A communication strategy differs from a plan. A plan is a collection of tactics with timings that are designed to deliver the strategy. A good communication strategy will help govern your relationship with customers and employees, crafting an effective communications strategy takes a careful approach and a clear understanding of both your target audience and your industry.
To develop a communications plan that works, you need to first understand the purpose of the plan, how it serves the organization’s goals, as well as the context in which it is being developed. You also need to include understanding your audience, being relevant with your messages, and bringing real value to the table.
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How to Develop a Communication Strategy
- Create Actual Value: Create an actual value for yourself and your organization. By doing so, you focus on what the takeaways are. Avoid using popular market talks and be more concerned with developing your own brand and style.
- Include Clear Key Performance Indicators: Always include measurements for success. Articulating clear key performance indicators (KPIs) is critical to meeting the goals and objectives outlined in the strategy. These could be simple measures, such as the number of media hits on the launch or foot traffic at an event. However, be sure to choose the metrics that are important to business growth and the success of the campaign.
- Understand Your Audience: This is a very vital key as an understanding of the characteristics, pain points, and interests of the people who you want to attend the event, and then building a relevant communications strategy that specifically targets these people, in a way that supports how they digest content.
- Be Clear About Metrics And Goals: Paint a clear picture of what success looks like. Usually, everyone is trying their best to do a great job on anything that’s high profile, but they view success through the lens of their subject matter expertise, which may not be what matters most to the organization. Spelling out clearly what metrics have to be impacted when the launch is over, ensures that everyone is on the same page. And don’t think metrics aren’t for creatives, having those who execute the strategy accountable for the same metrics as those who draft the strategy is critical.
- Timing: Timing is important when building a communications strategy and this has to do with knowing when and how to do PR and press releases, influencer mentions, social media, growth engagement channels, and product and launches.
- Leverage Your Customers’ Insight: Ensure you develop a deeper understanding of how to contain and simplify your messaging to communicating authentically and directly about how you can help retailers understand their data. Your customer understanding is both the first step and a continual checkpoint in your communications strategy.
