Developing Strategic Communications for your brand

Communication begins the moment you put your brand out there. Perceptions are being formed and narratives are being crafted. Therefore, developing strategic communications for your brand is critical.

Strategic communication is how you control and stay ahead of all narratives and perceptions about your brand. Most importantly it is how you unfold your brand story on your own terms.

Strategic communication , is communication that follows  a plan and has a clear purpose or desired outcome. It is proactive communication.

It is intentional, with well-crafted messages that are conveyed through the most suitable channels to the ideal audiences, and with the aim of achieving a desired long term effect.

How to communicate strategically

Get clear on who you are

It is important to be clear on your brand. Why do you exist as a brand? What beliefs and values does your organisation ascribe to? What circumstances or experiences have prompted your existence?

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it “, Simon Sinek

Additionally get clear on what makes your offering different and unique, and show how it benefits the client. Clients need to know that you are their perfect match.

Understand who you are communicating to

Who is your audience and what actions do you want them to take?

Come up with clear target profiles that highlight their pains, frustrations, interests and preferences. Additionally clearly highlight their goals, motivations, values and beliefs.

To avoid any assumptions about your audience, conduct polls or interviews. You can also use social media analytics and google analytics to understand who your audience is.

“If your message is irrelevant to them, people not only tune it out, but think less of your brand for not understanding their needs.” – Kerry O’Shea Gorgone

Choose the right channels

Identify where your audience is spending their time and which channels will help you reach them most effectively.

Come up with your messaging and your desired outcome

When you understand yourself and your audience, you can use these insights to craft intentional messages. Additionally it can help you get clear on what you want communication to do for you.

For example, if your goal is brand differentiation, including your why in your campaigns will make you stand out. It gives consumers a deeper reason to want to be associated with your brand.

Get feedback and make necessary changes

The success of a campaign can inform you if your messaging is working. However, it is crucial to also determine if the right message and perceptions are being formed in your customers mind.

Always go the extra mile to get feedback from your audience so that you can compare your message and how your consumers perceive it. First understand why they made a purchase and the problems they were looking to solve. Then find out how they use your products and what they like or dislike about your products. 

This is two-way communication where as a brand, you are interested in monitoring audience sentiment so as to develop appropriate responses to simplify the customer journey.

Be consistent and authentic

Be consistent and stay true to who you are.

Consistency prevents contradictory and confusing messages to your audience. it also positions you as a reliable and trustworthy brand.

First be clear on how you want to be perceived and then consistently communicate that through all your touch points, be it in words, speech, tone, body language or in visuals.