5 must-haves in your communications strategy
Business is competitive. Depending on your industry, you are likely watched by regulators, elected officials, current customers and their communities. How you act and respond to everyday occurrences will play a big role on how all these groups perceive you. How you prepare for the unknown and take proactive steps to ensure you are ready to respond to a situation in a timely manner may play an even bigger role. Your business success will be tied to your communications success.
Effective communications can mean the difference between keeping a project on track and running into costly delays. Below are 5 must-haves in your communication strategy:
- Have a communications plan – Build community support. Keep everyone informed.
- Reach the right people – Know exactly who your audience is. Tailor a message that is clear and easy to understand.
- Timing – Provide timely communications to add to your credibility and build trust.
- Be proactive – Control your message and manage your reputation.
- Be relatable – Transparency can go a long way. Keep the community and media happy in a way they can relate.
Don’t wait until it is too late. The 5 points above are the bare minimum your organization should have in place to make sure you don’t get caught in the cold. If the time arises where you don’t have time to plan a thoughtful communications strategy, you’ll be glad you have this in place.
Need help? Marketing Works can help. We’ve been planning and executing successful communications plans for more than 20 years. We work with clients strategically to develop marketing and public relations initiatives that meet their business and organizational objectives. Contact us to schedule your COMPLIMENTARY communications strategy review.
Have you ever been in a situation where your communications plan kept you out of trouble? We’d love to hear about it. Tell us your story in the comments.
Mworks740 • October 31, 2012
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b2b marketing, Brenda Stier, business challenges, business communication, communications plan, communications planning, communications strategy, crisis communication, Marketing Works, must haves in communication, proactive communications, Sandra Fekete