ABSTRACT
Digital media are powerful, when used as part of an overall communications plan. One of the challenges communicators face when advocating the use of digital media is the paradox that people alternatively fear the power of digital media and, on the other hand, find it frivolous. Shonali Burke points out that employees will have varying level of interest and competence at digital from their own social media lives. Burke also points out that so many PR efforts are outward-facing it is easy to overlook the importance of empowering employees. She encourages the same approach when approaching executives, pointing out that numbers rarely tell the whole story. "There's the story behind the numbers – the feedback, the knowledge sharing, the best practices, the public relations and the true impact. One key to successfully presenting any strategy to executives and management teams is to understand and adopt the mindset of those executives. Shifting executive mindsets takes time and can be intimidating.
