Podcasts
Reputational management is an all-encompassing task that serves as a crucial behind-the-scenes element of the telecommunications industry. We speak with one of the industry’s icons, Ilissa Miller of iMiller Public Relations.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Ilissa Miller, the founder of iMiller Public Relations (iMPR), emphasized on a recent appearance of Beyond the Cable that providers should understand the differences between marketing and strategic communications, as her company offers.
As Miller explained, strategic communications should not be confused with marketing. Instead, her mission is one that is all-encompassing.
“It encompasses all sorts of things from strategic advisory to crisis communications, to messaging, to storytelling, and the amplifying that story,” she said. “So that it reaches the right people, with the right intent.”
She said that while technology solutions are on the cutting edge, many technologists don’t have a full understanding of public relations. That’s where she comes in.
“So, when I am pitching and I’m talking to people who are technologists first, rather than businesspeople, there is an education and an opportunity there where you do become their strategic advisors,” she said.
At times, she said, elements from the public may try to disrupt projects or initiatives, which is when professionals are needed who know how to both work with people and listen to them.
“And that’s a powerful way to turn a crisis into an opportunity,” she said.
Data centers, for instance, can sometimes be an eyesore and face opposition in communities.
“And then there’s the unknown of ‘you got this big building, what does that do for our community?'” she asked.
Miller added that, many times, issues will revolve around land use and local zoning.
This has been a sneak peak of Miller’s appearance on the Beyond the Cable podcast. Click here to listen to the full interview with Miller.
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