable internal subject-matter experts.
- In M&A, HR is heavily involved.
- At product launches, we depend on the product manager.
- In a crisis, legal must review any information before it’s disseminated inside or outside the organization.
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How do you ensure appropriate collaboration when writing FAQs?
When developing an FAQ document, you’ll want to find out:
- A deadline for collecting the relevant information for the primary draft.
- Which SMEs have to be involved by providing information via existing documentation, internal interviews or each.
- How you’ll collect feedback on the initial draft so SMEs can see one another’s comments/edits (e.g., Google Docs).
- How you’ll resolve comments or disagreements regarding certain answers.
- If outside stakeholders have to be involved (e.g., legal or investors).
- The deadline for producing a final document.
- Which SME and/or executive is answerable for final approval.
- Who may have access to the ultimate document and the way it’s going to be used.
How should FAQs be used?
An FAQ document is a useful tool for creating several types of communications and marketing materials. It helps in specific situations, like a merger or crisis, and can also be great for writing press releases, product fact sheets, brochures, videos, customer communications and more.
The most important goal is to grasp the story you desire to tell. You should also document the facts. This helps ensure accuracy and consistency, regardless of the medium.
In an M&A or crisis situation, an FAQ document might only be shared with certain audiences, similar to employees or your support team. While specific answers may be written and approved for sharing via phone conversations and email with customers or partners, the document should not be shared outside the corporate.
Be sure to incorporate the suitable instructions or classifications, similar to “confidential” or “for internal use only,” and in addition allow time for training your designated spokespeople, front-line managers and support staff regarding approved talking points and FAQs.
FAQs still appear incessantly on each B2C and B2B web sites. They support customer support and are used for search engine marketing (search engine optimisation).
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What are some key questions to incorporate in an FAQ document?
The subject material or situation will dictate the questions on which to focus. You can at all times query ChatGPT to assist cover your bases. Here is a listing of straightforward inquiries to take into consideration when creating an FAQ document for an organization announcement.
- What are we announcing?
- Why is it vital to the organization?
- How does it affect our employees?
- Why does it matter to customers?
- How will our partners (including investors) be impacted?
- How might competitors attempt to spin the knowledge?
- Is there a call to motion?
The Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “The man who asks an issue is a idiot for a minute, the person who doesn’t ask is a idiot for all times.” This summarizes the importance of questions and the facility they hold.
As marketers, we will use FAQs to assist us focus — or refocus — our messaging and empathize with our audiences to make sure we consider their perspectives and anticipate their information needs.
Dig deeper: Why startups need greater than just press releases
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