We all communicate with those around us. Even if we are not talking, our body communicates with those around us. The same happens with companies/organizations – they are in permanent communication with their target audiences even when they don’t say anything. Thus, it becomes fundamental for companies to have global and strategic communication.
But, after all, what is strategic communication?
Strategic communication is all communication that is planned, intentional, and goal-oriented. However, not all of this planned communication is strategic.
The concept of strategic communication is not consensual among authors in the field, but all agree on a fundamental aspect – the communication of companies is only one – and it is through it that companies create intangible assets that are impossible to replicate, individualizing the company.
Let’s think about the following, taking the digital market as an example: today there are more and more companies operating in this area, with extremely similar services and products. How does each company differentiate itself from its competitors, beyond the price factor?
This is where communication firmly left in the background comes into play – organizational communication. Organizational communication encompasses several areas of communication such as communication with civil society, communication with the media, communication with internal audiences, among others. It is through this communication that companies/organizations will be able to convey their identity attributes that make them unique, thus differentiating them from their competitors.
How to develop strategic communication?
First of all, we should think about communication from the inside out, not the other way around. Before studying your market, study your company/organization – what are the attributes that set you apart? What is your mission? Where do you want to go (vision)? What image do you want to convey?
Subsequently, you need to keep in mind that communication is involuntary. Every organization communicates, in whatever form – verbal communication, visual communication, or simply the lack of it. (How many journalists have we seen on the news in front of a certain company/organization that refuses to give any clarification?).
We should also think about the content of the messages – our communications have different types of audiences, which require different types of communication, always harmonized across all communication channels:
- primary: refers to the messages that are issued regarding the behavior of the institution’s products, its human resources and its policies;
- secondary: concerns controlled communication, encompassing marketing communication, advertising and promotion;
- tertiary: relates to word-of-mouth among its stakeholders and networks.
Finally, you must have 360-degree communication, not forgetting communication to your internal audience and to society. It is equally important to develop your communicative profile and presence in all media, whether traditional or digital.
Today, more than ever, it is essential to differentiate yourself from your competitors by showing what best characterizes your company/organization. And the secret is in strategic communication. It has always been in plain sight, but for many years it was hidden in the shadows of marketing communication, which became the main means of communication for companies/organizations.