Is your communications strategy driving business success?

Is your communications strategy driving business success?

You’ve set some bold business goals: growth, innovation and expansion. Does the way your business communicate truly reflect those ambitions? A well-executed communications strategy isn’t a luxury; it’s essential.

After all, the way businesses communicate and engage with others runs right to the very core of every organisation: it’s the result of what you do, what you say and perhaps most importantly of all, what others think about you.

Why your communications strategy matters

The way in which you communicate impacts every element of your business. But if you think that a communications strategy is simply about creating a catchy tag line and a pretty logo, then it’s time to think again.

Your communications strategy should be like the writing in a stick of rock. It should embrace every element of your organisation: from the emails you send to the way in which phone calls and enquiries are handled. It lies at the core of empowering staff and engaging with customers, but perhaps most importantly of all, at its heart, a communications strategy builds credibility, authenticity and trust.

So, where should you begin when thinking about a communications strategy? Here are five things you should consider:

Any investment in communications should always be aligned with your business goals.

As a starting point, revisit your business plan. Ask yourself where you would like to see your company in five years, three years and twelve months. Once you have a vision, think about how the way your business communicates and engages with others will help you to achieve it.

For example, if your business is considering expanding its products and services into new markets, think about how your communications strategy will help you to achieve this.

With so many different communications tools readily available, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Of course, it goes without saying that different audiences will have different expectations from your business, but it’s the consistent, underlying messages that matter most.

Your target audience is likely to make purchasing decisions based upon the impact of your products and services and whether they trust your brand, rather than whether you have an all singing and dancing video channel or have transformed your senior leadership team into AI generated action figures!

2. Understand the competition

Second to having a clear business plan, spend time understanding the competition. A competitor analysis can be a useful tool when identifying threats, and opportunities, to your business.

This shouldn’t mean simply copying an approach adopted by your business rivals, but it will help to understand differentiating factors, making your messaging unique and relevant to your target audience.

Think about what distinguishes you from the competition and how this  message is shared.

3. Consistency

An effective communications strategy doesn’t simply say its key messages once; it does so consistently. Big brands invest millions of pounds every year to ensure that a phrase is associated with their business – and the most effective ones often take on a life of their own. How often have you heard someone say, “It does what it says on the tin”, or “Should’ve gone to Specsavers?”. Neither happened overnight but are the result of a planned and sustained communications strategy.

4. Understand your audiences

This is perhaps one of the most critical elements of any communications strategy. Give thought to your audience’s expectations, for example, what do they need to know and how do you want them to feel? What concerns might they have that need to be addressed?

Give consideration to both internal and external audiences. This means thinking beyond simply customers and understanding how different people engage with your business. For example:

Internal audiences:

• Employees
• Departments
• Managers
• The senior leadership team

External audiences:

• Customers
• Suppliers
• Industry bodies
• The local community

5. Review and evaluate

Just as a business plan is something that continually evolves and adapts, your communications strategy should never be rigid. As you begin putting your plans into action, it’s likely that you will notice some elements will exceed your expectations, whereas other aspects may require further refinement.

Monitoring and evaluating the impact of your communications approach means having clear benchmarks in place from day one, outlining clear and measurable objectives. From the outset, think about what success looks like.

As your business priorities change, it’s likely that your communications strategy will evolve to maximise impact and perhaps most importantly, reflect the needs of your audience.

Unsure of where to start?

We understand that when it comes to developing a communications strategy, the needs of every organisation are unique. We will work with you to develop a clear, easy-to-understand strategy, helping you to make the most of the communications opportunities available to you and your business.

Our approach is tailored specifically to your unique needs, allowing you to concentrate on growing your business in the knowledge that your communications plan is in safe hands.

Book a free 30-minute consultation using this link or alternatively call us on 01709 321585.