What is a Communications Strategy?

A Communications Strategy streamlines and unifies communication allowing you to effectively share your message to your target audience. A strategy will also save time, energy, resources and minimise risk. A simple, concise strategy is essential because it will support you in effectively connecting, communicating and building relationships with your customers, clients, employees, suppliers and community.

A Social Media Strategy is not a Communications Strategy 

As a Communications Specialist of 20 years, I’ve seen it all. Often, businesses focus purely on creating a strategy for their social media and don’t look at developing an overarching Communications Plan. A Social Media Strategy only addresses social media. A Communications Strategy focuses on all your customer touch points (including but not limited to your website, blog, email marketing, podcast and social media). A Communications Plan aims to simplify and unify how you connect and communicate internally and externally.  

What does a Communications Strategy include? 

Your strategy must be specific, detailed yet concise and tailored to the individual needs of your business. Some of the key elements include: 

• Business vision, goals and objectives. 

• Communication Strategy goals and objectives. 

• Key messages. 

• Target audience. 

• Communication channels

Do small businesses need a Communications Strategy?

Business communication must be open, supportive, authentic, transparent and strategic. Without a Communications Strategy, you run the risk of confusing your target audience with too many messages, unclear messages or perhaps no messages at all.

The good news is a Communications Plan doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be simple. Create a plan, review it regularly and ensure it is linked to your business goals and objectives. Ineffective communication (or no communication at all) can be detrimental to business relationships, your brand, your bottom line and to the success and of your business.

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