Newsletters

by Mark McClanahan

For a business leader, communicating to employees is a full-time responsibility. Time for communication is built into schedules through one-on-ones, small-group meetings and large-group meetings. A leader will often have stand-ups for more urgent communications. Emails and internal memos are other significant methods for communicating. A tool Mosby has used for many years is a monthly newsletter.

We use the newsletter for three main purposes. The first reason is to show our humanity. The day-to-day operations of a business can sometimes mask that our organization is made up of people with interesting lives. We overcome this by sharing birthdays, anniversaries, client attaboys and other special announcements like personal achievements, engagements, weddings and new babies.

The second purpose of the newsletter is to highlight team efforts. When you have people and teams geographically spread out, it is difficult to see the extraordinary work being done by your fellow associates. We showcase their work through articles spotlighting specifics about projects and unique business initiatives.

The third purpose of the newsletter is to bring us closer together and align our team with the business direction. The opening of the newsletter is intended to draw the reader into what the company is focusing on and what is important at this moment in time. This greeting is typically written by me or the owner of the company.

How do we execute the newsletter? It is curated by our marketing team. Different employees from around the company fulfill unique monthly duties contributing content. Once the newsletter is packaged, a PDF of the final version is emailed to all employees on the first of the month. A paper version follows via snail mail to each employee’s home. This last step helps bring the family in closer to the company.

Newsletters may seem laborious, but the ROI is high.

Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosb.com or 314.909.1800) is the president at Mosby Building Arts